Notes from the Road: Atlanta

A grand experience

As a corporate events writer, it’s always telling when the hotel you arrive at hosts an event, while you’re there, giving you an in-the-moment visual of how its spaces are being used.

This was my experience at Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead. From the moment I arrived at the property, I saw more than 200 attendees using every space, from the meeting spaces themselves to The Fabled, the restaurant the property added during its renovation last year, and the fitness center.

Updated Spaces to Rest and Gather

Grand Hyatt Atlanta at Buckhead underwent a full overhaul of its property last year, updating its 439 guest rooms, updating and adding additional space to its meetings inventory, adding a 24-hour market and, right across from the market, The Fabled, the property’s cocktail bar and restaurant.

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Formerly The Onyx (named for the property’s onyx flooring and decor), the restaurant offers traditional American food (I tried the bourbon-and-bacon deviled eggs and a double cheeseburger) and seafood (crab cakes and candied-pecan salmon). One convenient detail added during its renovation is a couple of booths across from The Fabled, where attendees can make quick calls without stepping too far away from all the networking and fun.

The property’s more than 42,000 sq. ft. of meeting space covers three floors, from its lower lobby on the first floor (which has a backway entrance so attendees/speakers/planners can head straight to the nearby ballroom without much interference) to its third floor, which has various breakout rooms and the Zen Garden, an outdoor space that pays homage to its beginnings as a Hotel Nikko in the late 90s (this is also where the property’s chef grabs several of its herbs for cocktails and dishes). That same Japanese influence can be seen at the property’s outdoor space at Cassis, a restaurant that sits next to a waterfall and garden.

Experiences In and Out

Grand Hyatt Atlanta is about a 10-minute walk from Buckhead Village, where I was told many celebrities frequent. Here, attendees can visit luxury stores, such as clothing company Alice + Olivia, perfume and candle creator Diptyque and active lifestyle clothing brand Vuori. There’s also a nearby coffee shop, Dancing Goats, that serves all your classic coffees and lattes.

Indoors, The Fabled offers a cocktail-making experience, during which attendees can create their own cocktails (I made two cocktails and one mocktail). Not only is it fun, but it also serves as an educational experience attendees can take home and show off to family, friends and colleagues.

Eat Around

The property’s location in the business district means there are many employees in the region. As a result, the area has a multitude of restaurants and bars, which Grand Hyatt Atlanta visitors greatly benefit from. Various restaurants, such as Bones, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and Knife Modern Mediterranean are just steps away from the property.

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Even closer is a new bar, The Bank Bar, which opened three months ago. For attendees who love to try new cocktails when in new places, the bar’s millionaire cocktail—with bourbon, blueberry, sureau, lemon and glitter foam—was a delicious choice, assuming you don’t mind sporting a glitter mustache.

Cassis serves breakfast dishes and hosts Le Petit Chef on Saturdays, a Hyatt-exclusive experience that takes eaters on an immersive culinary journey with the use of 3D visuals as they try foods from Spain, Italy, Japan and France. Meeting profs’ attendees can experience this for private events.