Atlanta, the New Luxury Hotel Capital of America

Andrew Calvo | December 10, 2007 | 0 Comments

Ok, maybe I’m overdoing it a little, but it seems to me that almost every luxury brand that doesn’t already have an appearance in the Atlanta, Georgia area – or its Buckhead suburb will have one in the next few years. By and large – W Hotels is leading the pack. Currently there is 1 W hotel open in Atlanta, with an additional 3 W’s scheduled to open in the next few years.

Currently Opened W Hotels:

W Atlanta – Perimeter Center

Announced Future W Hotels:

W Atlanta – Downtown (Hotel Scheduled Opening December 2008, Residences Scheduled Opening January 2009)
W Atlanta – Buckhead (Scheduled Opening Summer 2008)
W Atlanta – Midtown (Scheduled Opening Feb, 2008)

Looks like Atlanta is close to New York City in regards to the number of W’s open or about to open (NYC currently has 5 W’s open, 1 under construction, 1 under construction across the Hudson in Hoboken, NJ, and the possibility (notice the italics & bold) of a W in Harlem & Brooklyn – although it seems as though they are both going to be alofts.) Last, but not least, the W Hotel Perimeter Center is for sale, with the ability to be purchased with or without W Hotel branding – in other words, the new owner has the ability to easily drop the W Hotel name, and use another brand, or if they choose – it can continue to be run as a W Hotel.

The latest news to come out of Atlanta W Hotel’s developments is the topping off ceremony occurring tomorrow (12/11/07) of the W Atlanta – Downtown which is located in Allen Plaza, a huge mixed use development being built by Barry Real Estate Companies, which includes four other office buildings already pre-leased to some major tenants. I saw a close up picture today of the W Atlanta – Downtown, and noticed that it too includes a open air pool, and bar – a feature that is becoming quite popular with W new Hotels. When completed the W Atlanta – Downtown will be a 28 story building, with 237 rooms, 76 residences, a BLT Steak restaurant, a Bliss Spa and 10,000 square feet of meeting space. One feature that I absolutely love about the W Atlanta – Downtown is the high 10-foot ceilings and floor to ceiling windows, it’s unclear if those two features extend into the hotel portion – if they do, that’s a very unique feature.

W Atlanta – Downtown. Notice the open air pool/bar area on the 16th floor

Speaking of Barry Real Estate Companies, one of their subsidiaries – Barry Hotel Partners is also involved with Barry Sternlicht’s Starwood Capital Group in building the 1 Hotel & Residences Atlanta – Buckhead. The Buckhead section of Atlanta is the up-and-coming area of Atlanta. Formerly it was a very popular and historic area called “Buckhead” but has since fallen on hard times, it’s heyday having been long past. The existing neighborhood of Buckhead Village has been demolished over the summer and Ben Carter Properties is leading the redevelopment of the area into the most exclusive, luxurious and high-end area of Atlanta. It’s new name is to be called “The Streets of Buckhead“. Construction has already started and the first stores/hotels/etc should be open in 2010. (Not including the W Atlanta – Buckhead which will not be on the “Streets of Buckhead” but very nearby. The 1 Hotel & Residences Atlanta – Buckhead has a expected opening date of 2010, currently there are no publicly released renderings or firm details on the 1 Hotel & Residences Atlanta – Buckhead, but according to the press release, it will have 100 residences, 175 hotel rooms, and include a spa and a restaurant probably being run by B.R. Guest.

The business climate in Atlanta seems to be great – even if the weather climate is, causing extreme droughts, causing major issues with Atlanta’s water supply. Hopefully it will not slow down the excellent potential that Atlanta currently has.

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