It took just one year for Joie de Vivre Hotels to put its distinct stamp on the stale Best Western Miyako Inn in the heart of San Francisco's Japantown, converting it into the peculiar Best Western Hotel Tomo. The property is infused with the pulse of Japanese popular culture, namely video games and the vibrant, manic art of anime and manga.

Each of the 125 guestrooms features a unique mural by renowned Japanese artist Heisuke Kitazawa, and the hotel's custom furniture meshes simple Scandinavian woods with a modern Japanese flair. “You get this mix of real clean, pure wood, mixed in with this real toy-like feel,” says General Manager Derek Banderas. “We really tried to combine quirkiness with practicality.”

Perhaps most intriguing is the two new “Geo-domes,” which provide meeting space for about 100 people within outdoor capsules that Banderas likens to the contamination domes from the movie “E.T.” Additionally, the hotel has two soundproof Players Suites that offer large LCD-projector screens with PlayStation3 and Nintendo Wii video game consoles. “It is so far out. It is such a funky property,” Banderas says. “It has been interesting to see it.”