Perhaps the second time will be the charm for a Hard Rock Hotel near downtown Atlanta.
Hard Rock International and a development group announced plans this week for a 220-room hotel near the new Atlanta Falcons stadium in the Castleberry Hill neighborhood.
The hotel would be part of the Castleberry Park project by developer Bolton Atlanta LP.
“The area’s energetic atmosphere and history of embracing artistic endeavors aligns well with the Hard Rock Hotel product and we’re sure the upcoming property will quickly become the go-to entertainment and leisure destination,” Bolton general manager Frank Chen said in a release.
The hotel is expected to include a Rock Spa with “music-infused spa treatments,” live music and the chain’s characteristic rock memorabilia. The hotel also will feature its own Hard Rock Café.
Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International, also mentioned the plan during testimony Monday before a legislative hearing on casinos in Savannah. He spoke on behalf of gambling but said the new Hard Rock Hotel will come to Atlanta whether casinos are approved or not.
A previous attempt by a different development firm to build a Hard Rock Hotel downtown near Centennial Olympic Park fizzled amid the recession. But development interest in the city’s core has rebounded.
Mayor Kasim Reed and the Hawks confirmed talks last month about a deal to renovate the Philips Arena that would keep the team downtown. Reed called it a $150 million to $250 million project that might, among other things, undo the wall of suites that is out of fashion in the NBA.
At the time he also hinted at $500 million to $1 billion in new development in the pipeline around the Philips Arena area, which would appear to include this new Hard Rock Hotel. Separately, the Georgia World Congress Center is trying to identify developers for a hotel on the convention center campus.
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