Atari Shared a First Look at the Atari 'Mothership' Hotel & It's Pretty Wild

The very cyberpunk hotel doesn't have an opening date, yet.

atari hotels las vegas
Image courtesy of Atari Hotels
Image courtesy of Atari Hotels

In January 2020, Atari announced plans to open a series of eight Atari-themed hotels loaded with game references and opportunities to play retro and modern games in just about every space a hotel can plausibly have. A lot has changed in the world of travel since January, but the hotels are still rolling along. 

At that time, GSD Group and True North Productions, which have licensed the Atari brand for the project, shared a rendering of the exterior for the Phoenix location. It has now unveiled renderings for the "mothership" hotel located in Las Vegas. Those are expected to be the first two Atari Hotel locations. Austin, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle will follow. If you're on the east coast, you're going to have to travel to visit the gamer's paradise. 

Atari Hotels Las vegas
Image courtesy of Atari Hotels

The initial announcement said the company would be breaking ground on the Phoenix location in mid-2020, but a representative tells Thrillist that the plan is to now break ground "sometime next year." Still, the details on what to expect are a bit hazy. Though, the plans are not short on big promises. "The newly announced Las Vegas location will bring an experience that has never existed in a market primed for evolution," the new announcement states. The concept sounds fun, but GSD Group is definitely not doing the "under promise, over deliver" model of hyping the project. The announcement calls the hotels "wholly unique" and "one-of-a-kind," as well as saying the concept "perfectly blends the past, present, and future of video games and entertainment."

“Like Atari’s legacy in innovation, Atari Hotels is infusing synthetic reality into every aspect of the hotel, creating an immersive hospitality and gaming experience for our guests,” Shelly Murphy, Managing Partner at GSD Group, said. “From our virtual interactive world to the physical locations, every element of Atari Hotels will offer a unique and authentic experience for everyone.”

Atari Hotels Las Vegas
Image courtesy of Atari Hotels

The very cyberpunk plans include "state of the art amenities" for esports lovers and "content creators."  The very Ready Player One vibe extends to retro arcades, a speakeasy (which most likely isn't an accurate term for what the bar will be), a "fully equipped nightclub," themed restaurants and bars, and a "multi-use, cutting-edge gaming arena." These appear to be features you should expect at every hotel. "While the Vegas location is the 'mothership," a representative tells Thrillist, "with some of the most standout features and accommodations, the details pertain to all of the hotels."

“I have seen the vision that GSD Group has for Atari Hotels, and they are poised to shatter the perception of what hotels can be,” Fred Chesnais, CEO of Atari, said. Those are some big promises, but if they make good on them, it sounds like a destination that will draw people from around the world. At the moment, there's no tentative open date available. 

atari hotels las vegas
Image courtesy of Atari Hotels

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Dustin Nelson is a Senior Staff Writer at Thrillist. Follow Dustin Nelson on Twitter.