Business Traveller (Asia-Pacific)
THE HOTEL SCENE
Atlanta is awash with hotel renovations, and even the occasional new property making its debut.
Starwood’s Aloft brand will open a property in January. The 242-room hotel is situated on 1.25 hectares, and delivers 185 sqm of meeting space and an outdoor swimming pool to contend with the Georgia summer heat.
The US$45 million overhaul of the iconic Westin Peachtree Plaza includes redesigned guestrooms – five of which are new additions – for a grand total of 1,073. It also includes a US$2 million revamp to the six luxury suites located on the 69th and 70th floors. Completion is set for 2014.
The Hyatt Regency Atlanta finished a sweeping US$65 million overhaul in 2012, with the welcome addition of meeting breakout rooms and a dramatic conversion of the former restaurant into a 241 sqm pre-function space.
The Midtown Meliá Atlanta has undergone a US$35 million renovation that showcases updated guestrooms, restaurants and common areas. The 372-room Westin Atlanta Perimeter North has US$14 million in upgrades on track to be completed in six months. Elsewhere on the Perimeter, the old 275-room Atlanta Perimeter Hotel & Suites is now flying the flag of the Parisian-inspired Le Méridien after emerging from a US$20 million makeover. And Marriott Alpharetta is winding up its US$3 million, multistage renovations which are slated for completion later this year.
Meanwhile, in the upscale Buckhead neighbourhood, May 1 marked the opening of a new world-class hotel in Atlanta, the Mandarin Oriental.
“As the hotel is located in the heart of Buckhead, considered the city’s most prestigious neighbourhood, we are able to provide our guests with easy access to the region’s finest dining, shopping and cultural attractions,” says Robert Lowe, general manager. The 127-room, 10-suite property features two executive boardrooms, an English garden for alfresco events, and a 1,393 sqm spa.