54 Peachtree Street has been a Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel and Suites, an Atlanta Underground Suites Hotel and, most recently, Underground Place, a dorm catering to students from surrounding universities.
What it's never been is a runaway success.
While hotels change brands from time to time, hospitality leaders said it's unusual to have as much turnover as the property has had since its inception in 1996, when the five-story office building was transformed into a hotel with the addition of 11 new floors.
Comfort Suites Downtown Convention Center is hoping to reverse that trend. The 156-suite hotel officially opened in the building, which is next to Underground Atlanta and across from the Five Points MARTA Station, almost two weeks ago.
The building's biggest challenge has been in its location, said Mark Woodworth, president of Colliers PKF Hospitality Research. The city's attractions have moved away from the traditional center along Peachtree Street to the area around Centennial Olympic Park.
The area around Underground also is perceived as being unsafe, an issue that has dogged revitalization efforts there, hospitality leaders said.
Georgia State University School of Hospitality Director Debbie Cannon said quality at the last hotel slipped so badly that it lost customers.
Comfort Suites general manager Daymion Smith said he is aware of the past issues and is addressing them with open eyes.
"I would be a complete liar and a fraud if I didn't acknowledge that challenge," he said.
For instance, few hotels have to install "No Loitering" signs.
"We don't get that element walking in off the street that we thought we would," he said. "A lot of what we get, in this economy, is people walking in and asking if we have a job. Who are we to deny that?"
The hotel underwent more than $1.2 million in renovations, including new carpeting, furniture, bathroom fixtures and a reworking of its 1,500-square-feet of meeting space.
The staff also has forged relationships with the community. They held a food drive to collect goods for the less fortunate prior to opening. During the renovations, they forged a strong relationship with Atlanta police, who often stopped in for coffee.
In addition, Underground's staff and businesses, as well as Georgia State leaders and students have lent a hand to help the hotel create its own path.
There are signs it is paying off. The hotel was booked 80 percent New Year's Eve, Smith said.
"People want this hotel to be successful in this community," he said.
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