Saturday, March 5, 2011

UPDATE : Hotel Palomar to Re-Open as Renaissance Hotel

Earlier I reported that Kimpton's Hotel Palomar would be replaced with a Marriott hotel, but I have just received confirmation that it will be the Renaissance brand replacing it instead. I predicted that it would be a Marriott property given its size and location, but neglected to consider the obvious: a replacement Renaissance. (both Renaissance and Marriott are brands under the Marriott International umbrella) Many will recall that the Renaissance was previously located just south on West Peachtree, but closed last year and is now Meliá. Meliá, the flagship brand of Sol Meliá, is said to be investing multi-millions in a year-long renovation of the building and hotel rooms.

Personally, I would have loved to see Edition, the new boutique brand from Marriott, brought to Atlanta but alas, that was not in the cards. Edition is only open in two locations, although it has about a half dozen coming soon, and more in the pipeline. Another intriguing new boutique brand is Andaz from Hyatt, also with few properties open.

While Atlanta does have a number of independent boutique hotels such as the Ellis and Glenn [member of Marriott's Autograph Collection] in downtown Atlanta, and a number of W properties, we lack any of the cool brands of New York and LA. The Standard and Andaz come to mind and are to me the epitome of chic boutique properties.

Apparently Renaissance is now labeled as a boutique brand and Marriott thought it to be the best replacement. Clearly the property will lose some of its charm with it now being a mega-chain but hopefully it's still appealing to guests. I'm told the conversion will take about four months.

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9 comments:

Unknown said...

Ugghhhhh.

So they are going to downgrade the lobby? Or is it just adding all the signage.

Horrible move. It's no longer a destination hotel so what's it for??? Law firms and all aren't putting people at a Renaissance. I guess there's GT. They will do some football biz and some Mart biz.

Anyway. Just dreadful.

Anonymous said...

Oh well. I just hope they get a decent restaurant to replace Pacci.

Anonymous said...

How dreadful. I shudder to think what they will put in the Pacci space. Probably a Cracker Barrel.

Tim said...

Doesn't Marriott own the Renaissance brand? They use to
Tim

Atlantan99 said...

@ Tim,

Yes, Marriott International operates the Renaissance Hotel brand. Earlier I reported the Palomar was likely becoming a Marriott (the flagship brand) but instead it will be a Renaissance branded hotel.

Sorry for the confusion and thank for reading the blog.

CB said...

Renaissance is a great brand - I travel a minimum of 4 nights a week and look for them. They are a good option between the "vanilla, boring" Marriott brand and the highly unpredictable boutique brands. The urban locations are usually better than the secondary market locations. Usually (not always) have interesting restaurants (Never a Cracker Barrel) - check out the Renaissance in Times Square. Also - business travelers will choose that because of the Marriott Rewards program. Plus - they have Aveda Rosemary body wash.

It would be nice if we could get a Standard (love the downtown LA hotel) or something similar, but lets face it - our city is not ready for that yet.

CB said...

Renaissance is a great brand - I travel a minimum of 4 nights a week and look for them. They are a good option between the "vanilla, boring" Marriott brand and the highly unpredictable boutique brands. The urban locations are usually better than the secondary market locations. Usually (not always) have interesting restaurants (Never a Cracker Barrel) - check out the Renaissance in Times Square. Also - business travelers will choose that because of the Marriott Rewards program. Plus - they have Aveda Rosemary body wash.

It would be nice if we could get a Standard (love the downtown LA hotel) or something similar, but lets face it - our city is not ready for that yet.

Atlantan99 said...

@ Anon,

Apparently Marriott considers certain Renaissance locations "chic boutiques"

From the Marriott corporate website...

Renaissance Hotels
"Travel should be inspiring. With over 145 Renaissance Hotels world-wide, you'll find inspiration at every location. Choose from one of our historic icons, chic boutiques or luxurious resorts. Each offers it own personality, local flavor, distinctive style and charm. All will stimulate your appetite for discovery. Welcome to Renaissance Hotels."

Anonymous said...

I assume the hotel won't be dog friendly any longer, either.

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