Photograph courtesy of REVERB Downtown Atlanta
Boutique hotels are opening all over Atlanta. The city’s hospitality landscape, once dotted with convention-friendly high-rises and cookie-cutter chains clustered in tourist-friendly destinations like downtown and Buckhead, is rapidly diversifying, thanks to a wave of more intimate, experiential properties popping up from Alpharetta to College Park. This is good news for visitors but also locals—who have more reason than ever to stay close to home.
While Atlanta’s first “boutique” hotel, downtown’s Glenn Hotel, opened in 2006, the metro area has lagged behind comparable cities in “unique, lifestyle-oriented options,” says Mark Vaughan, executive vice president and chief sales officer at the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau. He cites the Hotel Clermont, the Kimpton Overland, and the Candler Hotel, built from 2017 to 2019, as trendsetters.
But with more than a dozen concepts opening since the beginning of 2020—most of them in development long before the pandemic—Atlanta is quickly catching up, with standout properties offering everything from destination bars and restaurants to rooftop pools with skyline views and unique amenities like soundproofed recording pods and bowling alleys. Even more hotels are on the horizon for 2022, including a Nobu Hotel at Phipps Plaza and a third Kimpton in Midtown.
Here are 10 of the newest hotels—and what makes them unique.
Photograph courtesy of The Burgess Hotel
Photograph courtesy of The Burgess Hotel
The Burgess Hotel
Opened: January 2020
Pet-friendly | Dining | Fitness center
Formerly a Wingate by Wyndham, this Buckhead hotel was rebranded as the Burgess in January 2020. Decorated in bold colors, rich textures, and original artwork, its 102 rooms and communal areas reflect the global travels and Asian heritage of owners Freny and Burges Jokhi, including eight internationally themed suites, such as one with a vibrant, 1950s Pop Art–inspired “London Hip” tone. The hotel has three dining concepts, including a poolside courtyard tapas bar, a Mediterranean-influenced restaurant, and Mr. B, a sleek cocktail den.
AC Hotel Atlanta Airport Gateway by Marriott
Opened: January 2020
Pet-friendly | Dining | Pool | Airport | Fitness Center
Just a free, two-minute ride on the ATL SkyTrain from the airport, the AC is the newest boutique option on the city’s south side. The spacious 222 rooms—equipped with soundproofed windows, large desks, ergonomic chairs, and crisp linens—are designed for both work and play. Other amenities include a fitness center with a Peloton bike, saltwater pool, and sleek lobby lounge and restaurant.
Photograph courtesy of REVERB Downtown Atlanta
Photograph courtesy of REVERB Downtown Atlanta
Photograph courtesy of REVERB Downtown Atlanta
Reverb Downtown Atlanta
Opened: December 2020
Pet-friendly | Rooftop Bar | Fitness Center
Atlanta’s thriving music scene made the city an ideal choice for the first location of Hard Rock’s newest hotel concept, Reverb. The 195-room property overlooking Mercedes-Benz Stadium serves as a community hub for creatives, with a rooftop bar that hosts live shows featuring local artists and a coworking space with private, soundproof booths outfitted with Fender guitars—designed for recording a podcast or playing an impromptu jam session. In-room Alexa apps offer audio guides to Atlanta’s best nightlife, food, and more curated by local celebrities like Big Boi and CeeLo Green.
Photograph courtesy of Kimpton Sylvan Atlanta
Photograph courtesy of Kimpton Sylvan Atlanta
Kimpton Sylvan Atlanta
Opened: February 2021
Pet-friendly | Dining | Rooftop Bar | Rooftop Pool | Fitness Center
An adaptive reuse of a 1950s-era building in the heart of Buckhead, the newly renovated Sylvan lives up to its name—derived from the Latin word for forest—with huge oak trees lining the grounds, 5,000 square feet of verdant topiaries and planters both in and outdoors, and even a garden-themed, ground-floor bar. Other highlights include a rooftop pool and lounge, St. Julep, and a midcentury-inspired supper club, the Betty.
