Sometime between finishing work and going out to eat, Eric Daur found himself on the sixth floor of the Hotel Sax, pounding on an electronic drum set to Nirvana’s “In Bloom.”
Unfortunately, “Rock Star,” a popular video game in the Xbox 360’s stable, disagreed with Daur’s unique interpretation of quarter notes. The computer-generated crowd booed him until the game stopped halfway through the song.
“I’ve never played this before,” said Daur, 34, an advertising executive from New York. “I shouldn’t have skipped so many levels.”
Still, hanging out in The Studio — a new lounge inside the Hotel Sax — beats hanging out in your room. Part of the hotel’s $25 million renovation, the 600-square-foot space is a gamer’s dream.
Five high-definition, flat-screen televisions hang on the walls, each one connected to an Xbox 360 game system. Plush leather couches and movable suede ottomans give players comfy places to sit.
The lounge is stocked with the latest games, including Madden ’08, Halo 3, NBA Live and, of course, Guitar Hero III. Microsoft partnered with the Hotel Sax to create the space.
The hotel heightens the experience with the kind of service gamers wish they had at home. A small, laminated menu offers appetizers and cocktails. And the hotel has trained staff attendants, now called studio hosts, to help guests with all the cool toys.
Mostly, people just need help swapping out the games, says studio host Bill Gill, 26.
“I show them how to play the guitar … make sure people don’t stay an hour on a machine when people are waiting,” Gill says.
Hotel marketing director Adam Kaplan says The Studio has been a hit, attracting the kind of technology-savvy guests the hotel wants, and even a few they didn’t expect. Guys like Daur, for instance.
Daur doesn’t play video games. He booked his stay online with no knowledge of The Studio and ventured in out of curiosity.
But after bombing on “Rock Star,” Daur moves over to another game station, one that’s playing “Guitar Hero.” He picks up the game’s guitar-shaped controller. Soon, he’s rocking out to Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out,” tapping the red, green blue and yellow buttons to the corresponding notes.
The computer-generated audience cheers as Daur finishes the song.
“It’s probably not for me,” Daur says, trying to hide his enjoyment. “But it’s cool. I like it. What’s not to like?”
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gjeffers@tribune.com
See also “Check in to Chicago’s best tech-friendly hotels,” At Play section, Page 1
