The property formerly known as the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, rebranded as the Whitley in December. Owned by Host Hotels and Resorts, the hotel has 507 rooms, including 56 suites. For meetings and events, the property has 31 event spaces that amount to 30,000 square feet. Event spaces include the Whitley Ballroom, which holds 1,000 guests for receptions, the Legacy Ballroom, which seats 400 guests theater-style, and the Plaza Ballroom, which holds 250 guests for receptions.
Atlanta Marriott Alpharetta completed its $2.6 million renovation in December. The renovation included a new open lobby concept, revamped meeting spaces, and a new first floor with a business center. The hotel offers 13 flexible meeting and event spaces, the largest being the Magnolia Ballroom that seats as many as 800 theater-style. The renovation also included a redesigned, renamed Southern restaurant 19 North, which seats 120 guests.
The Painted Duck, a duckpin bowling venue, opened in at the Stockyards Atlanta development in December. The basement space, which takes design inspiration from a cavernous ruin and a hunting lodge, has 16 bowling lanes, along with a 50-foot mural depicting ducks, wildlife, and nature created by artist Todd Murphy. The 26,000-square-foot venue is available for buyouts and holds as many as 550 people standing; it can also accommodate semiprivate events for 150 guests.
The official hotel of the Atlanta Braves, Omni Hotel at the Battery Atlanta opened in January. The 264-room hotel includes 28 suites, a South End Trading Company gift shop, and fifth-floor pool deck. Dining options include American concept 582 Waterside Lounge & Bar and chef Hugh Acheson’s restaurant Achie’s, a Southern-inspired concept that seats 136 guests and includes a 24-seat private dining room. The hotel has more than 20,000 square feet of meeting and event space, which includes the Battery Ballroom that seats 570 theater-style.
Genuine Pizza, a casual pizza restaurant from Miami-based James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz, opened its first Atlanta location in January. Along with classic pies, the restaurant offers inventive dishes including a short rib pizza and polenta fries with spicy ketchup. The 2,829-square-foot restaurant seats 64 guests in the main dining room and 36 guests at an outdoor dining area. For private meetings and events, the space has a private dining room that seats eight guests.
The White Bull, a farm-forward American restaurant that serves seasonal dishes made exclusively with Georgia ingredients, opened in Decatur in March. The restaurant, which is owned by executive chef Pasquale “Pat” Pascarella and partner Gabriele Besozzi, gets its name from novelist Ernest Hemingway’s name for a blank piece of paper. The name also serves as inspiration for the venue’s design, which features a neutral color palette. The menu includes vegetable-focused dishes and pasta made with flour stone-ground in house. Available for semiprivate events, the 3,250-square-foot restaurant seats 100 guests or holds as many as 120 for receptions.
Chai Yo, an upscale Thai restaurant from chef DeeDee Niyomkul, opened in Buckhead in January. The restaurant serves modern takes on classic Thai dishes and also has a Thai-inspired cocktail menu created by Timothy Faulkner. The 3,300-square-foot restaurant seats 90 in the main dining room and 10 at a private chef’s table.
Golden Eagle opened in the same building as its sister restaurant Muchacho at the end of October. Owned by Michael Lennox and designed by Elizabeth Ingram Studio, the Reynoldstown restaurant takes design inspiration from mid-century lobby bars and American Legion halls, offering design and furniture elements such as velvet seating, a U-shape bar, and red plaid carpet. The American tavern specializes in mid-20th century classic dishes and cocktails. The 6,500-square-foot venue seats 70 guests inside, or 200 combined with its outdoor patio. Overall, the venue can hold as many as 300 guests standing, and is available for buyouts.
Pho Dai Viet Restaurant, a Vietnamese restaurant from the owners of the three Pho Dai Loi locations in Atlanta, has opened at Chastain Square in Buckhead. The restaurant serves Vietnamese staples including pho and bánh mìs. The 3,200-square-foot space holds as many as 120 guests reception-style and is available for private events.
