5 hotels for a fun staycation in Atlanta
From unique culinary programs to historic architecture, new and historic hotels in this Southern city are giving us a reason to hang around.
But all the best hotels are in New York and LA, you might be thinking. And you’re not wrong. West Coast cities as well as Chicago, NY, Miami, Philly, DC and Southern cities like Savannah and Charleston are known for their hotels, which are luxe, classic, trendy, cool, boutique and everything in between. In recent years, though, Atlanta’s vacation (and staycation) scene is on the up and up thanks to some fresh new hotel brands breaking ground in the city.
Atlanta has changed so much over the last decade. In 2012, I said I’d never live here and look at me now. Read on for my favorite hotel properties in the ATL — a couple new ones and a couple classics, as well.
Hotel Clermont
You probably know Hotel Clermont it for its infamous basement strip club, Clermont Lounge. Come on, don’t tell me you’ve never seen anyone sporting an “I saw your momma dancing at the Clermont Lounge” tee. But if that’s not your thing, the hotel’s French-American restaurant, Tiny Lou’s, plus the open-air rooftop bar and the guest rooms (there are 94 total) are all fab, too.
Built in 1924, this historic Ponce de Leon property is walking distance from Ponce City Market and 8arm (check out the late night sushi menu). Hotel Clermont also offers fun programming for both locals and visitors like women winemaker dinners, whiskey tastings and the newly reinstated weekend brunch.
Wylie Hotel
Love the history of this dog-friendly property, which just opened as the Wylie Hotel in May of 2021 in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. An LGBTQ+ landmark, this space was home to Georgia’s first gay bar in the 1950s. In its second life (1980s), the space became the Atlanta Eagle, a gay leather bar. Artwork placed around the hotel includes framed prints from the Great Speckled Bird, an underground counterculture newspaper that launched in Atlanta in the 1960s — and one of the few publications at the time to cover gay and trans rights as well as women’s liberation.
The lobby- adjacent Mrs. P’s Bar & Kitchen is named after its original owner, Vera Phillips, and includes programming like half-priced wine Tuesdays, oyster Thursdays and themed brunch on Sundays (sometimes drag, sometimes Alice in Wonderland-themed and usually a DJ spinning brunch tunes, too). Perks of staying here include a second-floor gym with a Peloton bike, a big terrace overlooking Ponce City Market where you can order drinks and snacks (perfect in summer), a handful of tubs mostly in ADA compliant or double queen rooms (call to request a room with a tub) and proximity to the Atlanta Beltline, where you can hop on a scooter and tour some of the city’s best restaurants, bars and shops.
Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta
I love Four Seasons for so many reasons, but No. 1 is that it gives old school glamour vibes, like you never know who you’ll run into there. The Midtown property is unassuming until you walk in and are greeted by a sprawling staircase and huge, sparkling crystal chandelier. The spa here is luxe (so worth it even if a 50-minute massage is upwards of $200) and the guest rooms are clean and crisp with big windows and city views (rooms and service are everything you’d expect from a FS property). There’s even an indoor heated saltwater pool for guests to use.
The hotel’s bar and restaurant, Bar Margot, is super swanky. I love dropping in for cocktails. The menu is well-rounded with twists on traditional land, sea and pasta options plus dessert (always get dessert). Bar Margot even has a plant-based menu available now as well.
Thompson Buckhead
Wrote about the Thompson around the time of its opening in December (linked below), but basically this is one of the few reasons — list is growing, though — I’d drive to Buckhead these days:
Epicurean Atlanta
Another Midtown hotel, Epicurean Atlanta, is known for its food and drinks and offers guests wine or beer on tap upon check-in. Wine varietals match the floors here (i.e. there’s a Cabernet floor and a Pinot Noir floor) and lighting throughout is inspired by whiskey and wine barrels. Local art ties into the culinary aspect of the 178-room hotel (with 22 suites total) which is conveniently located near the MARTA (it’s actually built on top of it).
Epicurean has some pet-friendly rooms/floors which I love and can provide doggie bowls to guests as well. What I love (for the humans) is that their are wine/champagne chillers built into the furniture in all the rooms. Head to the 9th floor for city views, an outdoor common area that will be shared with Google employees. Here you’ll find Aerial Kitchen & Bar and a heated pool with temperature-controlled cabanas available to guests and tenants of the luxury condos next door.
The chef-driven Reverence restaurant offers up a bar bites menu from 5-6pm daily and boasts farm-to-table partnerships with Atlanta area farmers and fishermen. Brunch on Sundays is from 12-3pm and includes live music. My favorite thing about this hotel, though, is Epicurean Theater, an immersive event space where cooking classes and other cool culinary programming takes place. Get up close and personal with local chefs or experience an intimate coursed out craft cocktail and dinner pairing here.
Epicurean Atlanta will soon launch a whiskey program with personalized whiskey lockers for clients, as well.