Technological advances are often crucial for event planners to have a marketing edge. Here are new and recently renovated Atlanta venues that have stayed on top of upgrades and improved offerings for tech-savvy guests. The hotels, conference centers, restaurants, private rooms, and other spaces can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, conferences, meetings, weddings, business dinners, teambuilding activities, cocktail parties, and more.
Located above the American Cut restaurant, rooftop venue the Regent Cocktail Club, managed by LDV Hospitality, opened in September. The 5,000-square-foot space, which serves craft cocktails, seats 75 or holds 200 for receptions. Available for full buyouts, the venue has charging ports under the bar with USB access. The venue will have a rotating cocktail menu paired with a curated live music program showcasing local artists.
The members-only airport lounge Delta Sky Club opened its flagship location at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport's Concourse B in September. The 25,000-square-foot space, which is located above the concourse, offers views of downtown Atlanta and showcases modern decor and locally-inspired art that includes a Wright Brothers mural from artist Alexi Torres. The 500-seat space is equipped with Wi-Fi and power outlets near every seat. Food and drink options include espresso machines, a wine wall with bottles selected by master sommelier Andrea Robinson, and a new Sky Club menu curated by chef Linton Hopkins.
Renaissance Atlanta Airport Gateway Hotel is slated to open in April 2017 at mixed-use development Gateway Center. The seven-floor hotel will have 196 rooms and eight suites styled in warm, vibrant colors, and is near Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. The hotel will be the first stop of the elevated ATL SkyTrain railway to the airport. The venue has eight rooms offering 10,700 square feet of event space. The largest event space will be the Renaissance Ballroom, which can accommodate 350 people in theater-style seating. The hotel will have a R.E.N. Meetings Expert app that gives control of a meeting space from a smartphone. With the app, users can adjust temperature and lighting, order beverages and food for groups, and manage shipping and copies.
Ponce City Market's rooftop beer garden Nine Mile Station opened in October. Sharing the roof with Skyline Park, the 8,800-square-foot venue from Slater Hospitality serves small plates, sandwiches, and a variety of sausages from a menu helmed by executive chef Jonathan McDowell. The beer garden is the second Atlanta-area venue to have Tock, an online reservation platform that uses a ticketing system in which patrons have to make a deposit in advance to reserve a table. The venue, which is available for private events, seats 75 inside and 100 outside, or holds as many as 400 for receptions. Visitors to Ponce City Market can use the Parkmobile app for parking. For every transaction made through the app, Ponce City Market will donate $1 to the Atlanta Beltline, a sustainable urban redevelopment program for the city.
American Cut, a modern steakhouse chain from chef Marc Forgione and LDV Hospitality, opened at the Shops Buckhead Atlanta in September. The 13,000-square-foot space seats 102 in the main dining room and 52 in a separate bar and lounge available for semiprivate events. For private dinners, the restaurant has two dining rooms that seat 16 and 60 and are equipped with audiovisual capabilities for presentations. The restaurant also offers a variety of special event menus. According to Business Insider, LDV Hospitality uses the SevenRooms app as a system to keep track of repeat customers' preferences and spending habits at LDV Hospitality venues such as American Cut.
Formerly Double Zero Napoletana, Castellucci Hospitality Group rebranded the Italian concept as Double Zero, which opened in Emory Village in September. Chef Edwin Molina's menu was changed to offer both large, family-style dishes and small plates. The space's new, modern interior—which features neon signage and murals created by local street artist Greg Mike—was designed by architecture firm Ai3. The 7,000-square-foot restaurant seats 250 and is available for full buyouts for private events. The restaurant also offers audiovisual equipment for presentations. Double Zero offers the ability for people to place orders online through Bring Me That's website and app.
Scofflaw Brewing Company opened its brewery space in September in the Bolton neighborhood. Helmed by Matt Shirah and Travis Herman, the brewery so far offers four types of original craft beers brewers onsite. The venue spans 18,400 square feet, which includes a 2,200-square-foot tasting room that can hold as many as 200 for receptions. A seating area is available where guests can watch as state-of-the-art machines make the beer. The venue uses CIP (clean-in-place) fermentors. The parking lot is also available for events with a standing capacity of 500.
Fairfield Inn & Suites Atlanta Stockbridge is slated to open in January. The hotel, which will offer video review billing and video checkout, is four floors and will have 41 rooms and 51 suites. For meetings and events, the hotel will have a 2,900-square-foot room that can hold 300 for receptions. The hotel also will offer mobile check-in and free Wi-Fi.
Georgia Beer Garden soft-opened in Sweet Auburn in October. Along with beer, the three-floor venue serves Southern-inspired takes on classic German beer garden fare. The 4,500-square-foot space has a seated capacity of 300, and its upper floor, which has large-screen TVs, can host private events for as many as 100 reception-style. For tech-using customers, the bar areas have electrical outlets for guests to operate or charge their devices.
Seafood concept Tin Can Fish House & Oyster Bar opened in August at CityWalk Sand Springs. The restaurant's interior is reminiscent of a waterfront cafe, with decor including copper fish on ocean-shaded walls and wooden fish strung along a fence next to the entrance. The 1,200-square-foot space seats 30 inside and 24 on an outdoor patio. The space will be available for private events. Tin Can Fish House & Oyster Bar is affiliated with GiftRocket to offer electronic gift cards for the restaurant that are purchased and redeemed online.
