Travelers at LAX may start arriving even earlier now that they can play their favorite video games while waiting for flights. Gameway, a premium video game lounge, is now open in Terminal 6.
In partnership with Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) worked to offer these new experiences and categories that enhance and diversify the guest experience.
“As consumer trends continue to shift towards experiences, we know the value of providing our customers with new ways to enjoy their LAX journey,” said Maral Matossian, URW general manager, LAX. “We are thrilled to welcome Gameway, an innovative women-owned small business, to our LAX lineup.”
Gameway offers gaming stations with the newest technology, leather lounge or gaming chairs and premium Razer gaming headphones. Each guest station comes equipped with either an Xbox, Playstation, or Razer gaming PC with over 30 preloaded games, including popular titles like Fortnite, FIFA, NBA2K, Madden, Call of Duty, Minecraft, Rocket League, and many more.
The concept was developed and brought to airports by husband-and-wife team Jordan and Emma Walbridge, co-founders and owners of Gameway.
Originally from England, Emma Walbridge started her career in hospitality where she ran a bed and breakfast in her native country. Emma Walbridge and her husband did not set out to start a new business, but after seeing a gaming concept in a mall, they had the idea to develop a gaming lounge specifically for a location with higher daily foot traffic. With her hospitality experience and Jordan’s entrepreneurial background, the duo decided to launch their company. The first two Gameways opened in DFW in 2018, with new locations in Charlotte (CLT) and Houston Hobby (HOU) coming later this year.
“We want to revolutionize customer experience at airports,” Emma Walbridge said. “Airports can be a pretty boring place, so we wanted something fun and entertaining to offer travelers. They can come and play video games while they wait for their flight to make the time go by quickly.
“We have something for everyone and continue to be surprised by the demographics of our guests. We have business travelers, families, millennials, you name it. It really shows that travelers are hungry for new experiences like ours.”
Emma Walbridge credits much of their success to being an Airports Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) business owner. She learned about the program during an airport conference and knew it would be pivotal to helping them grow.
“Being an ACDBE really helps you get your foot in the door,” Emma Walbridge said. “The resources available are key to helping businesses succeed.”
