A project to build an InterContinental Hotel at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport will also include office space that would be steps away from the domestic terminal.
The hotel tract on 10 acres outside the west exit of the domestic terminal just beyond the current shuttle pick-up area will include the 440-room hotel, a conference center and nearly 49,000 square feet of Class A office space, according to airport documents. Also included would be 776 parking spaces.
"For the hotel and the office space within the hotel, it [will be] walkable," said Hartsfield-Jackson spokesman Reese McCranie.
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
The Atlanta City Council approved the project last month, and the airport is in negotiations with developers Majestic Carter Atlanta Mixed Use LLC on a 50-year lease. Due diligence on the project could stretch into next year. It's expected to take three years to complete the hotel construction.
A travel plaza next to the airport with a convenience store, food court, restrooms and restaurant is expected to be completed sooner, with construction to take two years.
In future years, the project would also include a mixed-use development on another tract of airport land.
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said former Atlanta Mayor and U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young "wanted to build a hotel in the [airport] atrium when he was mayor."
"They actually had an agreement to build a Marriott... And it just didn't get done," Reed said. "And so when I visited Charles de Gaulle (airport) in Paris and saw the aerotropolis concept, it really inspired me to push hard to get it done."
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Reed said he wants to make Hartsfield-Jackson into "one of the leading meeting and conference facilities."
"You're going to have more individuals that simply fly into Hartsfield-Jackson, stay on the campus, and then catch a flight out," Reed said.
The plan for an airport hotel has been in the works for more than two years, and approval for the project was delayed after the winning team was selected last year.
"The negotiations are just very complex," Reed said. "There are a number of moving parts," including discussions with airline officials and federal officials on what is permitted in the deal and on the site, along with other issues.
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
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