Amsterdam is anything but short on touristic sites and recreational activities and with the latest addition of a hotel customized for gamers, it just became the perfect place for spring break.
Each room of the hotel features consoles, the lobby bar welcomes its guests with handhelds and there is even a comic book library for those who prefer reading to getting hat tricks or headshots.
The Arcade Hotel is located in the promising De Pijp area, meaning that it is far enough from the deluge of tourists, yet close enough to the center of Amsterdam to make it a comfortable lodging place.
We must admit, it does sound pretty tempting to get your dose of art, culture and well-preserved historical architecture and then crash on a bean-bag for some console-driven relaxation.
Every room in the hotel comes with a retro console and games at your leisure, at no extra charge. Handheld consoles are part of the landscape, in the chilling atmosphere of the lobby bar.
You may tap into your competitive spirit with fellow FIFA enthusiasts in the lobby or enter heated debates over who would win in a Batman vs. Superman fight, at the hotel's comic book store.
Daniel Salmanovich, the owner of the place, added the themed hotel to his family-run hotel business.
"I wanted to create a place where travelers and gamers feel like they are staying at a friends' home," Salmanovich underlines. He takes special pride in his efforts of turning the hotel into a "special place for people who love gaming."
At the opening of The Arcade Hotel, the guests delighted themselves with street food, gin tasting and an outdoor FIFA tournament. When asked about his plans for the future, Salmanovich explained that he aims to increase the number of rooms to 45. The Arcade Hotel currently has 36 rooms.
Guests should know that they can rest in single, double, twin, triple and four-person rooms. While a single room will make you shell out €76.50 ($83) per night, a double room dubbed Love Shack requires you to pay €148.50 ($161) for you and your significant Player 2.
The most cost-efficient variant is taking a quad room, which can host up to four people at a cost of €202.50 ($219) per night.
There is also talk about building a special gaming room, where we imagine that LAN parties will be the norm.
Themed hotels are rather a staple of Las Vegas, but it is good to see that the concept spreads to overseas tourist magnets, as well.
The Arcade Hotel has something for every type of video game aficionado out there: socializing with other console enthusiasts, comic books for catching up with the adventures of your favorite DC heroes, or a comfy room for a full-on binge-gaming experience.
Reports from last year indicated that a number of factors contribute to the reduced appeal of consoles to gaming fans. The never-ending development times, in-game purchases, lack of originality and mandatory Internet wear down the popularity of consoles.
It remains to be seen if initiatives such as The Arcade Hotel will help consoles remain an important part of gamers' lives. What is clear, however, is the place's potential to be a hub that brings the gaming community together.
