Atlanta Centers On Conventions

<B> Atlanta Centers On Conventions</B>

By Rowland Stiteler

The June groundbreaking of a $220 million expansion of Atlanta's principal convention center, the Georgia World Congress Center, has raised the level of meeting facility and hotel construction in the metropolitan Atlanta area to more than half a billion dollars.

In addition to the convention center expansion, almost a dozen hotels have either opened as new properties or undergone multimillion dollar renovations in the past few months, according to Karen McNeely, spokesperson for the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau. And a handful of major hotels are undergoing extensive expansions and renovations that will open in the new three months, she said.

The key funding for the World Congress Center expansion came earlier this year when the Georgia Legislature approved $19 million for the first year of debt service on the $220 million expansion budget, which will add about 450,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space to the center.

Dan Graveline, executive director of the World Congress Center, said the expansion, which will be completed in 2002, will enable Atlanta to compete for larger conventions and retain some of those that already meet there regularly. The latter is of particular concern as several repeat conventions have canceled or talked of canceling due to Atlanta's space limitations.

Last fall, for instance, the Super Show, a 100,000-attendee sporting goods trade show that has met in Atlanta for half a decade, announced plans to leave Atlanta after next year's show. Representatives of the show said it was moving to Las Vegas for the years 2001 through 2003 because it needed a bigger facility, but said they would consider a return to Atlanta once the World Congress Center expands. The Super Show was Atlanta's biggest single trade show, but the city still has several 50,000-delegate conventions and trade shows which meet here annually, Graveline noted.

In September, another new public facility that will be an asset to meeting and convention groups, the new Philips Arena, will open in the downtown area. The arena will offer seating for 21,000 attendees for auditorium-style events. The $213 million facility also will offer club suites, available both for sporting events or private group functions.

Adding Hotels To The Mix

Both convention visitors and transient business travelers also have a number of new lodging options opening up in Atlanta, with the completion of several major hotel projects.

The 385-room Wyndham Hotel Downtown, located in a building formerly occupied by the American Motor Hotel, opened in June after a $25 million, top-to-bottom renovation in preparation for the rebranding. The project is the work of Atlanta developer Frank Howington, who also redeveloped the historic Georgian Terrace Hotel. Incidentally, The Georgian Terrace is adding 7,500 square feet of meeting space and a European-style restaurant.

A new, 260-room Holiday Inn recently opened downtown on International Boulevard. The property, owned and operated by Crown American Hotels, is targeting business travelers and offers a conference center that can handle groups of up to 200 attendees.

The 274-room W Atlanta at Perimeter Center recently opened in a building that had been a Sheraton before undergoing more than $7 million in reconstruction. The 12-story property, the second W Atlanta hotel to open in the city, is part of a new chain of boutique hotels targeting business travelers. A centerpiece of the hotel is Savu, an Asian-fusion restaurant.

Another new hotel, the Embassy Suites at Centennial Olympic Park, also opened in June. The 231-room hotel is adjacent to the World Congress Center.

As for other hotel happenings, the former Terrace Garden Hotel is undergoing a multimillion dollar renovation to be completed by the end of this year, and will reopen as the Sheraton Buckhead Hotel. In addition to renovating its existing 360 guest rooms, the hotel will add 10 Corporate Club Rooms, complete with fax machines, multiple dataports and voicemail.

Other major hotel renovations in the city include a $24 million renovation at the former Spirit of Atlanta Hotel, now the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel. The extensive construction project includes the addition of a business center, a lounge and business class guest rooms.

The Ritz-Carlton Atlanta is undergoing an $11 million renovation that will include guest rooms, meeting rooms, retail space and its fitness center. The project is scheduled for completion by September.

Perhaps the most historic of the hotel properties getting new life in the city is the Atlanta Biltmore. Originally opened in 1924 and once one of the city's most prestigious resorts, the Atlanta Biltmore was officially closed in 1980. The 11-story structure recently reopened as an office complex, and its 21,000 square feet of function space, including a ballroom with gilded roses on its 22-ft. high ceilings, have re-opened for functions ranging from receptions and parties to meetings.