Bell and Key

You inherit a motel on the side of a highway. Six rooms, a broken sign, guests who leave one-star reviews about the parking lot.

From there you build. Hire staff, fix rooms, upgrade the place one decision at a time. Guests check in and check out while you're playing — and while you're not. Come back after a few hours and the hotel has been running on its own. Sometimes well. Sometimes not.

There are seven stages of growth, from that roadside motel all the way to a grand hotel with a name people recognize. Each stage changes how the place looks, who shows up at the front desk, and what problems you're solving.

The staff you hire matters. Some are ordinary workers who do the job. A few are characters — a housekeeper who runs circles around everyone else, a chef who brings in guests who aren't even staying the night, a concierge who makes VIP guests come back. You unlock them as the hotel grows.

Every so often a VIP guest shows up. Each one comes with a small story — an investor sizing you up, a food critic eating in the restaurant without telling anyone who she is, a family that's been coming here every year since before you owned the place. How you handle them has consequences.

The hotel runs in real time. One game day is fifteen minutes. Seasons change, prices shift, competitors try to pull your best employees away. There's a lot going on, and most of it happens whether you're watching or not.

The goal is simple: keep improving the place until it becomes something worth remembering.