Georgian Terrace Hotel: Atlanta's Grande Dame of Hotels

The Georgian Terrace Hotel is located in Atlanta's Midtown district on the corner of Atlanta's two most famous streets - Peachtree Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue. The hotel is accessible from the Interstate 75/85 Downtown Connector. Atlanta's public transit system, MARTA, has a train station about three blocks away. Directly across Peachtree is the legendary Fabulous Fox Theatre, and many other attractions are only a short cab ride away, including the High Museum of Art, Piedmont Park, the Atlanta Botanical Garden and the Ferst Center for the Arts, not to mention all the entertainment, dining and nightlife that both Buckhead and downtown Atlanta have to offer.

The Georgian Terrace, built in 1911, underwent an $11-million renovation in early 2009 that has brought the hotel into the modern era while leaving its old-world charm untouched. Its 360 rooms range in size from 160 to 2,700 square feet and include one-, two- and three-bedroom suites. Most rooms include a full kitchen and washer and dryer. All rooms have flat-screen TVs, free wireless Internet access and pillow-top mattresses. Two luxurious bridal suites have been added, as the hotel is a popular location for weddings. The hotel features two restaurants: Livingston Restaurant + Bar, an elegant, gourmet experience in a beautiful dining room; and Cafy Mims, which offers light fare for lunch and dinner. Both restaurants are overseen by one of Atlanta's most beloved chefs. A penthouse-level fitness center and rooftop pool add to the luxury.

The Georgian Terrace has been repositioned as one of Atlanta's newest luxury hotels, but it is also one of the city's most glamorous historic buildings. The reception for the opening of the film Gone with the Wind was held here in 1939, and the hotel has hosted celebrities and dignitaries from the time it opened through its heyday in the 1930s and into the present. The building features a generous use of marble and glass, including a dramatic spiraling marble staircase. It was known after it opened as "Atlanta's Paris hotel'' for its efforts to bring a European-style hotel to the city. In 1981, the hotel closed and was on the verge of being demolished. Instead, through the efforts of preservation groups, it became part of the Fox Theatre Historic District and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. New owner Matthew Reidy says of the renovation, "We're breathing new life back into an old, iconic property in Atlanta. We felt there [were] some great opportunities to bring it back.''

The Georgian Terrace is also a popular venue for both social and business gatherings. It offers over 16,000 square feet of meeting space, including three ballrooms, a business center and up-to-date audio/visual equipment. Six of the meeting rooms are certified by the International Association of Conference Centers as using best practices for meetings. Only nine other facilities in Atlanta carry this certification.

Reviews for the Georgian Terrace from a well-known travel website are mostly positive, although some people complained of noise and dust during the remodeling. Street noise is also apparently a problem. Most guests love the central location of the hotel, the size of the rooms and, of course, its grandeur. Comments include: "The room was a home away from home,'' "The bedroom has the most comfortable bed that I've ever slept in,'' and "We were blown away by the charm of the lobby and its architectural distinction.'' Staff attitudes seem to run the gamut from incredibly helpful to incredibly rude. Perhaps as the Georgian Terrace grows past its newness, it can reclaim its reputation as the grandest hotel in the city.