9 minute read
What’s New & What’s Next
Atlanta’s hospitality portfolio will experience more than $700 million in new development over the next three years. In the next four years, downtown Atlanta is expected to see approximately $4 billion in new investment from three key projects - Centennial Yards, South Downtown and Underground Atlanta.
Developments Downtown
In the next four years, downtown Atlanta is expected to see approximately $4 billion in new investment. These projects will add a mix of hotels (more than 1,700 rooms), commercial space and new retail. More than 5,000 residential housing units have been added, representing a 30% increase to Downtown’s total residential inventory. In addition, significant investments in the public transit system have been made.
Atlanta Convention Center at AmericasMart
AmericasMart will introduce Atlanta Next, a series of building and facility improvements to enhance the convention experience of its 7.2 million square foot campus.
Andrew Young International Mall & Terminal
The Andrew Young International Mall & Terminal is the latest addition to GWCCA’s connected campus. It extends the pedestrian experience from Centennial Olympic Park to the Signia by Hilton Atlanta hotel, due to open in January 2024. The Mall creates opportunities for customers and their attendees to enjoy outdoor space close to the interior spaces.
CHRIS HELTON
Andrew Young International Mall & Terminal
South Downtown
Newport RE US has invested more than $100 million in purchasing 48 of downtown Atlanta’s historic buildings and development sites across eight city blocks along Peachtree, Mitchell and Broad streets, as well as Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The project aims to revive these buildings into retail, creative office and loft apartments, offering public spaces and improved walkability.
Centennial Yards
Centennial Yards
The 50-acre Gulch renovation project to soon be known as Centennial Yards will see 12 million square feet of residential, retail shops, offices, restaurants and boutique hotels of up to 1,500 rooms.
Underground Atlanta
The 12-acre, four-block historic shopping center in the heart of Downtown will be reimagined as development across the city continues.
Attractions & Entertainment
Atlanta’s attractions continue to grow and expand. If you haven’t been to Atlanta recently, we have plenty of new growth and development to explore in our attractions with more on the horizon.
Zoo Atlanta
Savanna Hall reveals sweeping views of Zoo Atlanta’s African Savanna from exterior and interior vantage points. Featuring more than 25,000 square feet of event space, Savanna Hall contains the Michael and Thalia Carlos Ballroom, a two-level space with access to two terraces overlooking the African Savanna.
Illuminarium
This permanent multi-sensory experience is located on Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail, just south of Ponce City Market. The experiential attraction is full of reprogrammable immersive theater that surrounds visitors in a 360-degree environment of sight, sound and scale. An outdoor cafe and evening bar are also on site.
Georgia Aquarium
The largest aquarium in the Western hemisphere got even bigger with a redesigned entry and a new gallery featuring sharks. The latest exhibit, “Sharks! Predators of the Deep,” features 1.2 million gallons of water, offering a new experience for guests and doubling as an event space.
GEORGIA AQUARIUM
Colony Square
The iconic Colony Square in Midtown includes 160,000 square feet of new improvements including entertainment, restaurants and retail. A chef-driven food hall called Politan Row recently opened in 2021, as well as 40,000 square feet of open greenspace.
World of Coca-Cola
The attraction’s first new permanent exhibit in almost a decade, “Scent Discovery” teaches guests about the science behind humans’ sense of smell and how it works with the brain to identify foods and recall memories.
Atlanta Botanical Garden
Due by 2026, the Garden will add another seven acres stretching to Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail, making it the first cultural institution directly accessible from the BeltLine.
Chattahoochee Food Works
Robert Montwaid and celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern recently welcomed
Atlanta’s new 22,000-square-foot food hall. This upper Westside culinary concept offers guests more than 30 diverse eateries with an eclectic bar and spacious indoor and outdoor seating, as part of The Works in Atlanta’s Upper Westside.
National Center for Civil and Human Rights
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is planning to mark its 10th anniversary in 2024 with a major expansion, with the help of one of its original supporters. Philanthropist and business mogul Arthur M. Blank has committed $15 million toward the Center’s $48 million capital campaign that will add two wings to the Downtown museum.
Junction Krog District
Junction Krog District, a six-story development at the corner of Irwin Street and Auburn Avenue, is planned to bring new restaurants, office space and a public gathering space along Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail. Continued on page 30
Illuminarium
JEFFREY MOUSTACHE Chattahoochee Food Works
Since 2020, 15 new hotels have opened in Atlanta adding 2,700+ hotel rooms to the destination’s portfolio.
