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The city's new slogan, "every day is an opening day," has never been more accurate, with dozens of hotels, attractions and improvements that have just opened, are set to open soon, or are on track to open in the next few years, Richardson said. "In the past few months, we've had the grand opening of the Georgia Aquarium, the High Museum of Art has doubled in size, the Glenn Hotel, a new downtown boutique hotel has opened along with its exciting new restaurant called BED, and the $2 billion Atlantic Station, a city within the city, has opened in Midtown with 138 acres of retail, office and residential space. All of this is just a small portion of everything that’s going on in Atlanta."
The new Georgia Aquarium, which houses more than 80,000 fish and marine animals, was built with meetings and events in mind, according to Meghann Gibbons, manager of public relations. "Our restaurants and catering are by world-renowned chef Wolfgang Puck. We can host up to 10,000 for receptions and seat 1,100 for banquets in our ballroom. We have other wonderful dining spots, including an area with a wall-sized viewing window on the main tank. Guests can have dinner with Ralph and Norton, our two 17-foot whale sharks." The aquarium is convenient to many downtown hotels and is next door to the new home of the World of Coca-Cola, set to open in 2007.
The Glenn Hotel is an upscale boutique hotel with 110 guest rooms, a 1,200-square-foot conference center and a rooftop lounge, said Nirjary Desai, sales manager.
At the Glenn's restaurant, BED, a celebrity hot-spot restaurant in Miami, New York and now Atlanta, guests may choose from traditional table seating or slip off their shoes and join their dinner companions in "bed," on specially designed platforms that line the walls, Desai said.
Part of Atlantic Station, the 26-story Twelve hotel has 101 full suites and 380 condos, plus a full-service restaurant and a 6,000-square-foot ballroom. Atlantic Station offers shopping and entertainment venues and is "an exciting new destination," Richardson said, adding that more development is expected downtown in 2007 with the opening of the Twelve Centennial Park.
Downtown is also home to the 200-acre Georgia World Congress Center, with 1.4 million square feet of exhibit space in three separate but attached buildings, 105 meeting rooms, two ballrooms, and the 71,250-seat Georgia Dome arena.
Atlanta's Turner Field just completed a $3 million renovation of its Lexus Level, a 30,000-square-foot exhibit space, according to Sabrina Jenkins, director of special events. Jenkins said the unique atmosphere of Turner Field is its own attraction. "Our 755 Club can seat around 500 in the main dining area or smaller groups of up to 200 in the Champion’s Room. We have 16 different areas that can be utilized for special events, including the main seating bowl of the ballpark that seats 40,000 and has the largest high-definition video board in the world that our guests can use for presentations," she said. "Plus, we have the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame and Museum, which provides a great break during a day of meetings."
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, located just south of Atlanta, will open a fifth runway this year and is working on $5.4 billon in developments, including a new international terminal scheduled to open in 2010, additional parking, consolidated rental car facilities, and improved interstate and MARTA (Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) access, according to the Atlanta CVB.
In 2008, fly-in attendees will be able to disembark from their plane at the airport and arrive at the front door of the adjacent Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) via the Automated People Mover, a new light rail train currently being built. The second station of the system will be located at the front door of the GICC. In other GICC news, the center recently posted a request for proposal for the development of an attached hotel and retail complex. The hotel would add aminimum of 500 hotel rooms, said Hugh Austin, GICC director.
Many of Atlanta's lodging properties have undergone multimillion-dollar upgrades and expansions. "In order to stay competitive and to capitalize on Atlanta's recent surge of tourism, 12 Atlanta hotels are expected to spend more than a combined $205 million on makeovers this year and last," said Lauren Jarrell, CVB senior manager for public relations and communications. This includes a $4 million guest room upgrade at the Regency Suites Hotel and a $38 million renovation at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.
