Buckhead is a large and leafy area of Atlanta, Georgia, that, until the 1950s, was outside the city limits, a suburban escape. Now it makes up a large portion of the city itself and is home to a lot of high-rise office complexes, stately homes, and top hotels including the recently renovated Grand Hyatt Atlanta.
Fitting for a hotel where you can see treetops for miles, flowers and landscaping frame the Grand Hyatt Atlanta entrance and this 439-room high-rise hotel has its own gorgeous garden area in the Japanese style. During my spring visit it was in full bloom, with cherry blossoms hanging over the waterfall cascading down to the dining patio.
A large patio is above this, large enough for event receptions but filled with outdoor sofas and chairs for guests the rest of the time, with string lights hanging overhead. Several office buildings surround the hotel, so there are plenty of other spots for hanging out nearby, with multiple restaurants and bars a few steps away.
A New Lounge and a Petit Chef
It was too cool for a swim while I was there, but when the southern heat is in full force half the year, the ample swimming pool with lounge chairs is a welcome amenity.
Fabled Lounge, courtesy of Hyatt Hotels
After operating for more than 20 years, this Hyatt recently completed a multi-million-dollar makeover, which included all the drinking and dining options. The design showpiece that came out of that is the Fabled Lounge. It faces the waterfall through large two-story windows and the semi-circular bar feels elegant with its green quartzite and leather finishes. You can expect inventive cocktails and interesting small plates to accompany your social gathering or business meeting.
Down one level is the main restaurant area Cassis, which transforms throughout the day to fit the meal and the mood. At breakfast it is full of natural light, with indoor and outdoor seating, with a menu that hits all the right notes for the health-conscious or the marathon runner loading up on carbs. The two of us had an excellent omelet, a stack of pancakes, fruit, and some good coffee.
Dinner is not just dinner here: it’s a true immersive dining and entertainment experience, one like I haven’t experienced anywhere else. That’s because projectors mounted over each table host Le Petit Chef, a choreographed, multi-course dinner narrated by an emcee with a French accent. Before each course, the scene on your table changes, and the little chef comes out to prepare the course in front of you. Since he’s so small, there’s a lot of drama involved.
Here’s a sampling of what that looks like. He is chopping up tentacles from the octopus he caught to throw into a seafood stew.
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Then, after this mini show, the projection decorates the table, not your plate, and real food appears. So instead of a piece of meet on a grill on your plate, a waiter appears with a real steak grilled to your requested level. Take your time and savor it though because there is a lot of food in this dinner, not just tiny tastes. Ours went from burrata salad to seafood (including lobster) to chicken to a Wagyu beef duo to dessert. All well done, but filling.
In this shot, the surroundings are projected, but the food is real!
After a little chef show with a blowtorch (and a few fires to put out), a delicious Georgia Peach crème brûlée appeared to top off the experience. See more about the experience and make a booking at that link.
The other food and beverage outlets include a grab-and-go place with coffee, baked goods, and sandwiches, plus the executive level guests have a lounge with a view that has breakfast, a social hour, and wine and liquors on tap the rest of the time that are dispensed from a machine that charges you electronically.
Near the lobby is The Library, a spacious area that’s great for working, catching a sports match, or having a drink in the evening when the pop-up bar opens.
Rooms at Grand Hyatt Atlanta
All rooms at this hotel got an upgrade as well on a rolling basis, with them now looking sleek and contemporary at every level. You now get ample charging outlets by the bed, including USB, and a feature I wish more hotels included: a dim motion-sensor light at foot level that helps you find your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Even the standards of 400 square feet are well-furnished, with a loveseat and chair or three chairs in the king rooms, plus a marble-topped table for work or in-room dining. Floor surfaces are light laminate hardwood with an area rug under the bed, while the marble tile baths have refillable large toiletry bottles in the walk-in shower with two showerheads or a combo shower with tub.
A large smart TV is mounted on the wall, but you have to use Chromecast to get your own media to play, which can be finicky even if you’re tech-savvy. Otherwise you’ve got access to all the usual TV channels and then some. There’s also a Bluetooth speaker.
Corner rooms have 50 square feet more space and additional windows, supplying more natural light.
Suites go from a “Grand Suite” classification (pictured above) that has a full living room and sofa bed to a “Luxury Suite” and “Governor Suite” that are both the size of an upscale apartment in the area. The latter two add a kitchenette, bar, dining table for six, and a half bath. The Presidential Suite here is truly special, with a large furnished balcony to enjoy the high-floor view, a bar area with stools, a nice work desk, and a regulation-sized pool table.
This large hotel can host extensive meetings, events, and conferences, with a grand ballroom that seats 750 for banquets and an array of other spaces for meetings large and small.
Rates for standards at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead start between $220 and $500 most of the year, though you have to add on taxes and an annoying “destination fee” that includes supposed extras like pool access and Wi-Fi. On the plus side, you can get half of that back in food and beverage credit, plus you can bring your pet up to 50 pounds (or 70 for 2 combined) with no extra fee. Parking is $49 to $59 per night plus taxes, but there’s a public garage across the street for far less if you’re not putting it all on an expense report.
Book direct with Hyatt at the official website.
Check rates online for the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead at Expedia, Booking.com, or Hotels.com.
Review and all photos by Tim Leffel except where indicated. Leffel was hosted by the hotel for purposes of review. As always, all opinions are his own.
