Officials with the Georgia World Congress Center and Hilton on Tuesday celebrated a milestone in construction of the new Signia hotel next to the downtown Atlanta convention center.
Vertical construction is now complete, and crews are turning their attention to finishing out the inside of the hotel in time for a planned opening at the beginning of next year. Here are five things to know about the huge new luxury hotel:
1. Tallest new hotel downtown since the 1980s
The Signia by Hilton Atlanta is a 42-story glass tower that’s the tallest hotel to be built in downtown Atlanta since the Marriott Marquis opened in 1985.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
2. Nearly 1,000 guest rooms
The hotel will offer 976 guest rooms and suites, making it the sixth-largest hotel in the city by room-count when it opens. The Signia will also feature some 100,000 square feet of meeting space a total of five food and beverage concepts.
Credit: Gensler
Credit: Gensler
3. Georgia Dome foundation
The Signia is rising on part of the old foundation of the Georgia Dome. The former home of the Atlanta Falcons was imploded in 2017. Modifications were made to the base of the old dome to accommodate construction of the new hotel, officials said.
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
4. Public support
The GWCC, which is owned and operated by a state authority, started planning for the hotel in 2015. Rival convention centers in cities like Chicago and Dallas have attached hotels, and a hotel was seen as vital for competitive reasons. The GWCC issued some $450 million in revenue bonds to finance the hotel and invested $55 million in the project. Hilton also contributed $25 million once it agreed to manage the hotel’s operations.
Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC
Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC
5. Business travel forecasted to rebound
The COVID-19 pandemic decimated travel globally, but the Signia is slated to open Jan. 4 at the start of what is expected to be a big year for Atlanta’s convention industry. Hilton is already booking groups for the hotel’s Jan. 4 opening. GWCC Executive Director Frank Poe said the International Production and Processing Expo, which usually draws about 28,000 attendees, will be the first large convention to use the new hotel.
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
