What are the best board games for guests?

Betsy60
Level 3
Johnstown, NY

What are the best board games for guests?

We’ve only been hosting since last October, and the private apartment for guests has a large screen tv with HBO, Showtime, full cable channels, and movies on demand (we’re using the honor system).

 

I have slowly realized that a lot of people don’t watch that much tv...so other than a pack of cards, I’d like to get more games. I’m definitely getting Scrabble, but does anyone have other ideas for board games that guests would enjoy? 

16 Replies 16
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Betsy60  Monopoly, cribbage, Clue, backgammon, maybe a checkerboard and chess set. A few kids games if you host families. I love watching movies myself, but I never watch TV and don't know many people who do. 

Thanks Sara...great ideas! I’m headed out today to buy a few. I have an older couple staying for a week starting Monday, and I don’t want either of them going stir crazy...tv can just entertain you to a certain point. Clue is a really good one!

Rachel0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Betsy60 Get a couple of sets of playing cards as well as the board games that Sarah has suggested,  plus make sure that there is a notepad and pen available so that they can write down their scores.

Good point about the notepad and pen Rachel...thanks!

Lawrene0
Level 10
Florence, Canada

@Betsy60 , I have a few old (belonged to my kids) but complete games here. Battleship seems to be the guest favourite.

Thanks...that’ll definitely keep people busy!

Emilia42
Level 10
Orono, ME

Yahtzee! 

Omg...how could I forget Yahtzee! Thanks!

Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

we have backgammon, cribbage, a chess/checkers/+4 games in one, playing cards and a very old trivial pursuit game, scrabble and a couple others I can't recall, but 99% of our guests never touch any of them.

I suspect that’s going to be the case here also (and I believe there’s much more to do in Jersey City than in Johnstown, NY in the colder months), but a few weeks ago a young couple asked us if we had any games  available...other than a pack of cards, I had nothing. Gotta make everyone happy, even 1%!

@Betsy60  Yeah, they were all basically games that we either had duplicates of, or never used ourselves, so we put them in the airbnb, the only thing we bought was the 4/1 game set, but that was on clearance.  We also have a couple of coloring books and a package of crayons, but we rarely get young children.

We rarely get children either, but I think I’ll get a little something for them just in case, and store the kid’s games and coloring books and crayons in my living quarters till I know the little darlings are coming. Thanks for the ideas!

Helen427
Level 10
Auckland, New Zealand

 

@Betsy60 @Mark116 @Emilia42 @Lawrene0 @Rachel0 @Sarah & @everyone-else

 

There's some fabulous information and photographs of board games in this topic

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Do-you-have-books-for-your-guests/m-p/953593

 

I personally enjoy a good game of Scrabble..

 

Some of you who host out a whole property will have places where a good game of Hide & Seek can be played, inside and outside, for both children & adults..

Kimberly54
Level 10
San Diego, CA

@Betsy60@Helen427 @Mark116 @Emilia42 @Lawrene0, all great!  Just sharing a story:  I'm not really a "game" person at all.  Don't really see the point.  HOWEVER (this may sound totally pathetic), I have never laughed so much and so hard in my LIFE (really does sound pathetic) as when I played scrabble with two Iranians (man, and his sister-in-law who was a NAZI scrabble player--rule-book and all) and as I recall, two bottles of wine.  The memory still makes me smile!

 

As Sherlock Holmes would say, "The game is a-foot!" 

 

Wait... a foot?

 

Happy gaming!

 

Kim