One of downtown’s landmark hotels is reintroducing itself to the city with a new name, a roster of Atlanta-centric suites and hundreds of refreshed rooms.
The Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park — attached to the complex long-known as CNN Center — is ditching the CNN name from its moniker, reflecting the cable news channel’s recent departure from its longtime downtown home. The Omni also unveiled last week some 600 refreshed guest rooms and suites as part of $15 million in renovations.
The hotel has launched several suites themed after Atlanta icons, including Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium and the College Football Hall of Fame.
Credit: ANDY SHARP / AJC FILE
Credit: ANDY SHARP / AJC FILE
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
The downtown Omni has more than 1,000 rooms across two towers and is one of Atlanta’s best-known convention hotels, steps away from the Georgia World Congress Center and other downtown attractions.
The Omni rebranded after CNN vacated its longtime downtown hub last year, consolidating its Atlanta operations at a new Midtown campus. The media company’s former home was renamed to “The Center” last month, and Omni Atlanta General Manager Ramon Reyes said his hotel had to change with the times.
“(CNN’s) time here came to an end as they transitioned over to their other building,” Reyes said. “For us, it was an opportunity to say, ‘OK, how do we transition? How do we evolve as this entire market evolves?”
It’s not the first time the landmark hotel and its attached buildings have undergone widespread change. At one point, the entire complex was named after Omni.
Famed Atlanta real estate giant Tom Cousins developed the Omni Coliseum in 1972, which hosted the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Flames until it was demolished in 1997 and replaced by what it now known as State Farm Arena. The coliseum was the anchor of the Omni Complex, which included the hotel, swaths of office space, a huge atrium and a short-lived theme park.
The offices were largely empty until CNN opened its headquarters there in 1987, shifting the complex’s identity for the following decades. In a post-CNN environment, Reyes said it made sense to tie the hotel’s identity to one of Atlanta’s other defining events: the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.
Centennial Olympic Park is at the hotel’s doorstep, and the nearby $5 billion Centennial Yards project, the mixed-use destination over downtown’s Gulch, is also gaining traction.
The Omni ranks as Atlanta’s fifth largest hotel. Its two towers are separated by Andrew Young International Boulevard but connected by a skybridge.
In 2018, the Omni launched a $12 million renovation of its South Tower that resulted in refreshed rooms, new elevators, escalators and four restaurants. Reyes said the North Tower’s refresh was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which stymied business travel and tourism.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
“It just wasn’t the right time,” he said. “So this is us picking back up on that cycle of renovation.”
Hotel management showed off the refreshed 28th floor Thursday, including rooms that were completely refurnished and redecorated. In addition to the themed suites, the hotel also launched three “Legacy Suites” that act as living testaments to the Omni’s history in Atlanta.
“As you walk through our hotels, you’ll know what city you’re in,” Reyes said. “Our design embodies the warmth of our city and the warmth of our service as well, but there’s also nods throughout our renovation to the Fox Theatre, Centennial Olympic Park across the street and the Olympics as a whole.”
Four years after the onset of COVID-19, the hospitality industry is still in recovery mode. Tourism and convention travel have rebounded, and downtown Atlanta added another convention hotel to its roster: the Signia by Hilton hotel at the Georgia World Congress Center.
Business travel still lags pre-pandemic levels, Reyes said, but he said there’s signs that is starting to change.
“(Business travel) has not yet bounced back to the level that it was before, but is it stronger than it was last year,” he said. “… So every year, it’s been getting better.”
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