I’m completing a short 2-night stay at the Hilton Atlanta Downtown this week. This is my first stay at this 1,200+ room property, and I’ve found a lot of things to like about the hotel.
Getting There
The hotel is connected via covered Sky Bridge to the MARTA Peachtree rail station. That said, it’s not close. There are a couple of alternative Sky Bridge routes with the most direct being straight through Peachtree Mall to a parking garage next to the hotel. There is some signage in the MARTA station directing you towards the hotel, but beyond that, it’s not the most intuitive of routes. Unless you are familiar with downtown Atlanta and the Sky Bridge “system,” you might need to ask directions.
Checking In
Arriving on Tuesday afternoon, I was struck by how busy the hotel seemed. Check in was mobbed, but thankfully, the Hilton HHonors check in desk was fully staffed, and a very polite gentleman by the name of James had me processed in a few minutes. If you are a Diamond VIP member, I would skip the desk and just take the elevator straight to the 27th floor Executive Lounge which is staffed until 11PM, and will process your check in. I didn’t have my thinking cap on when I arrived, or I would’ve done that.
The Room
Room 2705, is an Executive Floor King room with standard Hilton amenities. Executive Level rooms also feature a 42″ LCD television, bathrobes, and nightly turndown service. The room is quite comfortable, with a nice work area that is well lit and functional. I especially appreciate the nightstand lamps which are equipped with an electrical outlet. Very handy for those of us that use our cell phones as alarm clocks and like to charge our phones overnight by the bed. The nightstands are equipped with soft floor lighting that sense movement as well, a neat feature that I appreciated. Overall, the room seems larger than average, and I like it a lot. Not over the top fancy by any means, but certainly a great room for a busy business traveler. Internet is $12.95 per 24 hour period. Thankfully I will no longer have to pay that kind of price as of September 1 as an HHonors Diamond VIP member.
Here’s a video of the room. I hope you find it useful.
The Hilton Atlanta Downtown has a large Executive Lounge. Per usual in the US, there’s a charge for alcohol, but free fountain sodas are available. The hotel provided several coupons for complimentary bottled water at check in as well. The morning and evening food spreads are pretty standard for US hotels. Floors 27 and 28 are considered the Executive Level, but the lounge is located on 27. The concierge and bartender were both quite polite and appeared helpful to those that had requests.
Around the Hotel
The selection of restaurants immediately surrounding the hotel is pretty disappointing. In fact, there really aren’t any. Not that I consider a 4 block walk anything major, but that’s about how far you have to go to find any eateries outside the hotel. I wandered around until I got bored and decided to drop into Morton’s Steakhouse for a quick cocktail. The bone-in ribeye was tempting, but I persevered! The hotel itself is home to Trader Vic’s on the lower level. I didn’t partake, but did wander through, and found the restaurant to be quite busy. Now I wish I’d stuck around. The Bistro Salad I enjoyed in the lobby bar was fine, but as I write this, I find myself craving something a little more inspired.
The Bottom Line
I like the hotel. All staff I encountered were polite and helpful. The hotel recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation, and the rooms show it. The lack of restaurants in the immediate vicinity of the hotel seems problematic, but in truth, dining is a reasonable walk away. There are other good (and newer) HHonors properties downtown, notably the Hilton Garden Inn, and the Embassy Suites. But if standard Hilton service and access to amenities like an Executive Lounge and room upgrades are your thing, then the Hilton Atlanta Downtown is the place for HHonors loyalists to go.
