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More than Hype

Culturally speaking, when people think of luxury hotels, the phrase “Deathmatch” doesn’t usually come to mind. 

If it does, this man probably wants to talk to you.

Allow me to digress; being a rabid (but employed) gamer who travels far too often for my own good, I constantly find myself looking for any excuse to play video games while I’m away from my beloved consoles back home; this situation becomes doubly true if I’m traveling for business.  Even if I have multiple handheld gaming systems at my disposal, there is simply nothing that can match the feeling of sitting on my own couch, playing my own games, on my own television. 

Or, at least, that is what I thought before The Studio.

While it’s been known for some time that hotels across America have slowly begun to offer video game amenities to their guests, only a handful have been brave enough to invest the millions of dollars required to make these amenities a primary attraction.  Hotel Sax Chicago is one of the first hotels willing to take the risk. 

Hotel Sax, a relatively new and up-and-coming luxury hotel nestled in the heart of downtown Chicago, recently announced its opening of The Studio – Experience by Microsoft this past January.  Sleek, stylish, and Microsoft-powered, The Studio (as it is affectionately called by the hotel staff) is essentially a game and media lounge available exclusively to guests of Hotel Sax.  Do not be mislead, however, The Studio aims to conjure up much more than just the familiar feeling of gaming at home.  Rather, Hotel Sax has specifically designed The Studio with the aim of creating a completely unrivaled and utterly awe-inspiring video game experience.

While there is no denying the amassment of excitement and relative hype surrounding The Studio, any gamer worth his or her weight in 1-ups knows that talk is cheap, especially regarding something as visceral as video gaming.  So, in order to determine if The Studio – Experience by Microsoft actually lives up to the hype, one must experience it firsthand.

Thankfully, I had the opportunity to fly to Hotel Sax Chicago and find out for myself.

 

In the Gamers’ Studio

Upon entering the marble-clad lobby, I gazed wide-eyed around the impressive dimensions of the classically furnished room.  It was hard to believe that something as contrasting as a veritable next-gen arcade awaited me only a few floors above.  However, as the elevator eased to a stop and the doors calmly slid open, I was able to catch my first glimpse of The Studio’s entrance.  Otherwise unassuming, I knew I was in for a treat once I saw an eerie green and purple glow emanating from within The Studio’s glass walls.

Not so different than a kid in the proverbial candy store, I entered the lounge with my mouth agape, eyeballing the wealth of Microsoft-provided goodies in front of me.  A curvaceous wall snaked up the center of the large room, nearly halving it into two different sections.  To my right, was an entire wall composed of four Panasonic 42” LCD HDTVs played four different Microsoft titles on four different Xbox 360 Elites (each with its own custom faceplate, I might add).  To my left, a similar 50” Panasonic HDTV loomed over yet another custom Xbox 360 Elite, as well as a complete set of Rock Band instruments, quietly waiting to be played in their full 5.1 glory.  Along the adjacent wall, neatly packed shelves held a library of popular Xbox 360 games such as Halo 3, Call of Duty 4 and Guitar Hero.

However, a quick survey revealed that not everything in The Studio revolved solely around the Xbox 360.  On the contrary, in the center of the room, several decked-out HP PCdv900 Entertainment Laptops and fully loaded Zunes were placed on almost every flat surface, which could be a relief to those guests who may be interested in something other than Microsoft’s monster console.

With so many entertainment and gaming mediums with which to become immersed, I could imagine how the lure of shunning the rest of humanity in favor of total video game euphoria could become quite difficult to resist.  Thankfully, nearly every piece of technology within the Studio was networked and interconnected, any guests anxious to frag someone other than the computer’s A.I. could log into Xbox Live and participate in the more “communal” aspects of gaming. 

Still, not every one of Hotel Sax’s guests are going to be tech-savvy gamers.  So, in case a guest is unsure of how to use a piece of technology or having any number of related difficulties, a Tech Butler has been vigilantly posted just outside The Studio’s entrance to quickly help mitigate any technological woes which may arise.  This way, even the most technologically impaired guests can enjoy the lounge’s facilities without have to fear being called a “n00b” by a room full of complete strangers.

There was more to The Studio than fancy gaming rigs and flashy televisions, however.  As I made my way around the lounge, traversing the genuine wood floors and stretching out on the big, comfortable couches which were scattered throughout the room, I felt the need to keep reminding myself that I was on the sixth floor of a hotel in downtown Chicago; not wandering around inside somebody’s house.

Amidst the amassed technology, The Studio’s overall décor managed to maintain a luxurious, yet inviting feel.  Walls which weren’t covered by television screens adorned framed art; corners that weren’t occupied by speakers were inhabited by potted plants. Even the air itself was comforting, freshened by inconspicuous aroma machines placed throughout the room.

It becomes clear, after taking all of these lavish amenities into account, that Hotel Sax wanted to do more than simply re-create the average gamer’s living room; they wanted to create a room which is the stuff of gamers’ dreams.

 

Ahead of the Curve

As you may have already guessed, I was extremely impressed with Hotel Sax Chicago’s The Studio – Experience by Microsoft.  Few hotels have dared to merge luxury and gaming/entertainment technology; and even fewer have done so as competently as Hotel Sax.  From a strictly gaming standpoint, I can only hope that other establishments (hotels or otherwise) are taking some notes on what’s happening at The Studio; as the amount of gamers reaching adulthood continues to rise, so will the social demand for video gaming.

 

 

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