Downtown / Peachtree Street

The Candler Hotel Atlanta, Curio Collection by Hilton

★★★★★

The Candler Hotel occupies one of the most remarkable buildings in Atlanta: the Candler Building at 127 Peachtree Street, a seventeen-story Beaux-Arts tower completed in 1906 for Asa Griggs Candler, the businessman who turned Coca-Cola into a national brand. When it opened it was the tallest building in the city, and it is still one of the most ornate, clad in white Georgia marble and covered with carved details — portrait medallions, animals, figures and symbols — inside and out. The lobby's marble staircase, with carved balusters and a bronze and stone balustrade, is among the finest historic interiors in the South. After more than a century as offices, the building was converted into a hotel, opening in 2019 as part of Hilton's Curio Collection, and the restoration kept its grandeur while adding comfortable modern rooms. Room types include kings with city views, double queens, suites and accessible rooms, with tall windows, classic furnishings and marble bathrooms. The restaurant, By George, serves coffee and pastries in the morning and contemporary American food, wine and cocktails at lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, in a handsome room off the lobby. There is a fitness center and meeting space, and pets are welcome for a fee. The hotel is a preferred hotel of the Georgia Aquarium, with packages that include tickets. The location, in the historic core of downtown near Woodruff Park and Five Points, is walkable to Centennial Olympic Park and the aquarium district, about fifteen minutes on foot, and close to the Peachtree Center MARTA station. Parking is valet only and expensive, and the surrounding blocks are quiet at night.

Asa Candler built the tower as a statement of Atlanta's ambitions and his own, and its carved decoration includes tributes to artists, writers and figures he admired, as well as his parents. The building has been an Atlanta landmark ever since, standing near the corner of Peachtree and Houston Street (now John Wesley Dobbs Avenue), and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its conversion into a hotel was one of the most admired restoration projects downtown in recent years.

To stay well, request a higher-floor room with a city view; the windows in this building are generous, and the views along Peachtree are good. Spend time in the lobby and on the staircase, which are as much a reason to stay as the rooms. Book a table at By George for a relaxed dinner or weekend brunch. If you are planning to visit the aquarium, ask about the hotel's packages, which can include tickets.

As a base, the Candler suits first-timers who want to walk to the downtown attractions, history-minded travelers and couples who prefer character over chain anonymity. Centennial Olympic Park, the aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola and the Civil and Human Rights center are within a walk, the MLK National Historical Park is a short streetcar ride east, and MARTA connects to Midtown and the airport. Downtown is quieter than Midtown at night, so plan dinners nearby or a short ride away. Drivers should budget for valet.