Built in 2009 with a design meant to evoke the classic St Regis in New York City, the St Regis Atlanta is considered by many to be one of the best hotels in the city, if not the state. The hotel has been named one of the top 100 properties in the world by Travel + Leisure and I’ve spoken to several folks over the years who considered it to be their favorite Marriott property in the entire Southeast. My wife and I had a chance to experience it a couple of weeks ago before flying out of Atlanta. We left feeling a little underwhelmed.
St Regis Atlanta Bottom Line Review
Trying to give the St Regis Atlanta a straight thumbs up or down is difficult. It’s a beautiful, comfortable hotel, with tapestries, furnishings and design that feel like an old-school luxury property. The food that we were able to try was delicious. But the service was scattered, the location feels like it’s in the middle of a shopping mall and the outdoor pool area leaves much to be desired. In many ways, this is a lovely hotel with a lot of things going for it, just not one that I’d hurry back to, given the cost in points or cash. One thumb Up/One thumb down
- Price: More than most properties, I see a huge variance on the points price here. We used an 85K Bonvoy free night certificate from my wife’s Bonvoy Brilliant card to book the room. The night that we were here, the points price was ~70-75K and cash prices were ~$850. That said, I’ve seen nights as low as ~50K and the hotel often has reduced Pointsaver rates.
- Value: Again, varies tremendously based on nightly rates. The night we were there, it offered decent value at around 1 cent per point, but I see some nights that it craters to around 0.5 cents per point and some nights that its bookable with a 50K cert and offers over 1.5 cents per point.
- Location: Located right in the middle of the Buckhead Village shopping area, it feels a little like being in the middle of a high-end, open-air mall. There are some decent restaurants within walking distance, but it’s hard to escape the shopping center vibe. The view from our windows was of a Whole Foods parking lot. If you have to be in Buckhead, or are there to shop at Buckhead Village, it’s a prime location. There’s just not much character right around the hotel.
- Room: We booked a superior room with one king and were proactively upgraded to a 440sq ft King Deluxe Room with a juliet balcony (interestingly, we were told by the front desk that Platinum members are not entitled to suites, only deluxe rooms). The room was lovely, with opulent decor and plush carpets, comfortably-stuffed chairs and bedding. The juliet balcony was perfect to have open for a glass of wine at the end of the night, despite the noise from the traffic in the street and parking lot below. One issue (that I’ve noticed before at St Regis) was that the in-room “aromatherapy” was powerful to the point of being overwhelming. We’d grow accustomed to it after being in the room for awhile, then be smacked by it again when we’d leave and come back.
- Parking: Valet parking was $62/night. There is street parking right in front of the hotel that was wide open during our stay and is free on Sundays, before 7am and after 8pm. Needless to say, we didn’t pay for the valet.
- Resort/Destination Fee: None.
- Internet: Very good throughout the property.
- Service: Uneven. The front desk agent was friendly, but a little snooty when we asked about available suites. The agent then told us that we didn’t want to have dinner in the St Regis Bar (which I agreed with, but thought was strange). Unfortunately, when we returned later in the night, the bar was closed, despite the posted hours saying it would be open. The breakfast service was slooow, even though there were only a handful of guests while we were there. The food took over an hour to arrive, which we didn’t care about, as we weren’t in a hurry. However, other guests complained to the manager about the wait and about the servers not being on top of follow-ups, which we noticed as well (coffee, water, condiments). Although we had a late checkout, we were visited not once, not twice, but three times by various members of the housekeeping team. When my wife came back from breakfast, the room was being cleaned and there were some translation difficulties, so she had to get me from the gym so I could come up and tell the housekeeper that we weren’t leaving until 2pm. Even with all of the extra attention, we found a (small) stain that looked like dried blood on the sheets. When we let the front desk know as an FYI, they offered a cheerful, “thank you, we’ll give those sheets some extra attention!.”
- Turndown service: Nightly.
