The city of Las Vegas has actively pursued the gaming audience to Sin City. The Hyper X Esports Arena at the Luxor opened in 2015, bringing in a new opportunity to the city’s economy, as gambling slowly dwindles down. Following suit, streaming platform Twitch has now its own Lounge at the newly built Allegiant Stadium, and now Atari is set to build what sounds like could be the ultimate gamer mecca. 

Announced back in January, Atari and Gensler, an architecture and design firm, are partnering to bring Atari’s brand into the 21st Century. Gensler has previously worked with some of the most recognizable brands, bringing to life NVIDIA’s HQ in California, or Adidas’ NYC Flagship store. The hotel is in good design hands, and official renders give a first look of the hotel chain. 1982’s Blade Runner called. Intentional? Most likely, and I am absolutely on board.  

Atari Hotels intends to expand into multiple United States cities in addition to a Las Vegas location, including Phoenix, Austin, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle. Though many of us may know Atari for its arcade classics like Pong, according to its press release, Atari Hotels will perfectly blend with “the past, present, and future of video games and entertainment for a destination that offers guests a one-of-a-kind hospitality experience, complete with state-of-the-art amenities for esports fans and content creators.”

Like most Las Vegas accommodations, Atari Hotels will offer a “fully-equipped night club” (their words, not mine) and a speakeasy for adults with other entertainment options like arcades, a rooftop pool, art galleries, and immersive entertainment for guests of all ages. No details regarding said experiences have been released yet but apparently, they will begin prior to checking in, and lasting far beyond check out. Ooh, mysterious. 

If you’re ready to hop aboard the hype train now, you can already gear up in Atari Hotel branded merch from their official shop. 

Atari nailed its hotel announcement, especially given their previous leaps into trying to appeal to today’s gamers, with products like the Ataribox, Atari Token cryptocurrency, Speakerhats, and more, have left me feeling the brand was throwing spaghetti at the wall. 

Pursuing a hotel chain at first glance may seem like a massive and risky endeavor, but considering their deep-seeded history within the arcade industry and household name, it feels like the right move. I hope they are giving Nolan Bushnell a call to assist, but please, no animatronic rats.  

The Atari Hotel Las Vegas is due to open in 2022, and you can find more information on their official website.

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