News + Events
Filter
HYATT REGENCY ATLANTA COMPLETES $26 MILLION GUESTROOMS & SUITES RENOVATION
New guestrooms and suites offer a uniquely Atlanta guest experience celebrating the hotel’s proud Civil Rights history and groundbreaking architecture of John Portman.
Hyatt Regency Atlanta announced today it has completed a $26 million guestrooms and suites transformation inspired by the hotel’s Civil Rights history and the vision of John Portman, the architect who built the landmark property 55 years ago.
The renovation of Hyatt Regency Atlanta’s suites and atrium tower guestrooms is the most extensive update of the property in a decade, and the largest investment in Atlanta’s convention hotels since the pandemic.
The new design will share Hyatt Regency Atlanta’s architectural legacy and local history – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called us the “Hotel of Hope” – and offers guests an authentic, one-of-a-kind, Atlanta travel experience as they explore one of America’s most dynamic and culturally relevant cities.
In rooms and suites, guests will find ultra-comfortable, residential touches like leather headboards, nap-sized sofas, plush carpets, warm lighting, clusters of convenient device chargers, stations for remote working and 65” streaming TVs.
Each guestroom also features new “Escape Stations,” handy open wardrobes for brewing a cup of coffee, refrigerating drinks and getting ready for a day of meetings or seeing the city.
Throughout the hotel, guests will find art based on vintage matchbooks and cocktail stirrers, galleries of historic photos and reproductions of Portman sculpture and furniture.
Hyatt Regency Atlanta’s new rooms and suites will give guests a comfortable, fun and truly Atlanta experience, and one that reflects our hotel’s important history and culture, said Derrick Morrow, Area Vice President & General Manager of Hyatt Regency Atlanta.
“Today’s travelers want something more than just a sleeping room,” Morrow said. “They’re interested in hearing stories about where they’re staying, they’re asking thoughtful questions about sustainability and inclusion, and they’re showing a preference for destinations that provide unique, meaningful travel experiences.”
Change Starts Here. Our pledge to support black-owned businesses.
Hyatt has pledged to increase our black-owned suppliers 10% by 2025. Our hotel, which welcomed the Civil Rights Movement from our 1st days in business, is leading the way.
As an extension of our hotel’s history and Hyatt’s Purpose of Care, Hyatt Regency Atlanta is committed to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion, with a new focus on providing opportunity for black-owned businesses.
Hyatt in 2020 announced Change Starts Here initiative, which pledged to increase the company’s African American-owned supplier base 10% by 2025.
Hyatt Regency Atlanta is leading the way, with some $250,000 in contracts with African American-owned companies since 2021.
The hotel in February 2022 hosted an African American Vendor Showcase, connecting some 30 minority-owned companies with potential customers, both Hyatt properties and our competitors.
National Geographic Travel has put Atlanta on its list of "25 Amazing Journeys in 2022."
NatGeo Travel experts called Atlanta "the cradle of the civil rights movement, the home of Coca-Cola" with a "hip-hop culture shapes global culture. There’s no place else quite like Atlanta.”
Best reasons to see Atlanta in 2022: The BeltLine’s Eastside Trail, the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood, Ponce City Market, and historic highlights like the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.
We can't wait to see you in 2022!
HYATT REGENCY ATLANTA LOVES LOCAL, HELPS BELOVED LOCAL BUSINESS THRIVE DURING PANDEMIC
Chef Thomas McKeown opens hotel kitchens to minority-owned business and farmers market favorite Anna Bell's Kitchen Mac & Cheese.
See the story on "Fox & Friends!"
Hyatt Regency Atlanta and Exec. Chef Thomas McKeown have opened our kitchens to help a beloved local Mac & Cheese maker get through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anna Bell’s Mac & Cheese is a favorite booth at weekend markets across Atlanta, like the Peachtree Road Farmers Market.
Founder Kevin Mobley based his Mac & Cheese on his great grandmother Anna Bell’s recipe, an oral tradition passed down in his family for generations.
Kevin makes his delicious Mac & Cheese with fresh, quality ingredients like milk from Alabama, macaroni from Italy and sharp English cheese.
