Downtown Atlanta’s Omni Hotel Renovates Rooms, Launches New Branding

Credit: ANDY SHARP / AJC FILE

Credit: ANDY SHARP / AJC FILE

Credit: Jason Getz / [email protected]

Credit: Jason Getz / [email protected]

The downtown Omni has more than 1,000 rooms in two towers and is one of Atlanta’s best-known convention hotels, just steps from the Georgia World Congress Center and other downtown attractions .

The Omni changed its name after CNN left its longtime downtown hub last year, consolidating its Atlanta operations to a new Midtown campus. The media company’s former home was renamed “The Center” last month, and Omni Atlanta General Manager Ramon Reyes said his hotel needs to change with the times.

“(CNN’s) stay here ended as they were heading to their other building,” Reyes said. “For us, it was an opportunity to say, ‘OK, how are we going to transition?’ How can we evolve as this whole market evolves? »

This is not the first time the iconic hotel and its adjoining buildings have undergone vast changes. At one point, the entire complex was named Omni.

Famed Atlanta real estate giant Tom Cousins ​​developed the Omni Coliseum in 1972, which was home to the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Flames until it was demolished in 1997 and replaced by what he is today known as State Farm Arena. The Coliseum was the anchor of the Omni complex, which included the hotel, expanses of offices, a huge atrium and a short-lived theme park.

The offices were largely empty until CNN opened its headquarters there in 1987, changing the complex’s identity for the following decades. In a post-CNN environment, Reyes said it made sense to tie the hotel’s identity to one of Atlanta’s other defining events: the 1996 Centennial Olympics.

Centennial Olympic Park is on the hotel’s doorstep, and the $5 billion Centennial Yards project, a mixed-use destination above the downtown Gulch, is also gaining traction .

The Omni is the fifth largest hotel in Atlanta. Its two towers are separated by Andrew Young International Boulevard but connected by an aerial walkway.

In 2018, the Omni launched a $12 million renovation of its south tower that resulted in refreshed rooms, new elevators, escalators and four restaurants. Reyes said the renovation of the North Tower was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which hampered business travel and tourism.

Credit: Jason Getz / [email protected]

Credit: Jason Getz / [email protected]

“It just wasn’t the right time,” he said. “So it is for us that we are resuming this renovation cycle.”

Hotel management showed off the refreshed 28th floor on Thursday, including the completely renovated and redecorated rooms. In addition to the themed suites, the hotel has also launched three “Legacy Suites” which serve as living testaments to the Omni’s history in Atlanta.

“As you browse our hotels, you will know which city you are in,” Reyes said. “Our design embodies the warmth of our city and the warmth of our service as well, but there are also nods throughout our renovation to the Fox Theater at Centennial Olympic Park across the street and the Olympic Games as a whole.”

Four years after the start of COVID-19, the hospitality industry is still in recovery mode. Tourism and convention travel has rebounded, and downtown Atlanta has added another convention hotel to its list: the Signia by Hilton Hotel at the Georgia World Congress Center.