Atari's New Atari-Themed Hotels Will Open across America in 2020

[buzz_n64]

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oZebTZc9YyZLsnwNiMxOM9QBFLk=/0x0:2400x1350/1220x813/filters:focal(695x523:1079x907):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66174718/atari_01.0.jpg
https://www.polygon.com/2020/1/27/21083713/atari-hotel-opening-cities-phoenix-las-vegas?fbclid=IwAR2D-ui2xO18Lms-WJeAsTe_czEUm0t8CADfIJzaIfJ_7budgI1PXoehPIc

Atari is making Atari hotels now
Have you stayed at Atari today?
By Michael McWhertor

"Atari Interactive, the company behind hats with built-in speakers and a new version of the Atari VCS console, is getting into the hotel business. Eight Atari-themed hotels are in development, with the first expected to break ground on construction this year in Phoenix, Arizona.

Other Atari Hotels are planned for Las Vegas, Denver, Chicago, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, and San Jose.

Atari’s hotels will, of course, be video game themed, featuring “fully immersive” virtual reality and augmented reality experiences, and venues at select locations designed to accommodate esports events. As seen in renders of the hotels, the iconic Atari logo will feature prominently in the design of the company’s buildings.

Teaming up with Atari are GSD Group, Phoenix-based real estate developer True North Studio, and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak’s Woz Innovation Foundation.

Atari Interactive is a subsidiary of Atari SA, the French holding company previously known as Infogrames. The current version of Atari owns and manages a stable of game franchises, including Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Pong, and RollerCoaster Tycoon. The company’s Atari VCS is expected to launch in 2020 after a successful crowdfunding campaign on IndieGoGo."

[Niku-Sama]

huh interesting, i might sing up for their thing to get more info on this. could work, their city selection is a bit odd if you ask me though

[Aussie2B]

I wonder why they're completely ignoring the east coast.

[Niku-Sama]

i guess no one games on the east coast...

[DeputyMoniker]

There's more info in the Engadget article. It sounds pretty fun to me. I'm looking forward to seeing what they do. Surely it'll be fun for a road trip with the kids.


Since this is a licensing deal, Atari likely won't have any direct hand in the design or features of these hotels, but it does stand to make some money -- the company will receive five percent of the hotels' revenue. Atari has also received an advance of $600,000 for licensing the brand to the developer, which seems paltry for such a large project.
https://www.engadget.com/2020/01/27/atari-themed-gaming-hotels/

[gbpxl]

Hotels rely on thousands of different types of people coming through the door. I cant see a video game themed hotel drawing a large enough pool of people every month to stay in business. most people dont even know what Atari is. it isnt a word that resonates with a ton of people outside of gamers and people who were playing games in the early 80s. I could ask my co-workers what Atari is and they either wouldnt know or itd take several seconds for them to remember

its kind of like making a car wash based on Hammer horror films. there might be a few diehard fans who will drive hundreds of miles to go through it but most people would just go to the cheapest or nearest one to get their car washed

[buzz_n64]

Hotels rely on thousands of different types of people coming through the door. I cant see a video game themed hotel drawing a large enough pool of people every month to stay in business. most people dont even know what Atari is. it isnt a word that resonates with a ton of people outside of gamers and people who were playing games in the early 80s. I could ask my co-workers what Atari is and they either wouldnt know or itd take several seconds for them to remember

its kind of like making a car wash based on Hammer horror films. there might be a few diehard fans who will drive hundreds of miles to go through it but most people would just go to the cheapest or nearest one to get their car washed

I could see a themed hotel like the Atari hotel possibly working in Las Vegas, but the in the other cities, I don't see the brand bringing in a lot of people. If it's priced competitvly, maybe, but I think that this is going for a more upscale market where it might fail. I'd still like to stay at one though.

[Nz17]

I don't even know what to say. I mean, it sounds like it could be cool, but I don't know. Thinking about it, though, it would be awesome to have a special room set up at the place where there is a foam recreation of the Combat walls where people could chase after each other with Nerf guns or LASER tag things.