Other hotels making upgrades include Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta Airport Marriott, Four Seasons Atlanta, Embassy Suites Atlanta Airport, Renaissance Atlanta Downtown, Westin Peachtree Plaza, Sheraton Gateway Atlanta Airport and Westin Atlanta Airport. The 760-room Sheraton Atlanta downtown is completing an enhancement to its original 50,000 square feet of space following the addition of a 33,000-square-foot conference center in 2004.
In Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood, the St. Regis, with 150 rooms, 50 condos and a 9,200-square-foot ballroom, is expected to open in 2008. The Mansion, a 50-story hotel and condominium tower expected to break ground this year, will house two restaurants, 127 hotel rooms, 42 condos, three villas and a 15,000-square-foot spa, according to CVB officials.
Also in Buckhead, the Grand Hyatt Atlanta offers 437 guest rooms and a banquet capacity of 750. According to hotel officials, the Grand Hyatt is offering groups "extra value dates" through Dec. 30.
Other properties in Atlanta are also expanding. AmericasMart Atlanta is adding 2 million square feet to its 6.2 million-square-foot trade complex. The Atlanta Symphony has a $300 million facility planned for 2008 in Midtown. The 836,000-square-foot building will include a 2,000-seat main hall and a 350-seat chamber hall.
North of Atlanta
Gwinnett County has 11,000 guest rooms and plenty of event space, according to Lisa Anders, marketing director for the Gwinnett County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). "Gwinnett Center (GC) has major meeting space, with 84,500 square feet of exhibit space, a 21,600-square-foot ballroom and a 702-seat Performing Arts Center," Anders said. "There are 2,500 sleeping rooms within 10 minutes of the center, plus a new 110-room Homewood Suites that opens in early 2007."
At Peachtree Corners Business Park, the 234-room Hilton Atlanta Northeast has 20,000 square feet of event space, including a 7,000-square foot ballroom. The Marriott Norcross in Technology Park has 218 newly renovated guest rooms and 4,000 square feet of meeting space. The Holiday Inn Select Peachtree Corners offers recently renovated guest rooms with meeting and event space for up to 350 attendees.
In Cobb County, many of the 12,500 guest rooms are convenient to the 320,000-square-foot Cobb Galleria Centre. "Construction is underway on the $145 million Performing Arts Center next to the Cobb Galleria Centre that will include a 2,750-seat theater, a 10,000-square-foot ballroom and a new 1,000-car parking facility, all expected to open in fall 2007," said Abbey Malphurs, communications manager for the Cobb County CVB.
The Renaissance Waverly Hotel, adjacent to the Galleria, has 521 guest rooms and 60,000 square feet of function space; Atlanta Marriott Northwest has 400 guest rooms and can seat up to 500 theater style; and the Crowne Plaza Atlanta Powers Ferry has 296 rooms and 10,000 square feet of space.
Alpharetta has more than 20 lodging options, including the 318-room Atlanta Marriott Alpharetta, with 9,000 square feet of function space, the 164-room Hilton Garden Inn Windward and the 125-room Hilton Garden Inn North Point, according to officials with the Alpharetta CVB.
South of Atlanta
The 387-room Renaissance Concourse Hotel recently completed $4 million in room upgrades. The hotel has 34,000 square feet of meeting space and can accommodate up to 770 for banquets. The Hilton Atlanta Airport has 504 guest rooms and 32,000 square feet of meeting space. With 638 guest rooms and 28,000 square feet of function space, the Atlanta Airport Marriott can host up to 1,250, theater style.
Peachtree City is home to the 233-room IACC-approved Aberdeen Woods Conference Center, which has a 150-seat auditorium, 64 meeting rooms and more. The 250-room Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center can accommodate groups of 10 to 600.
The Merle Manders Conference Center in Stockbridge offers more than 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including a 6,000-square-foot ballroom. The 13,000-acre Callaway Gardens, with nearly 90,000 square feet of meeting and conference space, includes the 325-room Mountain Creek Inn, the new Southern Pines Conference Center, the Mountain Creek Conference Center and the Mountain Creek Inn Ballroom.
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