The Westin Peachtree Plaza towers over downtown Atlanta like a big disco ball that took too many vitamins. From Peachtree Street, it has a surprisingly subdued presence. You will almost have to look for the entrance, as it isn't readily apparent from the sidewalk.

A Brief History

Irrepressible developer John Portman built this hotel in 1976 as part of the enormous Peachtree Center, a vast shopping-hotel-merchandise mart complex. The hotel was sold to Westin a few years ago when Portman divested himself of all his assets. When built, the 73 storied structure was the tallest in Atlanta and the tallest hotel in the world. It has since been surpassed in both positions by others, but retains its place among the world's tallest hotels and remains a major landmark of Atlanta.

The style is typical of Portman, whose penchant for reflective surfaces, scenic elevators and floating lobbies made his hotels the most sensational American hotels of the 1970's. Flash and glitter count most with Portman, though his style is distinctively his own.

Lobby

The lobby still looks like a federal correctional institution, with its cold walls of gray, unrelenting concrete. Fortunately, the place has been given life and direction through relatively recent renovations. No longer do weird pods of concrete loom over you like lily pads gone loopy, and the lobby lake has been drained. The entrance from Peachtree Street has been given a makeover with sleek wood paneling, but the main lobby is still rather cold. A large branch of Starbuck's fills much of the former retail space.

Registration was handled efficiently, but I had to wait for hours to get my room. I had arrived early, so this wasn't really their fault. The desk clerk even found me in the business center and handed me my room keys. I was impressed with this small gesture.

Rooms

My room, 6518, was on the 65th floor (the highest I've had so far at any hotel), one of the Starwood Preferred Guest floors (whatever that really means). The rooms are not exceptionally large, but those on the higher floors do have exceptional views. The best thing about this room was the Heavenly Bed, a Starwood gimmick, but a good one. This bed was really comfortable. I had no trouble drifting off to sleep (although the hornitos before bed might have had something to do with the easy slumber). As for the rest of the room, the furniture was in a modern style with dark wood and might have looked good four years ago. As it was, the furniture had scuffs and scrapes. The mini-bar cabinet looked as though it had been attacked by a fraternity.

The kidney shaped desk had been outfitted with extra ports for computers, and the work surface was sufficient. There was a wooden swivel chair at the desk which was almost comfortable. Still, the folder of hotel information contained no writing paper or post cards. I suppose people don't write letters anymore. The sapphire blue love seat in the corner sported the suspicious white stains I had read all about on TripAdvisor. Yes, they really do have ugly white stains. I wondered if Bill and Monica might have had this room....

The air conditioning system gurgled noisily throughout my stay. Turning it off wasn't an option. Overall, the room was tired, though it was obvious that it had been renovated within the last three years. This hotel sees lots of traffic, so things tend to wear out quickly.

Bath

I was even less impressed with the bathroom. The brown tiles suggested the 1970's again, as did the older plumbing fixtures. The shower had been outfitted with Westin's trademark Heavenly Shower, which was not bad at all. I liked the multiple shower heads and the curved curtain rod. Aside from these features, there were standard towels, fairly standard Westin bath amenities and no bathrobes. All of this in a space no larger than the galley of a small boat.

Dining

In violation of one of my standard rules of travel, I took the express elevator to the Sun Dial for lunch. Be warned that they will charge you $5.00 to take this elevator if you are not a guest of the hotel. It seems cheap, but I suppose they do this to discourage non-guests from using it too much.

The place was jumping that day, but I did get a table at the window. The restaurant does have a revolving platform on which most tables are located. The menu features a few main courses, but was mostly sandwiches. After seeing the lumpish gray steak one unfortunate guest was served, I settled upon a simple chicken pesto sandwich. The Vidalia onion cream soup was the best thing of the day.

Each revolution takes about forty minutes, so you should at least get a good view of the city from your perch. Stone and Kennesaw Mountains are the most prominent features of the landscape.

In the morning, I tried the Cafe for breakfast. The room is mostly undistinguished, but the long hallway of dark, polished wood and billowing white curtains suggested Philippe Starck on a budget. Not a bad design, but one that has not been carried through to the rest of the room, still gloomily subterranean.

The servers were friendly enough, but it took them a while to find me. I eventually just got up and helped myself to the buffet. Big mistake. if the eggs at the Georgian Terrace buffet were unremarkable, these were awful. Imagine Styrofoam and bright orange American cheese left to fester under a heat lamp for hours and you may get an idea. I soon found the omelet station and had a fresh omelet in no time at all. The breakfast buffet was $14.75.

Bar

I didn't try the lobby bar, which looked as though it might have had a recent renovation. Instead, I made my way to the very top for drinks. This level doesn't revolve, by the way. The drinks are expensive too.

Pool and Recreation

To get to the pool, take the elevator to the ninth floor and follow the signs past the meeting rooms. This was vaguely unsettling, and you may want to know that there are no proper locker rooms either. A half-hearted attempt at renovating the small rest room with a hair dryer and razors does not make a real changing room.

To actually reach the pool, you have to go up another set of stairs to the indoor pool. The curved glass ceiling reminded me of the modernist pool at the Haddon Hall (Resorts International) in Atlantic City. A sun deck is adjacent, though there are no saunas or steam rooms.

The fitness room on the ninth floor had reasonably good equipment, but it was extremely busy at all times. The only grace notes were the large bowls of fruit set out at intervals.

Service

This is a convention hotel with 1068 rooms, and there's no denying it. Expect long lines and having to wait for your room to be ready. To balance this, you may receive the friendly service I received at all times at the front desk (when I finally got there). Indifference comes naturally at such a vast place, so don't go with great expectations and you may not come away feeling disappointed.

The concierge was helpful, though her services were too often required at the under-staffed front desk.

Cost

That sinking sense of having been had will be softened considerably if you are able to get a cheap room here through Priceline or one of the other discounters. Don't count on it, because this place is nearly always busy. You may have your best shot at a discount of weekends. I paid $209.00 for a standard room. They will try to upgrade you to a higher floor if you ask, but the suites on floors 66-70 are mostly off limits to those who aren't meeting and convention planners. In short, do a little planning beforehand, if you can.

Getting There

The hotel is half a block from the Peachtree Center station on the MARTA line. You can get to the airport cheaply and efficiently this way (only $1.90). The trains are also a good way to get about the city, but they don't go everywhere.

The Westin Peachtree Plaza

210 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30303


Tel. 404-659-1400

FAX 404-589-7424


Toll Free 800-228-3000 (Westin reservations)


This is part of the Great Hotel Write-Off 2004, sponsored by Jdhauer and Quasar. To see the list of participants, go to the web page at

http://www.angelfire.com/trek/greathotel2004/






Recommended: Yes