He and Chef Thomas met at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market, and made a friendly connection over a shared commitment to local food.
Chef Thomas partners with 70 area farms and purveyors to supply our restaurants with fine ingredients from bacon to beer.
The restaurant kitchens Kevin relies on became scarce during the pandemic, but Chef Thomas was happy to help. Kevin started shredding, mixing and baking in our kitchens in October.
The collaboration is supported by Hyatt Loves Local, a new initiative aimed at supporting local businesses across the communities in which Hyatt hotels operate.
“The opportunity to collaborate with Hyatt Regency Atlanta through Hyatt Loves Local has enabled us to preserve and pivot our business while attracting new fans and customers during this challenging time,” Kevin said.
The partnership was a perfect match, Kevin said – a minority owned business teaming up with an Atlanta hotel with a rich Civil Rights history.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called Hyatt Regency Atlanta his “Hotel of Hope,” and hosted his last Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) meeting in our Regency Ballroom. Our hotel honors this history with our annual Heritage Celebration, which has recognized Civil Rights heroes like Ambassador Andrew Young, the late Rep. John Lewis, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Coretta Scott King.
Anna Bell’s Mac & Cheese will be available for sale in our lobby Market, just in time for the holidays.
Follow Hyatt Regency Atlanta and Anna Bell’s Mac & Cheese on social media for up-to date news about our proud partnership. Enjoy!
HYATT REGENCY ATLANTA ANNOUNCES NEW GENERAL MANAGER
Derrick Morrow named Area VP & General Manager of historic Peachtree Street hotel, now open for events & guests.
Veteran hospitality leader Derrick Morrow has been named Area Vice President & General Manager of Hyatt Regency Atlanta. The landmark hotel reopened to guests and meetings on July 1, 2020.
Morrow was most recently Area Vice President & General Manager of Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport. He previously served as General Manager of Hyatt Regency Tampa; Regional Vice President of Sales for Hyatt’s Midwest Region; Director of Marketing at Hyatt Regency Chicago; and in other sales leadership positions.
Morrow started his Hyatt career at Hyatt Regency Atlanta as Associate Director of Sales in 1991.
Morrow rejoins Hyatt Regency Atlanta as the hotel announces it has reopened to guests and customers with a renewed focus on safety and wellbeing.
“I couldn’t be more excited to come back to Atlanta as General Manager of Hyatt Regency Atlanta,” Morrow said. “This hotel is part of the story and soul of Atlanta, and I’m so glad to say that we are once again open for business.”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called Hyatt Regency Atlanta his “Hotel of Hope” after the hotel opened its doors to the Civil Rights Movement in 1967. The property was the world’s first contemporary atrium hotel and the first Hyatt Regency. The hotel has welcomed major Atlanta events from the Olympics and Super Bowls to Dragon Con.
Prior to reopening, Morrow instituted new colleague safety training and hospital-grade cleaning protocols for guestrooms and common areas. He has appointed a Hygiene and Wellbeing Leader whose sole responsibility is ensuring guest safety, comfort and wellbeing.
Hyatt recently announced a Global Care and Cleanliness Commitment. The company is collaborating with medical experts from Cleveland Clinic and other trusted industry advisors to upgrade operating procedures for all Hyatt hotels.
“The most important element of welcoming back guests is doing it safely, and we are going above and beyond to care for our guests and colleagues in every area of the hotel,” Morrow said.
Morrow is a native of Washington, D.C., and a graduate of Howard University. He and his wife have two children and they have recently relocated to Atlanta.
Hyatt Regency Atlanta Named Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau Member of the Year for its legacy, hospitality
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE
By Janet Jones Kendall - Contributing Writer
During its first days in business, the Hyatt Regency Atlanta became part of the rich history of the Civil Rights movement. In August 1967, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) were the hotel’s second customers, when no other Atlanta establishment would host them.
Afterward, King called the hotel his “Hotel of Hope.”
"In the decades since, ours has been a home to those who carry Dr. King’s mission, including his widow Coretta Scott King," said Peter McMahon, Hyatt Regency Atlanta general manager. "She was such a loyal customer that in 2017, we renamed one of our executive suites in her honor."
