You Can Stay in a PBR-Themed Room at a Michigan Motel This Summer
Courtesy of Pabst Blue Ribbon
Minnesota alt-rockers Semisonic had a moderate hit in the back-half of the 1990s with "Closing Time," that song that reminded drinkers everywhere that they didn't have to go home, but they couldn't stay at the bar either. Even if you're the most regular of regulars, your local isn't going to let you sleep there overnight — but there's a hotel in Michigan that can give you the next best thing.
Pabst Blue Ribbon has partnered with the Grand Traverse Motel in Traverse City, Michigan to launch "Pabst: The Place," a limited-edition group of three PBR-themed rooms. The Arcade Room features working video games and "a king size bed that doubles as a pop-a-shot machine"; the Rec Room, which has the kind of wood paneling, shag carpeting, and furry toilet seat cover that will give you flashbacks to those summers at your grandparents' place; and the Dive Bar room, which will make guests feel like they've been locked in overnight at their fave (and cheapest) after-work spot.
"We were looking for a campaign that embraced the classic qualities of PBR, but would be aspirational for fans both new and old. Pabst is the Place represents all the little things that make the brand what it is." Rachel Keeton, the Marketing Director for PBR, said in a statement. "The Motel becomes the Place, evoking that comfortable and timeless feeling of PBR for visitors to experience first-hand."
As of this writing, the Dive Bar room is sold out, but Traverse City travelers can book the Arcade Room or the Rec Room through the Grand Traverse Motel website. Guests have to book a two-night stay, and each night costs $184.40 plus taxes and fees. (And if the Grand Traverse just catches your eye, in general, they have other non-PBR themed rooms too.)
The whole Pabst: The Place campaign was created by PBR's new ad agency, the Seattle-based DNA. "[W]hen we started talking about our own experiences with PBR, we all instantly went to a very nostalgic place, sharing stories that eventually led us to 'Pabst is the Place,'" Allyson Paisley, creative director at DNA, said. "Pabst isn't something you can find on a map. It's a state of mind that is captured by where you are, who you are with and what you remember that evokes a sense of simplicity and enjoyment. It is the essence of the PBR brand."
If you can't snag a reservation at the Grand Traverse Motel, then you can still celebrate your love for PBR on your next vacation. The Brewhouse Inn and Suites in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin is actually in the original (but now defunct) Pabst brewery. "The hotel showcases many of the building's original features, such as the massive iconic copper brewing kettles and the stained glass window of King Gambrinus, often called the patron saint of beer," the hotel's website explains. (The Brewhouse Inn is also located in Milwaukee's Brewery District, which is a total bonus for beer lovers.)
And at the end of the night, you don't have to go home but… well, you can stay right there, actually.
