STATE OF PLAY HOSPITALITY SIGNS LEASE TO OPEN A FLAGSHIP FLIGHT CLUB IN NEW YORK CITY

The Rapidly Expanding Social Darts Concept Will Open in an Iconic Union Square Building in 2025

CHICAGO, July 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- State of Play Hospitality ("State of Play" or "the Group"), the leading international social entertainment operator, announced today that it has signed a lease in New York City to open Flight Club, an upscale technology-enabled Social Darts® concept, at 31 Union Square West. Flight Club New York will be the Group's first venue in Manhattan, its ninth lease for the Flight Club brand in North America and a global flagship.

The spectacular 10,700-square-foot former bank, spanning both the ground floor and basement with a patio on 16^th Street, most recently housed the Blue Water Grill restaurant and has a storied history. Built by the Bank of Metropolis in 1902-03 as their prestigious new headquarters, 31 Union Square West is a stunning 16-story Renaissance Revival building designed by architect Bruce Price. It was designated a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1988 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. 

The opening of Flight Club, scheduled for late 2025, adds yet another exciting hospitality chapter to the building's rich history. The site has previously been home to Zippers, a nightclub, in the early 1980's followed by Metropolis, a high-end restaurant with a basement club, in the latter part of that decade. Blue Water Grill opened in 1996 and enjoyed huge success for over 20 years.

Toby Harris, CEO of State of Play Hospitality, commented, "We've been looking for the right real estate opportunity to land Flight Club in New York for over five years, and this site has the potential to be a genuine landmark for the city and the Group. Both 31 Union Square as a building and the stunning split level Flight Club space are as close to the physical brief for the brand that we could wish for. It's exciting and humbling to be opening our North American Flight Club flagship at such a legendary location and I'm confident that, by complementing and retaining the character of the building, we will be able to do it justice."

Inspired by the rich heritage of darts from British pubs and Victorian fairgrounds, Flight Club has revolutionized the traditional game of darts with technology that provides automated scoring and various multiplayer games for all group sizes. Alongside next-generation gameplay, Flight Club combines an upscale food program and delicious craft cocktails within a high-quality, design-led events and entertainment environment.

State of Play Hospitality launched the first Flight Club in the U.S., under license, in the downtown Loop area of Chicago in 2018. Since its highly successful North American debut, State of Play has brought Flight Club to Boston, Houston, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Denver, and has new venues opening in late 2024 in both Washington D.C. and Philadelphia.

For more information, please visit StateOfPlay.com and FlightClubDartsUSA.com.

ABOUT STATE OF PLAY HOSPITALITY
State of Play Hospitality is a rapidly growing international operator of tech-enhanced social entertainment concepts. State of Play has created and operates several category leading concepts in the US and UK including Bounce, Hijingo and Flight Club (under license in North America). All of the group's concepts offer design-led, immersive environments, upscale food and beverage programs as well as highly engaging gameplay. Learn more at StateOfPlay.com.

ABOUT FLIGHT CLUB
The world's first Social Darts® experience, Flight Club was founded in London in 2015 to usher this once pub-like pastime into the 21st century. Flight Club fuses craft cocktails and upscale cuisine with its signature technology-driven Social Darts® experience to create a truly unique entertainment experience. With 6 locations operating in the US, under State of Play Hospitality, and 20+ worldwide, Flight Club continues to bring friends, families, and colleagues together in a unique social environment. To date over 7 million people have experienced Flight Club and over 500 million darts have been thrown. Learn more at FlightClubDartsUSA.com

PR CONTACTS:
Julie Singley, [email protected]
Jesslyn Wade, [email protected]

SOURCE State of Play Hospitality