In addition to being a historical landmark, the hotel is an architectural icon. Designed by famed Atlanta architect John Portman, Hyatt Regency Atlanta was the first contemporary atrium hotel in the world and the first Hyatt Regency hotel.
"Because of its groundbreaking design, hospitality leaders at the time called us a 'concrete monster that would never fly.' But when we opened in May 1967, people lined up around the block just to look up in the atrium and ride the elevators," McMahon said. "Hyatt Regency Atlanta is an Atlanta institution, part of the soul and story of the city."
For this reason, Hyatt Regency Atlanta is a finalist for the second annual Spurgeon Richardson Member of the Year of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“Hyatt Regency Atlanta is an iconic Atlanta hotel, from its proud civil rights heritage to the important role it has played in building our city’s convention business,” said William Pate, ACVB president and CEO. “Throughout its history, Hyatt executives have always provided leadership on ACVB’s board and have played a key role in shaping Atlanta’s hospitality industry.”
Today, Hyatt Regency Atlanta is the city’s second largest hotel and host of landmark events from Super Bowls and Final Fours to the Southeastern Conference and Dragon Con.
"Frankly, there probably wouldn't be a Dragon Con today if not for the Hyatt in 1997,” said Pat Henry, Dragon Con founder and president Pat Henry. “We were asked to leave the hotel we were in and the Hyatt manager made a deal with us there, from 1997 to 2000."
That deal allowed Dragon Con to experience its first wave of growth. Then, when the Hyatt increased its rates in 2001, the two entities negotiated another deal. The convention brings more than 85,000 people to Atlanta on Labor Day weekend, up from its original 5,000 in 1997.
"They meet and exceed expectations," Henry said. "We now are so big we use five additional host hotels, but the Hyatt will always be the center of Dragon Con."
The Hyatt Regency Atlanta has also served as the headquarters hotel for the Southeastern Conference's football championship game since 1994.
"We see so many familiar faces in all departments [of the hotel] year after year," said Kathryn Poe-Switzer, who joined the SEC staff in 1996 and serves as executive associate to the commissioner. "Those staff members recognize and remember us as well, which makes the Hyatt feel like a home away from home.”
As the game has grown, “our needs have grown, and the Hyatt has always been able to offer creative solutions to improve guest experiences,” added Poe-Switzer.
With 1,260 guestrooms, the Hyatt boasts 180,000 square feet of meeting space and what the Hyatt said is the largest hotel ballroom in Georgia. The hotel is also home to Polaris, the famous skyline Blue Dome, and the city’s first rotating restaurant and lounge.
Each February, the Hyatt recognizes history with its Heritage Celebration. In the last 17 years, the Heritage Celebration has honored Coretta Scott King, Ambassador Andrew Young, Rep. John Lewis, Mayor Shirley Franklin and other Atlanta leaders.
"Hyatt’s purpose is caring for people so they can be their best, and Hyatt Regency Atlanta has worked hard to extend that commitment to our community, from helping establish the Center for Civil and Human Rights to building Habitat Homes, funding Georgia State University scholarships and supporting the Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department, Georgia Aquarium and Atlanta Pride, among many other worthy organizations," McMahon said. "Our hotel just recently celebrated a remarkable 50 years in business on Peachtree Street. We’re committed to being Atlanta’s ‘Hotel of Hope’ for many years to come."
Hyatt Regency Atlanta Named Top 10 Meetings Hotel.
Cvent has ranked Hyatt Regency Atlanta #7 on the 2019 list of Top 100 U.S. Meetings Hotels. This is the 8th year in a row our hotel has been named to Cvent's prestigious list. We are the only Atlanta hotel ranked in the Top 10.
Hyatt Regency Atlanta has 180,000 square feet of meeting space, the most in the Atlanta market, as well as a 30,000 square foot exhibit hall and the largest hotel ballroom in Georgia.
Our hotel is just blocks from Atlanta's Convention Center, arena, top attractions and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which will host the NCAA Men's Final Four in 2020.