A line of Atari-branded gaming hotels are on their way to US cities

In this week’s unexpected-but-completely welcome bizarre news, Atari — yes, that Atari, children of the 80s — is putting its name on a line of gaming-themed hotels. I don’t know about y’all, but I’m definitely spending my next Vegas trip in Chateau Atari.

Atari is working with the GSD Group to build the hotels in eight major cities. GSD will be doing the work of actually building the hotels, as this is essentially a licensing deal that gives them the use of the Atari name. Atari received a $600,000 advance for the deal, and is also entitled to 5 percent of the hotels’ revenue.

[Read: Atari’s VCS throwback console is getting a joystick upgrade]

The hotels will include “fully immersive experiences for every age and gaming ability, including the latest in VR and AR (Virtual and Augmented Reality).” Napoleon Smith III, film producer and GSD partner, said of the brand: “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?!”

Atari elaborated on what would be going into the hotels, and honestly they sound pretty amazing, not to mention like the perfect venue for an esports event:

The Atari hotels will feature common areas following the latest trends in hospitality, with a focus on the video game universe and the Atari brand. They will include a state of the art eSport studio, an Atari gaming playground, meeting and event rooms, co-working spaces, restaurants, bars, a bakery, a movie theatre and a gym. They are targeted at family or business travelers, providing a luxurious, relaxed and one-of-a-kind experience.

I feel as though I haven’t heard much from Atari lately. In terms of new products bearing the company name, I think I’d much rather have the oft-delayed Atari VCS retro console, but no way would I ever say no to a stay in a gaming-themed hotel. And hey, if that $600k it received for licensing the name for the hotel helps get the VCS out the door, then it’s a win-win.

GSD is currently developing the first hotel in Phoenix Arizona, with plans to break ground later this year. More hotels are planned for Las Vegas, Denver, Austin, Seattle, Chicago, San Jose, and San Francisco.