Photograph courtesy of Wylie Hotel
Photograph courtesy of Wylie Hotel
Photograph courtesy of Wylie Hotel
Wylie Hotel
Opened: May 2021
Pet-friendly | Dining with View | Fitness Center
When it opened in 1929, this historic Old Fourth Ward building was an extended-stay hotel and housed one of Atlanta’s first LGBTQ+ bars—Mrs. P’s Tea Room—and, later, the iconic dance club MJQ. Revived as the Wylie Hotel in May, the compact and colorful 111-room property blends the city’s past and present, with vintage prints and postcards mixed with abstract modern art, custom midcentury-modern–inspired furniture from björk studio, and touchless check-in and other services delivered via the Intelity smart-room app. Dine on Southern-inspired fare like barbecue lamb lollipops in the intimate dining room or the glass-enclosed bar of Mrs. P’s Bar & Kitchen, which overlooks Ponce City Market.
Photograph courtesy of Bellyard Hotel
Photograph courtesy of Wylie Hotel
Bellyard Hotel
Opened: May 2021
Pet-friendly | Dining with View | Fitness Center
Its name a nod to West Midtown’s past as a hub for railroads and stockyards, the Bellyard at the Interlock is the first boutique hotel in this rapidly growing neighborhood. The spacious 161 rooms and suites feature folding writers desks, cozy window seats with extra storage, LCD SmartTVs, and minibars stocked with local treats. But the hotel’s communal spaces are the real showstoppers. Linger in a garden courtyard with a sunny mural by local artist Lacey Longino or sip cocktails with a skyline view among lush greenery from Jennifer Rust Botanicals at Drawbar, the hotel’s lobby lounge and a favorite hangout for local influencers.
The Hamilton Alpharetta
Opened: August 2021
Dining | Fitness Center
Downtown Alpharetta’s first boutique hotel has a dramatic classical exterior meant to evoke the glamour of railroad travel, mixing vintage charm with modern amenities. It offers three separate restaurants, including Roaring Social, a sophisticated speakeasy entered with a “secret” password via RoSo Clothiers. With velvet sofas and cut crystal glasses, the swanky space serves treats like truffle fries and customized smoked cocktails. Let the good times roll with almost nightly live music and compact bowling alleys. Generously sized guest rooms are outfitted with Waldorf Astoria beds, blackout curtains, and crisp Frette linens.
Photograph by Erik Meadows Photography
Epicurean Hotel Atlanta
Opened: September 2021
Dining | Rooftop Pool | Fitness Center
Food takes center stage at this 178-room, 22-suite, culinary-inspired hotel in Midtown. Watch chefs at work on dishes like wood-fired veal rib-eye and cauliflower panna cotta around the leather-wrapped zinc bar in the lobby restaurant, Reverence, or grab cocktails and small bites al fresco on the expansive ninth-floor Aerial Kitchen and Bar. Other draws include a resort-style, rooftop swimming pool with private, climate-controlled cabanas and the Epicurean Theatre, a demonstration space that hosts cooking classes, wine tastings, and other culinary events.
Element Atlanta Midtown
Opened: October 2021
Fitness Center
A Marriott concept designed for the health-conscious traveler, the Element offers bright, apartment-like rooms with fully equipped kitchens and spa-inspired bathrooms. Start your day with breakfast options like veggie omelets and fresh granola, or grab ready-to-cook meals and healthy snacks from a stocked pantry. Work up a sweat with Lifetime Fitness cardio machines, free weights, or the Peloton bike in the 24/7, state-of-the-art fitness center, then wind down with organic beer and wine at the complimentary, four-day-a-week evening reception.
Courtesy of Thompson Buckhead
Thompson Buckhead
Opened: November 2021
Pet-friendly | Dining | Rooftop Pool | Fitness Center
With a sleek exterior that mimics the neighborhood’s high-rises, this Buckhead outpost of the national brand exudes contemporary cool. The hotel’s interior is warm and modern, with jacquard textiles and ruby, gold, and peach tones. The 201 guest rooms and suites come with floor-to-ceiling windows with city views, 400-thread count Sferra linens, and D.S. & Durga bath products, but the standout spaces here are the hip rooftop pool with private cabanas and Dirty Rascal, the Italian American restaurant helmed by local chefs Todd Ginsberg and Josh Hopkins.
This article appears in our November 2021 issue.