- Dining:
- Astor Court: Located in the mezzanine above the lobby, it serves breakfast and lunch only. It’s a lovely, colorful area with some great windows. This is where the elite breakfast is served. You’ll probably use every drop of that $80 credit, but the food is fantastic. Open M-F from 7am-2pm, Sat-Sun until 3:30pm
- Atlas: Very well-regarded fine dining outpost that was the first restaurant in Atlanta to be awarded a Michelin star. It occupies an elegant dining room down the hall from Astor Court and offers both a la carte and tasting menu options. Open Tues-Sat from 5pm-10pm.
- St Regis Bar: Beautiful space with stunning back bar artwork. On Sundays and Monday, this is the only food and beverage outlet in the hotel that serves dinner. Open M-Th, Sun from 2pm-11pm, Fri-Sat until 12am.
- The Garden Room: A slightly more casual cocktail-bar/eatery with stunning interiors. The food and service seem to get mixed reviews. Open Wed-Th from 5pm-11pm, Fri-Sat from 5pm-12am and Sunday from 11am-3:30pm.
- Poolside Piazza: Poolside bar that serves the piazza area seasonally. Despite the 85+ degree temperatures, it wasn’t open when we were there (but no one was in the pool, either). Open (seasonally) from 11am-6pm.
- Spa: As you would expect, there is a beautiful (and very expensive) full-service spa on site with the usual menu of massages and treatments.
- Fitness Room: There is a large fitness center just above the pool piazza on the 7th floor. It’s bright, airy and full of high-quality equipment. Most folks will probably be able to do the same workouts here that they do at home.
- Marriott Platinum Benefits:
- Room Upgrade: We booked a superior room and were proactively upgraded to a ~440 sq ft King Deluxe Room with a juliet balcony. As far as I can tell, the only difference between the two room types is the balcony. There were better rooms available, but the front desk agent said that suites were only available for a cash upgrade and that the deluxe room was the highest category that they were allowed to upgrade Platinum members to.
- Free Breakfast: We were given $80 in credit for breakfast at Astor Court. That was enough for each of us to get one entrée and coffee. The dining room is beautiful and the food was excellent, especially my wife’s over-the-top avocado toast…and I didn’t believe that “over-the-top” could ever be used to describe avocado toast.
- Club Lounge: None.
- Late Checkout: We asked for, and were given, a 2pm checkout.
- Welcome Amenity: A box of four truffles was brought to our room by our butler within an hour of arrival.
- Would I stay again? Probably not. It’s a beautiful hotel, but the location and so-so service would keep me from ever using another 85K cert (or paying 70K+ points) to stay there again. I just don’t think it’s worth it.
Pros
- Beautiful interiors
- Luxurious furnishings
- Breakfast was delicious
- Often available for Pointsavers rates of 50-60K
- Large, excellent fitness area
- Stunning bar
Cons
- Service left something to be desired
- Location will be appealing for some, but is effectively in an open-air shopping village
- No real food options on Sunday and Monday (when we were there)
- Housekeeping seemed a bit overwhelmed
- Although the room features were supposed to controllable via iPad, ours never worked, and no one could figure out why
- Odd, interior pool “piazza” wasn’t terribly attractive
Image Gallery
St Regis Atlanta King Deluxe Room
St Regis Atlanta Restaurants
Astor Court (breakfast)
Atlas
The Garden Room
St Regis Bar
St Regis Atlanta Pool Piazza
St Regis Atlanta Common Areas
St Regis Atlanta Fitness Area
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Hey Tim. Lifelong Atlanta resident here. I’ve stayed here a couple of times. Recently this summer.
The problem isn’t the area you were in. It’s Atlanta. There’s just not much here. Buckhead is pretty boring, as it the rest of the city. Yes, there’s downtown, which at least has World of Coke, the aquarium, and the CFB HOF. Beyond that, there’s nothing worth doing here. I love my city, but it’s true.
I actually do like this property. It isn’t the greatest StR. But it’s nice.
I’ve lived in the metro Atlanta area for most of my adult life. The area around Lenox Square is a horrible place to stay at. I’ve stayed several times for one reason or another and hated it. It used to be nicer but has been overrun by wannabe/pretend high rollers with prices and attitudes to match. Loud cars, music & a lot of cops & crime. Lenox & Phipps to a lesser extent have become more of tourist attractions than anything else. I would stay away. Atlanta has a lot of nicer areas and hotels.
