Atari, the video game manufacturer behind classic video games like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Mario Bros., has announced it is now opening a chain of branded hotels. The first one, in Phoenix, Arizona, will start construction in early fall, and should be finished in about two years, according to CNN.
The hotels will feature spaces for virtual reality and augmented reality, studios for streaming games and venues for throwing esports events, according to a press release.
Some of the rooms will have a retro style while others could be inspired by “Ready Player One,” Shelly Murphy, CEO of GSD Group, told CNN Business.
Murphy said GSD partner Napoleon Smith III suggested one day, “I wonder what Atari is doing… ‘how cool would it be to stay in an Atari hotel?'”
Murphy described spaces set up with 10 gaming consoles where parents can host parties for kids. She said that the hotels would be affordably priced but offer premium options for people who might want to host a video game slumber party, for instance.
Atari hotels are also planned for Las Vegas, Denver, Chicago, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco and San Jose.