RECENTLY OPENED
•The 282-room, dual branded Courtyard by Marriott Atlanta/Element Atlanta Midtown features four floors under the Marriott Courtyard flag and four floors under the Marriott Element brand. Located adjacent to Fox Theatre, the hotel is home to The Ponce Room Bar & Kitchen. •Atlantic Station welcomed a 181-key Embassy Suites hotel featuring 3,000 square feet of meeting space, an indoor swimming pool and a ground-floor restaurant, Brickstones Kitchen and Bar. •The food-focused Epicurean Atlanta is in the Midtown neighborhood, highlighting culinary experiences. The property features Reverence restaurant and a culinary theater with stadium seating. •Thompson Buckhead provides 201 guest rooms. The property also features classic Italian-American fare at Dirty Rascal, an indoor/outdoor rooftop bar and lounge and 10,000 square feet of meeting space. •Kimpton Sylvan Hotel transformed a historic 1950s residential building into a boutique 217-room hotel. The property features a restaurant and bar, courtyard dining and drinking venue, private pool, rooftop lounge and 3,000 square feet of meeting and event space. •Phipps Plaza brings a new hotel, office space and fitness club to the upscale shopping destination. The nearly $200 million project adds a 150-room Nobu hotel with a 10,000-square-foot restaurant featuring Japanese cuisine. •The renovated Wylie Hotel, originally built in the 1920s, has a vibrant neighborhood restaurant and bar, Mrs. P’s Bar & Kitchen, and provides 111 guest rooms in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. •The 161-room Bellyard Hotel provides four varieties of suites and guest rooms. The property is located at The Interlock development on Atlanta’s Westside and features sweeping skyline views. •Kimpton Shane Hotel in Midtown is a 12-story boutique property. The 230-guest room property is located at 17th Street and West Peachtree streets. •Steps away from some of Atlanta’s most upscale shopping is Hyatt Centric Buckhead Atlanta. The 218-room property provides a restaurant and rooftop bar. •Located at West Peachtree and 15th streets, Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Atlanta Midtown offers 186 guest rooms. The 20th floor features an indoor and outdoor rooftop bar and lounge area showcasing skyline views. •Hard Rock International opened its first Reverb by Hard Rock Hotel on Centennial Olympic Park Drive next to MercedesBenz Stadium. The 200-room hotel has an outdoor swimming pool, rooftop bar and more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space. •Element by Westin Atlanta Buckhead marks the debut of the stylish and ecofocused hotel brand in Atlanta. The 164-room property is located in the heart of Buckhead.
MICHAEL STAVARIDIS Hyatt Centric Buckhead Atlanta
ON THE HORIZON
Fourth Ward neighborhood with 125 rooms, designed to be smaller and more efficient with common areas. The property will be a part of an $80 million mixed-use project that sits a few blocks from Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail. •A Hilton hotel is set to be built on Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s campus. The property will feature 14 stories and 541 rooms and be the first hotel within walking distance of the domestic terminal. •Located in the heart of Downtown, Signia by Hilton Atlanta, with 900-plus guest rooms, will be constructed on the campus of Georgia World Congress Center. The convention center hotel will offer chef-driven restaurants and more than 70,000 square feet of event space. •Margaritaville Vacation Club by Wyndham transformed Atlanta’s Downtown skyline, offering resort suites and a rooftop bar along Centennial Olympic Park. •Four Points by Sheraton Atlanta Downtown will soon launch its 124-room Four Points property with a spacious lobby, full-service restaurant and 1,000-square-foot gym.
Margaritaville Vacation Club by Wyndham
Westside Park
Green Spaces and Open Places
There’s a reason why Atlanta is called “The City in a Forest,” and there are plenty of new outdoor spaces to explore, in addition to Centennial Olympic Park, Piedmont Park and many other established parks and spaces.
Atlanta BeltLine
Atlanta BeltLine connects intown neighborhoods via 22 miles of repurposed railroad tracks around the city. The BeltLine comprises four main trails: Eastside Trail, Westside Trail, Southside Trail and Northside Trail. Each trail is different, from the energetic and mostestablished Eastside Trail to the Northside Trail, secluded and shaded by old-growth trees, the laid-back Westside Trail and the newest Southside Trail connecting several parks. From these four trails, many connectors and segments have been created, further surrounding the city in walkable, mixed-use connectivity.
Westside Park
At approximately 280 acres, the stunning Westside Park will be Atlanta’s largest park, eventually connecting Proctor Creek Greenway and Chattahoochee River Corridor to Atlanta BeltLine. The centerpiece is the massive, scenic quarry that holds an incredible 2.4 billion gallons of drinking water. While only the first phase of the park is complete, more enriching green space will pop up in the coming years.
PATH 400
Bike or hike along PATH 400 Greenway Trail, a multi-use trail lined with murals. When complete, the trail will span 5.2 miles along Georgia 400 highway. Chastain Park provides a respite with the 3-mile PATH trail encircling the golf course.
Atlanta Waterworks Park
Just west of Atlantic Station, the small park offers a playscape, shady, mature trees, a greenspace and perfect views of the city skyline.
PATH 400
Rodney Cook Sr. Peace Park
The 16-acre park is located in the historic Vine City neighborhood near MercedesBenz Stadium. The park was named after the late Rodney Mims Cook Sr., an elected member of the Georgia House of Representatives in the 1960s. Included in the park is a statue of civil rights leader John Lewis, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. More tributes of peacemakers from the past 300 years are planned.
Rodney Cook Sr. Peace Park
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