Every Papaeya game starts from a real problem in travel, not from a list of game mechanics.

It begins with a question from the industry, how do you plan a low cost airline network, how do you keep an airport from descending into chaos, how do you make a hotel profitable while keeping guests happy. With years spent inside these systems, it is easy to see the messy details and the hard trade offs. The job is to strip them down to a clear core that can fit on a board or a set of cards. 

Only then do the mechanics appear. I look for rules that make that problem fun to play with, give players real choices on every turn, and avoid a single “perfect” way to play. If a mechanic does not serve the theme, it does not stay in the game.  

Once the core problem and mechanic are clear, the rest of the game forms around them.

We test early and often, to see which parts feel exciting, which feel slow, and where players find loopholes. Components are chosen to make the system easier to understand, not just to look nice. Aircraft tokens, route maps, hotel tiles or airport tracks all exist to help you see the decisions you are making and react to what other players do. 

Production matters too. Papaeya games are designed to stay affordable, which means balancing ambition with cost. Sometimes that means using cards instead of custom pieces, or simplifying components while keeping the same depth of play. 

For the art, I use modern tools, including AI, to iterate fast. That makes it possible to test many visual styles, get feedback quickly, and arrive at something that matches the theme of each game, from the playful look of Low Cost Airline Manager to the 70s resort vibe of Resort Hotel Manager or the more whimsical style of Boutique Hotel Manager. 

Travel is full of invisible systems, slot constraints, pricing rules, aircraft rotations, overbooked hotels. Most people only see the result on a boarding pass or a booking confirmation. Papaeya exists to open that black box in a way that is approachable, social and fun.

The games on this site, like Low Cost Airline Manager, Airport Madness Manager, Boutique Hotel Manager and Resort Hotel Manager, are built on real industry logic and trade offs. They are not simulations for professionals, they are modern strategy games that let you argue over routes, yields and occupancy around a table.