Hyatt Regency Atlanta Midway Through Major Transformation

June 21,2011

Hyatt Regency Atlanta is at the halfway point in a $65 million transformation designed to update the Downtown Atlanta landmark hotel for the new demands of business meeting and convention attendees. 

The Downtown Atlanta hotel, known as a center for business and group meetings, began modernizing its Centennial Ballroom – the largest hotel ballroom in the Atlanta market – in April. That work follows months-long updates to Hyatt Regency Atlanta’s Atrium lobby, entryway and food and beverage concepts. Other renovations, including updates to the hotel’s Atrium Tower guest rooms, will begin this fall.

“The design and facilities transformation, expected to be completed in December 2011, was initiated to meet the new demands of today’s group attendee – a professional who is more pressed for time, who expects to be able to work from anywhere and who believes networking before and after meeting sessions is as important as the meeting itself,” said Joe Hindsley, Hyatt Regency Atlanta’s General Manager and current president of the Atlanta Hotel Council. 

“Meeting guests today want a destination that’s open, user-friendly, time efficient and built for his or her needs,” Hindsley said. “That’s why we’ve designed Hyatt Regency Atlanta’s public spaces to be more accommodating for business and networking. We’ve made our check-in more intimate and user friendly and our new food and beverage concepts are designed to help guests work, meet and network before and after their event.” 

Key to this strategy is Twenty-Two Storys, Hyatt Regency Atlanta’s new lobby bar. Launched on May 14, Twenty-Two stories provides a comfortable space for guests to work, get a bite to eat and meet with associates and clients in the heart of downtown Atlanta. Hyatt Regency Atlanta’s new food and beverage offerings also will include a new full-service restaurant and a grab-and-go market option. 

Other key updated features include the Atrium Lobby space, which rolled out a new front desk, wider revolving entrance door, new escalators and large tile flooring, making it cleaner and easier for guests to pull luggage across this surface. 

The hotel’s main entrance, off Atlanta’s Peachtree Street, has also received a fresh new look with the addition of marble columns, an expanded front drive and a new, larger revolving front door, enhancing guests’ sense of arrival as they enter the hotel. 

At the front desk, all natural walnut wooden pod-style desks were installed on a radius, designed to provide a more intimate, personalized and efficient check-in experience. The backdrop behind the front desk showcases a novelty display of brass key fob replicas from the original Regency Hyatt House – cleverly used pieces of the hotel’s history were fused to make this exceptional piece of art. 

All 737 Atrium Tower guest rooms also will be redesigned with 32” LCD flat panel TVs, iHome Dual alarm clock radios, new wall coverings, drapes and artwork, energy efficient fixtures and a signature carpet design inspired by the legendary Flora Raris, the sculpture located in the Atrium Lobby. New tile flooring, low-flow toilets, energy efficient lighting, granite vanities and fresh lighting will be upgraded in the guest room bath areas. 

Designed by famed architect John Portman, Hyatt Regency Atlanta has long served as a leader in the Atlanta hospitality industry. Ideally located in the heart of Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, the hotel property boasts a total of 180,000 square feet of function space, 1,260 guest rooms and is renowned for unparalleled guest service. 

The latest $65 million transformation of the downtown Atlanta hotel is intended to ensure the hotel’s continued position as a leader in the local, regional and national meetings and convention market, Hindsley said. 

“Hyatt Regency Atlanta has played an integral role in Atlanta for more than 40 years, serving as a central gathering place for local Atlantans and a meeting venue for travelers across the globe,” Hindsley said. “This major transformation speaks to our commitment to ensure the hotel continues to be an innovative destination for years to come.” 

The hotel will remain open for business throughout the duration of the project; the transformation was strategically planned in stages as to not disrupt guests’ experiences. 

(Source)