May 2008 | Insider's Guide | By D. Fran Morley
Atlanta
From Downtown To Around Town…The Hot News
More than a month after a tornado-producing storm swept through the Atlanta area and damaged several downtown buildings, including the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC), the city is virtually 100 percent back on its feet, said Spurgeon Richardson, president/CEO of Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), who attributed the ability for the city to rebound from the storm in a matter of weeks to the strength of its hospitality sector. While repairs were made to part of the GWCC's roof, conventions continued as planned. "Hundreds—really thousands—of people have worked to get the convention center and the city back to business," said GWCC General Manager Mark Zimmerman.
Approximately 467 of the 1,067 guest rooms were damaged at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center. Most of the affected rooms were located in the south tower with about a dozen rooms damaged in the newer north tower, according to Mike Sullivan, marketing director. The hotel remained open.
The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel reported that 12 guest room windows were blown out and a glass elevator, located on the exterior of the building, was damaged. Ed Walls, general manager, said the hotel remained open during the repair process.
Richardson, who recently announced after 17 years he is retiring from his position at the end of the year, said some meetings and events, in progress and scheduled days after the storm, had to be moved to other venues within the city, yet the majority of events held in mid- to late-March were unaffected.
Bob Schuler, Atlanta CVB vice president of sales and conventions, said the city's unparalleled accessibility and continued growth keep Atlanta ahead of the curve when it comes to meetings and events. "We're so easy to fly into, with more direct flights from anywhere in the world. And, once you're here, we have such a concentration of great hotels and meeting facilities that continue to support what planners have always known—Atlanta can meet any need."
Sylvia Small, vice president of communications for the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, said her group has relied on Atlanta for more than 60 years. "We have many international attendees, so Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is a big plus," Small said. The organization utilized 24 hotels in the city for its recent expo. "Atlanta has first-class restaurants and excellent housing options. We also worked with places like the High Museum and the Georgia Aquarium to offer discount admissions," Small added.
The association meets at the GWCC, which offers 1.4 million square feet of exhibit space, 106 meeting rooms, two ballrooms and three auditoriums and includes the 71,250-seat Georgia Dome and the adjacent Centennial Olympic Park.
Convention-goers heading for another major Atlanta meeting venue, the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC), will appreciate the Automated People Mover (APM) set to open in 2009/2010. "Convention-goers will be able to fly into the airport, disembark and arrive at the front door of our facility, all without ever getting in a taxi, bus or shuttle," said GICC Executive Director Hugh Austin, explaining that the APM will take travelers directly from the airport to a new rental car agency and across the interstate to the GICC.
The GICC features 150,000 square feet of exhibit space, 32 meeting rooms and a 40,000-square-foot ballroom that can seat up to 3,000 guests. And, according to GICC officials, two new Marriott hotels will become part of the GICC complex, providing a total of 550 guest rooms. Both hotels are expected to open by spring 2010, just as APM service begins. The hotels are part of a $230 million GICC expansion project to add more than a million square feet of office, retail and hotel space.
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Schuler said that development is continuing all over town, including downtown, Midtown and Buckhead. He said record-breaking attendance at the Georgia Aquarium, which has a 16,400-square-foot ballroom, has "opened people's eyes" to the vacation side of downtown. Other new downtown attractions include the new World of Coca-Cola Atlanta and, set for a late 2010 opening, The Center for Civil and Human Rights.
Schuler also noted that Atlanta would soon have four W hotels, "more than any city other than New York." According to the CVB, the recently opened W Atlanta Perimeter has 275 guest rooms and 10,000 square feet of event space; W Midtown (formerly Sheraton Colony Square) opened in March with 466 guest rooms and 14 meeting spaces. Two other W hotels are set to open in late 2009, W Downtown, a mixed-use condo/hotel development, and W Buckhead.
According to the CVB, two other developments are in the works for Buckhead. The St. Regis, with 150 guest rooms and 50 condominium units, is expected to open in spring 2009. The newest Hilton Hotel in three decades is scheduled to open in 2009 with 300 guest rooms on the corner of Peachtree and Stratford roads.
Existing hotels in Atlanta are undergoing improvements such as the $138 million enhancement at the 1,675-room Marriott - Atlanta Marquis, which has made it "essentially a new hotel," said Keith Hensley, director of sales and marketing. "We have new restaurants and bars, updated technology, and 160,000 square feet of event space, including a new ballroom that opens in July."
By the end of this year, an elevated, covered bridge will connect the Marriott - Atlanta Marquis to the 1,226-room Hilton Atlanta across the street. "This gives us the ability to sell about 4,200 rooms and 471,000 square feet of meeting space, including the Marriott, the Hilton, and the (1,260-room) Hyatt Regency Atlanta, which connects through Peachtree Center and the MARTA (rapid transit) station," Hensley said.
"The bridge connects meeting space to meeting space," added Edd Karlan, director of sales and marketing at Hilton Atlanta, which will complete a $50 million enhancement of guest rooms and 115,000 square feet of meeting space in early 2009.
Hyatt Regency Atlanta recently welcomed Patricia Trammell as senior director of sales and marketing. "In 2007, we did a renovation of our Radius Tower guest rooms, which was a complete renovation, and this year we will be completely renovating our International Tower guest rooms as well as ballroom space," Trammell said. "The enhancements bring a trendy new look." In 2004, the hotel's Atrium Tower guest rooms were renovated, so by the end of this year, all the hotel's 1,260 guest rooms will have been recently renovated. The hotel offers 180,000 square feet of meeting space and the largest hotel ballroom in the state of Georgia at more than 29,000 square feet, she said.
