Have you stayed Atari today?
In a peculiar bit of news, Atari has revealed plans to enter the hospitality business, with the announcement of a number of branded “gaming hotels,” to be built in eight U.S. cities.
Construction is expected to begin this year, and will see the “one-of-a-kind video game-themed destinations” pop up in Phoenix, AZ, followed by similar lodgings in Austin, TX, Chicago, IL, Denver, CO, Las Vegas, NV, San Francisco, CA, San Jose, CA, and Seattle, WA.
“We are thrilled to partner with GSD Group and True North Studio to build the first-ever Atari branded hotels across the United States. Together we’ll build a space that will be much more than just a place to stay,” said Atari CEO Fred Chesnais in a statement. “Atari is an iconic global brand that resonates with people of all ages, countries, cultures and ethnic backgrounds and we cannot wait for our fans and their families to enjoy this new hotel concept.”
Each hotel will feature game rooms, housing consoles as well as AR and VR setups, while Atari is hoping some of the bigger locations will be used as venues for tournaments and esports events. Alongside the gaming paraphernalia, the hotels will also include facilities such as meeting rooms, gyms, restaurants, bars and movie theatres, as well as a place to rest your weary head.
Because all of this sounds almost too sensible, Atari has released an artist’s impression of a typical hotel, which literally has a ten-story neon Atari logo emblazoned on the side. You can find out more details on the Atari Hotel project over on the company’s brand new website.
Meanwhile, Atari’s much-beleaguered console, the Atari VCS, continues to grind its way to release, and is now tentatively expected to arrive in March. I wonder if they’ll have one installed in every room.
Atari-branded hotels are coming to the U.S. [The Verge]