ATARI DOES WHAT NINTENDON'T
The first Atari Hotel will break ground in Phoenix later this year
By JONATHAN HILBURG (@JHILBURG) • January 28, 2020

Atari's first gaming hotel in Phoenix will be wrapped in the company's logo, which will also light up. (Courtesy Atari)

The burgeoning “corporate gimmick hotel” space is expanding even further, as gaming company Atari announced that it would be opening eight gaming hotels across the U.S., with the first set to break ground in Phoenix this spring.

Atari has partnered with GSD Group, who will develop and design the hotels, and local Phoenix developer True North Studio to realize the first building. Although no concrete details have been released on the number of rooms or height of the first hotel, GSD Group has promised a suite of gaming-related amenities. That includes augmented reality and virtual reality integration and video game-themed branding (one assumes this means Atari’s games)—selected locations will also include production studios and esports venues.

Design-wise, it looks like GSD Group is banking on nostalgia, similar to the reportedly troubled Atari VCS retro console the company was crowdfunding for on Kickstarter. Atari’s swooping, triple-pronged logo will wrap the otherwise boxy first hotel, and from the rendering, it appears the bands will light up and give the project a “modded PC case” feel.

“When creating this brand-new hotel concept, we knew that Atari would be the perfect way to give guests the ‘nostalgic and retro meets modern’ look and feel we were going for. Let’s face it, how cool will it be to stay inside an Atari?!” said Napoleon Smith III, partner at GSD Group, in a press release.

The pivot towards hospitality and esports might seem like a strange choice for a company better known for Space Invaders, but experience spaces have become major growth areas lately; the aforementioned Taco Bell hotel, or any of the numerous Legolands, can attest to that.

More Atari Hotels have been planned for “Las Vegas, Denver, Chicago, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, and San Jose” according to Atari and GSD Group.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jonathan Hilburg (@jhilburg)
Web Editor, The Architect's Newspaper

Source: https://archpaper.com/2020/01/atari-gaming-hotel-break-ground-in-phoenix/

[gbpxl]

like I said in the other topic, I dont see it being a huge hit outside the gamer community. hotels cater to businesspersons, johns/hookers, people visiting family. How many of those people are gonna go out of their way to stay at an Atari hotel

personally if Im traveling I usually want to get AWAY from video games

[Aussie2B]

I merged the threads so we won't have discussion split between Classic Gaming and Off-Topic.

[Ryudo]

wut? How many people even know who the fuck Atari is anymore? Surely they don't even have enough fans left to support VCS let alone whatever this is. SEGA fans are a dying breed but still vast amounts more of them than Atari or Intellivision combined. Is Atari doing a reverse Nintendo? Nintendo ran hotels in the 50s.

[WelcomeToTheNextLevel]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[ArcadePerfect]

I'm surprised they didn't plan one in downtown Los Angeles considering E3 is hosted there, could imagine tons of attendees would stay there on a regular year. Also around PAX East in Boston. It's a cool retro concept actually.

[gbpxl]

E3 is done

[ArcadePerfect]

Yeah, I figured it would get cancelled this year. Although the news arriving so quick this morning was still a bit of a surprise since it's in June, thought they'd hold off on such an announcement till April.

[gbpxl]

Yeah, I figured it would get cancelled this year. Although the news arriving so quick this morning was still a bit of a surprise since it's in June, thought they'd hold off on such an announcement till April.

ReviewTechUSA did a great video on why E3 may be going the way of the dodo. instant access to information, the fact that developers can make their own announcements at any time, some other reasons. leakers too I think. you basically get major announcements throughout the whole year now

[calthaer]

Could not be a worse time to launch something like this...not that they could have known. I would choose to stay in one when I travel, but...I guess we'll see. Hope it survives. A game room sounds a lot more fun than an indoor pool.

[gbpxl]

ill take the pool. i can play video games at home