Here are new restaurants, hotels, and a museum suitable for off-site meetings, client entertaining, or even intimate events in and around Atlanta.
Iconic rotating restaurant and lounge Polaris reopened in May as part of the historic Hyatt Regency Atlanta’s $65 million transformation. The reimagined venue sits 22 stories above street level and rotates once every 45 minutes, offering panoramic views of the city. Designed by Atlanta’s own the Johnson Studio, the 5,000-square-foot restaurant includes an open dining room with a communal table, a living-room-esque space, a dramatic bar, and a lobby. The venue is available for private receptions during business hours or can be closed for events at other times. The restaurant seats 93 guests or holds 120 for receptions. Polaris originally opened in 1967.
The newly renovated 68,000-square-foot Delta Flight Museum opened in June at the airline's world headquarters in Atlanta. The museum houses rare aviation items and an aircraft and the only full-motion flight simulator open to the public in the United States. The venue has many event spaces, including a 117-seat theater and 30-seat conference room housed in the fuselage of an L1011. The museum’s courtyard holds 400 for receptions, while the Jet Age Hanger seats 1,200 diners under the wing of Delta’s first Boeing 767, the Spirit of Delta. The Propeller Age Hanger offers seating for as many as 400 guests, where they are surrounded by rare historical planes and aviation artifacts.
In June, Southbound restaurant opened in a historic former Masonic lodge in Chamblee outside Atlanta. Executive chef Ryan Smith serves seasonal Southern cuisine in a space decorated with reclaimed wood and sweeping archways. For a full buyout, the restaurant seats 160 or holds 283 for receptions. Southbound’s upstairs space is often used for private events. It seats 80 or holds 100 for receptions.
In April, Georgia’s first Aloft hotel opened downtown in a building that previously housed the Days Inn Atlanta Downtown. The 254-room Aloft Atlanta Downtown is located within walking distance from the Atlanta convention center and offers meeting rooms with more than 1,688 square feet of space. The hotel’s Exchange meeting room holds 100 guests and can be divided into five separate spaces. Two other meeting spaces, Tactic 1 and Tactic 2, hold 15 guests each. Each meeting room includes audiovisual equipment, free Wi-Fi, natural lighting, a 50-inch flat screen with laptop hookup, and a DVD player. A variety of catering options are also available.
In Buckhead, Smokebelly BBQ offers craft cocktails, live music, and Southern barbecue. The restaurant is available for events of as many as 250 and is available for full buyouts. Later in 2015, the venue will add a speakeasy in the back of the restaurant.
