Staycation Goals: Meet Atlanta's 3 New Must-See Hotels

With 3 new hotels popping up in Atlanta's most coveted zip codes, we see a staycation in your future.

The Hotel Colee lobby pays homage to ATL’s sartorial style.

HOTEL COLEE

Perched in the heart of Buckhead, the newly bowed Hotel Colee, Atlanta’s first Autograph Collection hotel, is the brainchild of Practice Hospitality and interior designer Andrew Alford—and it’s no doubt a first of its kind in the city. “Creating hotels is part art, part science,” says Bashar Wali, CEO of Practice Hospitality. “I knew Alford was the right person to design a hotel for the post-pandemic world because he isn’t just a designer, he’s an artist.”

Solid lavender hues balance exuberant upholstered furnishings and abstract rugs in the Hotel Colee lobby.

Inspired by Buckhead’s mantra as a place to show up, show off and show out, Hotel Colee boasts bold hues, over-the-top style and cheeky design. The lobby greets you with rich patterns and quiet pastels: “a stage for personal style,” says Alford. A solid lavender perimeter balances exuberant furnishings upholstered with rich, jewel-toned patterns—think feather, floral, checkered—plus added complexity from abstract rugs. Further, you’ll find unique embellishments like bird statuettes, gemstone-colored vases, a wall of men’s vintage pocket squares and an original abstract acrylic by the designer himself. “Inclusivity and the celebration of personal style are at the heart of this design,” shares Alford, who paid homage to the city’s sartorial style in the lobby. “No matter what you’re wearing, no matter the color of your skin, there is a vignette or moment for you.”

The Bellyard suite bathroom features a Japanese soaking tub in its walk-in shower.

The rich hues and vibrant themes are carried throughout the hotel’s many amenities, including the lobby bar, where two dozen vintage church and dress hats create a playful art installation, complementing other design elements like low-slung, feather-patterned chairs and two high-backed settees upholstered in painterly abstract velvet. But among the beauty is functionality, with power outlets lining the banquette so it’s perfectly equipped to act as a remote work area.

A rustic accent wall adds texture and dimension to the guest rooms.

Upstairs, the guest accommodations boast—you guessed it—more showstopping design touches, including open-front, mirrored-back wardrobes; bright-hued window seats; and energetic prints by Georgia native Lela Brunet.

But there’s no question the creme de la creme of Hotel Colee is its reimagined rooftop infinity pool, where guests can take a refreshing dip against 180-degree views of Buckhead. Staying true to the bold design of the interior, Alford surrounded the pool deck with colorful striped walls, an element influenced by interior designer Dorothy Draper, which makes the space feel at once modern and nostalgic, giving us vibes of relaxed extravagance.

The lobby’s accent decor draws on Atlanta’s industrial and railroad history.

BELLYARD

There’s no doubt that West Midtown is having its moment. To cap it off, The Interlock’s hotel anchor, Bellyard a rustic-chic boutique property, just opened to the public this month.

One step inside the modern, 161-room hotel, and you’re met with a seamless blend of simplistic yet dynamic design with some good ol’ Southern hospitality flair. Helmed by Nelson Worldwide LLC, the interior harps on the neighborhood’s rich industrial history—from urban design accents influenced by passenger trains and cars to thoughtful details like room numbers “branded” into the floors to the focal-point heifer sculpture gracing the lobby. The hotel also called on the local art community, with artwork from Tiny Doors ATL, Amy Parry Projects, Iron to Art and more seen throughout.

The Sylvan’s guest rooms nod to the hotel’s central nature theme.

The industrial aesthetic also extends to Bellyard’s luxe accommodations. Infused with advanced technology—hello, 55-inch smart TV!—the clean, elevated rooms and suites feature cloudlike beds, plush lounge sofas and ottomans, dreamy window seats and folding writers desks, which pair perfectly with design elements like dark, rustic wallpaper that adds welcome texture to the space. The luxuries also extend to the bathrooms. In the standard guest rooms, a frosted glass barn door slides to reveal a spacious walk-in shower and a beautiful black marble vanity with a deep-green mosaic tile backsplash. And in the hotel’s suites, a spalike oasis greets you in the form of an oversize Calacatta gold marble shower, where a Japanese soaking tub awaits inside.

Bellyard’s buzzy food and beverage concepts are also of note, especially Drawbar, an indoor-outdoor craft American tavern serving bar-centric bites and craft cocktails. (Insider tip: Grab a spot on the open-air terrace for unbeatable skyline views.)

Every afternoon, light comes through the stained-glass window in The Kimpton Sylvan Hotel lobby, reflecting colorful specks of light throughout the room.

THE KIMPTON SYLVAN HOTEL

Yet another debut Buckhead hotel puts style and design at the forefront—this time, it’s the new Kimpton Sylvan Hotel. Opened in February, the 217-room property is a 1950s-era adaptive reuse boutique hotel showcasing midcentury modern design with a touch of understated sophistication and a splash of Southern charm.

The interior design draws on Atlanta’s nickname, the “City in a Forest,” with themes of trees, greenery and nature carried throughout. Starting out, one of the design team’s main intentions was to incorporate the bones of the midcentury building. To do this, they created a series of spaces—each connected with a subtle identity shift—that allow natural light to flood the room, a nod to the overarching theme. Most striking is the lobby living room, which boasts a beautiful pastel stained-glass wall that reflects specks of colored light on the glazed tile-and-stone curved fireplace wall for a truly magical sight.

The focal point of the lobby living room is the glazed tile-and-stone curved fireplace.

Upstairs, The Sylvan’s guest rooms unveil simple lines, complex textures and contemporary luxuries like apothecary bath potions, Frette linens, plush robes, and skyline or garden views. When you’re ready to leave your bedroom oasis, the hotel’s food and beverage concepts await—from the dreamlike Willow Bar to The Betty, with an old Hollywood-esque atmosphere and a menu that nods to midcentury supper clubs, to the hotel’s funky indoor-outdoor rooftop lounge, St. Julep.