The Renaissance Atlanta Downtown has added flat-screen TVs to all suites, said Louis Maresca, director of sales and marketing. The hotel has 503 guest rooms and 31,000 square feet of event space and is directly across the street from the Midtown MARTA station. "We're in the process of redoing our lounge to create more of a ‘great room' atmosphere, we've upgraded our concierge level, and we're creating one wireless Internet hot spot for the entire hotel," Maresca said.
TWELVE Hotel and Residences Centennial Park opened last September with 102 one- and two-bedroom suites and meeting space for up to 120, according to Jim Veil, president of TWELVE Hotels and Residences. "TWELVE Centennial Park not only provides local Atlantans and guests with a memorable stay but also allows them to enjoy great urban experiences a short walk from the city's revitalized downtown." An executive boardroom seats 18. This is the second TWELVE Hotel in Atlanta; Midtown's TWELVE Atlantic Station has 101 suites and a 6,200-square-foot ballroom that can seat up to 500 for banquets plus additional prefunction and outdoor terrace space.
Key Info · Sales Tax: 8 percent (Atlanta)
· Hotel Tax: 7 percent (Atlanta)
· Transportation: A one-way ticket on Atlanta's MARTA rapid transit system is $1.75. The system travels throughout Atlanta, including the airport. |
The Buckhead area is seeing major redevelopment. The Grand Hyatt Buckhead has 438 guest rooms scheduled for full enhancement in 2009 and 30,000 square feet of event space that was recently renovated, said Adam Noyes, director of sales and marketing. "Other big news for us is the opening of Terminus, a 32-story mixed-use building, right next door with four unbelievable restaurants. We also partner with the Terminus Club Golf that allows people to play ‘virtual' rounds of golf at Pebble Beach or Augusta."
The JW Marriott Buckhead completed a $4.5 million renovation of meeting spaces in late 2007, said Russell Stewart, director of sales and marketing. The 371-room hotel can accommodate up to 700 for banquets.
At The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, Sandra Ryder, area director of public relations, said, "The Directors' Room is perfect for top-level business entertaining, with panoramic windows and luxurious appointments. It seats up to 20." The 553-room hotel has 2,240 square feet of event space.
Outside The Perimeter
In Cobb County, on Atlanta's northwest perimeter, the new Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre is experiencing a great first year, said Barkley Russell, spokesperson. In addition to a 2,750-seat theater, the center has a 10,000-square-foot ballroom and unique event spaces. "From the Mezzanine and Upper Tier lobby, there is a tremendous view of downtown; it's really beautiful for a dinner or reception. But what is really unique is that we can put up to 200 for a banquet or 400 for a reception on our main stage. That's a completely different venue and just so much fun."
Nearby, the 144,000-square-foot Cobb Galleria Centre features a 25,000-square-foot ballroom and 24 meeting rooms. The center is attached to the 521-room Renaissance Waverly Hotel, which has 60,000 square feet of event space and is northwest Atlanta's only Four-Diamond property. "We're seeing tremendous interest from planners who want to tie in a meeting and stay here with an event at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre," said Ron Reinhold, director of sales and marketing.
Abbey Harwell, communications manager with the Cobb County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), said the area offers many opportunities for planners. "Many of our hotels have great packages with our theater, museums, historic sites and restaurants, creating a whole arts and culture experience that planners love." Planners will also appreciate the CVB's newly enhanced website, she said.
In March 2009, northern Cobb County's first full-service hotel is set to open in Kennesaw. The 192-room Embassy Suites will feature 6,580 square feet of event space and a Ruth's Chris Steak House. "There are several corporate headquarters and Kennesaw State University there, so this is a welcomed addition," Harwell said.
Big things are happening in Gwinnett County, about 20 minutes northeast of Atlanta, according to Lisa Anders, director of marketing for the Gwinnett County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), including two new hotels, expanded convention facilities, a new baseball stadium that will be home to the new Gwinnett Braves, a AAA farm team of the Atlanta Braves, and the largest Hindu Temple in the United States.
Under construction now directly in front of the Gwinnett Center is a 259-room Embassy Suites with 10,500 square feet of indoor plus additional outside space. "Phase three of our master plan for the center calls for another hotel to be directly connected to the center. We're looking for a Four- or Five-Star property with at least 350 rooms, and we hope to have that under way within the year," Anders said. The Gwinnett Center is also adding a new parking deck, additional breakout rooms, and 75,000 square feet of exhibit space, bringing the total to 125,000 square feet. The center's theater will grow from 750 to 1,000 seats.
Anders said the 10,000-seat baseball stadium, going up near The Mall of Georgia, would be a destination. "We expect this to be a showplace, and we're very excited." The Hindu Temple, crafted by skilled volunteers of hand-carved marble and completed in just 17 months, is open for tours and visitors. "It's an absolutely amazing and unique structure," Anders said.
DeKalb County, on the east side of metro Atlanta, is home to Emory University and the Emory Conference Center Hotel. The hotel has just completed a full renovation of all 198 guest rooms and is starting a $40 million expansion project to add 127 guest rooms and an additional 6,000 square feet of event space, bringing the center's total to 32,000 square feet. The facility is currently Georgia's only Green Seal certified hotel, "and all of the new structures will be LEED-certified through the U.S. Green Building Council," said John Hill, director of sales and marketing. In addition to the new lodging and meeting space, the facility is tripling the size of the health club, adding a new outdoor pool, and building a six-lane bowling alley with lounge and clubroom. All the renovations and expansions are expected to be completed by March 2009, Hill said.
DeKalb County is also home to Stone Mountain Park. Lodging includes the 357-room Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort and Spa that has more than 32,000 square feet of indoor event space and an additional 20,000 square feet of outdoor venues. The 92-room historic Marriott Stone Mountain Inn, a replica of a 19th century plantation home, has 3,500 square feet of event space and can seat up to 150 for a banquet.
