What would it take for a digital-obsessed traveler to abandon their iPad?
How about an old-school Pac-Man arcade game, a green-topped ping-pong table or a spirited game of foosball?
Hotels are increasingly embracing the old-fashioned rec room, or at least components of them.
Last month, the eight-month-old Pod 39 hotel in Manhattan near Grand Central Station installed not one but two ping-pong tables in its lobby. The tables are close to a 25-foot-long bar in a lively environment that includes artsy murals, multicolored glass window panes and colorful drapery.
Whether a vacation resort, big-city boutique hotel or a suburban extended stay hotel popular with dollar-conscious vacationers and long-term business travelers, hoteliers are figuring out that games can put people in a good mood and encourage them to linger in the lobby.
Once there, they’re more likely to spend money on snacks, cocktails, soda or coffee.
A TripAdvisor member took this photograph of the newly installed ping pong table at the Pod 39 hotel in Manhattan.(Photo: TripAdvisor)
Appealing to kids of all ages
Games, after all, can make kids of all ages smile.
“We like to encourage our guests to interact and games encourage that,” says Lisa Zandee, New York-based Denihan Hospitality’s brand chief who worked on the trendy W hotel chain in its early years.
Denihan’s James Royal Palm resort in South Beach, which threw its official opening bash last night, commissioned an artisan to create a 20-foot-long walnut game table for its lobby. Set amid colorful modern art and mid-century-modern furnishings, the table’s a few steps away from the lobby bar and cafe to invite lingering over a hand-crafted cocktail or coffee.
“We also have an über cool foosball table in our South Shore lounge here in Miami, and customized dominoes,” she says.
The James location in Chicago is going to get more games once it carries out planned renovations, according to Zandee.
Keeping it simple can make ‘biggest splash’
Sonesta’s growing extended-stay chain called Sonesta ES Suites makes games a staple. All of its locations have game rooms located off the lobby with board games that guests can use there, in their suite, or when weather permits, in the outdoor area near the seasonal pool and BBQ, says spokeswoman Lorie Juliano.
The chain’s Orlando location has classic board games such as Monopoly and Sorry, but since the destination receives so many Walt Disney World-bound families, the hotel also has an arcade room filled with coin-operated games. It gets particularly busy on rainy days, when families may not visit the mostly outdoor theme parks, says Keith Pitonyak, sales director of the Sonesta ES Suites Orlando.
The Doubletree by Hilton in San Juan has an outdoor, life-size chess set.(Photo: TripAdvisor)
“We try to encourage a good family feel,” Pitonyak says, noting that it’s fairly common to see guests playing games or cards rather than seek diversions online.
“Sometimes we go for the most elaborate things, but the simplest things sometimes make the biggest splash,” he says.
Here are some of the old-school games embraced by hotels in the digital age:
Billiards: The SLS hotel in Los Angeles has billiards tables in dramatically draped communal areas on guest floors. You can’t miss the table when stepping out of the elevator to walk to your room.
Foosball: The James Royal Palm isn’t the only hotel to offer foosball. When the trendy Gansevoort Park Avenue hotel opened about three years ago in Manhattan’s emerging NoMad neighborhood, guests found they could book a suite with its own foosball table. The Marriott Ottawa has a foosball table as well as air hockey.
Board games: Kimpton’s Hotel Palomar in Dallas lets guests borrow board games such as Jenga and Texas Armadillo tic-tac-toe.
Bingo: A longtime tradition of the luxurious Sea Island resort in Georgia is five-star-style bingo on Tuesday and Thursday nights. The game’s hosted in The Cloister Ballroom, which allows as many as 500 guests to play while kids sip drinks with such names as “Big Bird” and “Batman.” Jackets are required for any male attendees older than 12. After the last game’s called, the evening ends with a round of dancing, including the Electric Slide and Bunny Hop.
Shuffleboard: The Hyatt Regency Aruba is one resort that offers outdoor shuffleboard. It’s located next to a bar. Hotel staffers put together contests for guests, who can find them posted daily at the front desk.
Chess: The high-end Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa has for years maintained a life-size chess set on its perfectly manicured lawn. Sea Island recently added an over-sized outdoor chess board to the courtyard area at its Cloister hotel. But outdoor chess isn’t limited to traditional, high-end resorts. The Doubletree San Juan, which caters more to business travelers, has a poolside chess set. The chic Delano South Beach has its over-sized chessboard in the whimsical “Orchard” portion of its outdoor area that leads to the Atlantic Ocean and overlooks the Delano’s striking pool.
Source: USA Today