OK – but the Saint Regis isn’t in the Lenox area……
Sorry I was confusing it with the JW Marriott at Lenox. Similar issues at Buckhead Village though. Tip for sightseeing: Nice mansions on W Paces Ferry and surrounding streets.
There are a few good restaurants in Buckhead, but for the most part the really innovative chefs have gone elsewhere in the city. I have paid a lot of money and gotten some good meals in Buckhead, but more often I have paid a lot of money and wished I had gone to Buford Highway where I would have spent 1/5 the amount and gotten a better meal.
So true! Buford Hwy is where I meet friends and family for low-key amazing food.
I have stayed am MANY hotels around the world … I think this hotel is fair at best …
what winery do u own?
Do you remember the first time you visited an airport lounge? Do you remember the first time you had a lay-flat seat on a long-haul flight? Having treated family and friends to the experience, uniformly, their reaction is: “I never knew travel could be like this.” They have the same reaction when they experience a “true” luxury hotel . . . as opposed to a hotel that is simply expensive.
Service is the first pillar of a “true” luxury hotel. There is an ethos the workers either have or don’t have. You can sense it. This ethos drives every aspect of one’s experience (including the condition of the property). This ethos is property-specific and not the brand. And, until one experiences this service ethos at a “true” luxury hotel, one thinks: “Well, this is just the way it is.”
We visited this time last year & applied 70k points + a Suite Upgrade towards a St Regis Suite. HUGE, gorgeous, 2 walk-in closets – well appointed & seemed to belong on the Residences side (but same Whole Foods view as yours).
Their 6 pm champagne saboring is eapecially nice at one of the better SR bars in the system, a real treat to have a cocktail or their specialty bloody mary (theirs uses okra). Chops Lobster Bar is a fantastic meal, basically on-property.
Best hotel in Atlanta in our opinion.
Thank you for the review! Well written and informative.
Thanks for the very comprehensive review. It does sound like you’re being very kind in many of your assessments. Bad upgrades, poor service, housekeeping repeatedly pestering you, pricey, a bad setup to try to get work done. With your review in mind I think I’ll likely stick with the Grand Hyatt Buckhead which has particularly good rates on weekends that work well with Prive benefits.
Excellent review. I live in Buckhead but I avoid the shopping area as much as possible and always tell visitors to Atlanta to stay elsewhere. It is way overpriced and honestly I think is for people with more money than taste. If I was visiting Atlanta I would probably stay in Midtown, which is a lot cooler and is near the excellent restaurants in Westside.
Just to clarify, Atlas was one of the five Atlanta restaurants to receive a Michelin star (all recently awarded, simultaneously, as we just became a Michelin guide city).
We’re kind of irrationally excited about it–especially we Atlanta foodies.
Thanks for clarification. Have you been there?
As an Atlanta native, I have had a couple of business dinners at Atlas but I don’t do staycations so I haven’t stayed here (I’d rather go somewhere frankly). I enjoyed Atlas (the decor and the original art are very nice) but have not paid with my own money because I’m not sure it is deserving of it. In particular, I recall having the burger here which while quite expensive was nothing especially unique or delicious.
Just to clarify, it has been exposed that the Michelin guide is a pay-to-play scheme. It’s executed via a locale’s tourism board. Within the past few years, the Michelin guide “requested” somewhere between $10 – 15 million (equivalent) to keep an area well represented in the guide. The locale refused. Over two-thirds of the restaurants in that locale lost their stars. The locale spilled its guts and a government investigation started.
Another locale that was not represented at all was approached. The price was a similar number. It paid and several restaurants in the area magically appeared in the guide. When it heard of the investigation, it disclosed its own arrangement.
All of these restaurants are certainly good restaurants. But, no one should put too much significance on any restaurant bearing or not bearing a Michelin star.
It’s also pretty clear from just reading what appears in any city’s guide that type of cuisine is heavily influential and Michelin becomes at least twice as interested when a restaurant’s food is Eurocentric with Japanese leanings.
Michelin has historically struggled in regions that don’t adhere neatly, such as how they remain utterly baffled by Los Angeles.