Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta Review

Overview: What is Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta?

The Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta opened in March 1997 in the lower 19 floors of the GLG Grand, a 53-story, 609-foot Art Deco-inspired tower designed by the Atlanta firm Rabun Hogan Ota Rasche Architects (now Rabun Architects) and built by Beers Construction. The tower was Atlanta's first mixed-use skyscraper, combining hotel, condos, and offices in a single building, and it remains the city's 11th-tallest. Its developer, the Swedish billionaire G. Lars Gullstedt (1935-2015), had announced an ambitious 11-block "GLG Park Plaza" megaproject in Midtown in 1991, but his Swedish banks pulled support during construction and the building opened in 1992 to a depressed real estate market. The hotel was originally called the GLG Grand Hotel, then briefly the Occidental Grand, before becoming the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta in March 1997 — the first Five-Star hotel in Midtown Atlanta. The hotel's interiors were designed by the Atlanta office of Hirsch Bedner Associates, the same firm responsible for the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore. The building has been owned by Bill Gates' Cascade Investment since 2013 (it was previously owned by Host Hotels & Resorts from 1998 to 2013). Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta has held the AAA Five Diamond rating continuously since 1999 — Atlanta's only hotel with that distinction.

Where is Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta? Location and access

The hotel sits at 75 14th Street NE in Midtown Atlanta, one block west of Peachtree Street. The High Museum of Art (a Renzo Piano-expanded landmark of the Atlanta Arts District) is half a mile away; Piedmont Park and the Atlanta Botanical Garden are within a 15-minute walk; the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff Arts Center are three blocks away. MARTA Arts Center Station is 0.2 miles from the front door, and MARTA Midtown Station is 0.4 miles south. Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena are about 10 minutes by car. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (the busiest airport in the world) is 15 to 20 minutes south by car or a direct MARTA ride. The location is a deliberate alternative to the older luxury cluster around Buckhead, which sits about 15 minutes north — Midtown gives more pedestrian access to museums, parks, and restaurants, while Buckhead concentrates malls and corporate offices.

Nearby landmarks

• High Museum of Art
• Woodruff Arts Center
• Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
• Piedmont Park
• Atlanta Botanical Garden
• Fox Theatre
• Mercedes-Benz Stadium
• State Farm Arena
• MARTA Arts Center Station (0.2 miles)
• MARTA Midtown Station (0.4 miles)
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Center for Civil and Human Rights
• Georgia Aquarium
• World of Coca-Cola
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Rooms at Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta

The 244 guest rooms include 18 suites, all featuring wall-to-wall windows that frame the Midtown Atlanta skyline. Recent room categories have moved toward residential-style design with soothing greys and bold pops of color and a curated art collection in the new suites; the classic rooms keep richer earth tones in line with the original Hirsch Bedner aesthetic. Every room has a sitting area with writing desk, complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi, and a full marble bathroom with a deep bathtub and a separate glass-enclosed shower. The top-floor suites feature elegant marble foyers and residential-style entertaining space. Higher-floor rooms put guests above most surrounding buildings — the Bank of America Plaza, One Atlantic Center, and the rest of the Midtown skyline are all visible from upper rooms on the right side.

Service and staff

Standard Four Seasons service model. The hotel has held the AAA Five Diamond rating continuously since 1999. Concierge handles dining reservations, MARTA cards, theme tickets to the Fox Theatre and Alliance Theatre, and stadium access for Mercedes-Benz Stadium events. The doormen, valets, and lobby team get strong reviews; some recent guests have noted that overall service can be slightly less consistent than at flagship Four Seasons properties (the Forbes Travel Guide rating dropped from Five-Star to Four-Star in 2020), so the hotel reads as a strong four-and-a-half-star experience rather than a competitor to the brand's newest North American flagships. In-room dining runs 24 hours.

Amenities at Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta

A full-service spa with body treatments, massage, and reflexology; an indoor saline lap pool with sun loungers in a daylit atrium space; a sauna, steam room, and hot tub; and a 24-hour modern health club with cardiovascular equipment, free weights, and ample machines. The Spa's women's locker room includes a sauna and showers separate from the men's. Meeting and event space includes a series of mid-sized ballrooms and boardrooms suited to corporate gatherings and weddings — the hotel is the AAA Five Diamond default for Midtown corporate events. Valet parking is available; the surrounding Midtown grid also offers easy on-street and garage access. Pet-friendly within Four Seasons brand standards.

Full amenity list

• Indoor saline lap pool
• Full-service spa with massage and reflexology
• Sauna, steam room, and hot tub
• 24-hour modern fitness center
• Mezzanine cocktail bar (Bar Margot)
• Modern French restaurant (Brasserie Margot)
• Weekend Afternoon Tea service
• 24-hour in-room dining
• Atrium bridge breakfast
• Concierge desk
• Valet parking
• Meeting and event space
• Pet-friendly
• Free Wi-Fi throughout

Food and drink

The dining program centers on two Margot-branded venues. Bar Margot, on the mezzanine level, opened in 2015 as a collaboration between Four Seasons Atlanta and Atlanta restaurateur Ford Fry, and is now led by Executive Chef Axel Torres (Certified Executive Chef designation) and Chef de Cuisine Christophe Truchet, whose classical French training includes Michelin-starred kitchens. Bar Margot is a serious cocktail-and-small-plates room with a nationally noted craft cocktail program (originally curated by Paul Calvert and Greg Best); signatures include the Margot Smash Burger with double patties, bacon, and Thousand Island, plus Georgia Shrimp & Grits in Cajun cream, a late-night Hanger Steak with chimichurri, and Four Seasons Deviled Eggs with piment d'Espelette. A DJ performs Friday and Saturday from 8:00 p.m. to midnight. Brasserie Margot, opened more recently next door, is the modern French dining room — bone-in Côtes de Boeuf, a 40-ounce Porterhouse carved tableside with trio sauces, classic French pâtés, duck confit, and a weekend Afternoon Tea service Saturdays and Sundays 12 to 4 p.m. with custom-sourced Jing teas. Both venues face 14th Street and operate as proper destinations for Atlanta locals as well as hotel guests.

Design and architecture

The GLG Grand is an Art Deco-inspired Midtown tower with a Neoclassical facade in rose granite and marble — a deliberately conservative envelope from a building that opened in 1992 already styled to feel older. Inside, the 1997 Hirsch Bedner interiors lean traditional, with a vaulted marble ceiling in the lobby, classical chandeliers, and a curving staircase to the mezzanine. Recent renovations have moved the public spaces and newer suites toward calmer residential-style design with greys and curated contemporary art, while the classic rooms retain warmer earth-tone palettes. The atrium bridge — used for breakfast service — is one of the genuinely distinctive interior moments, and the indoor pool sits beneath natural light from a large clerestory. The vibe is "established luxury" rather than "design-forward boutique" — appropriate for a property whose competitive set in Atlanta is the Ritz-Carlton, the St. Regis Buckhead, and the Mandarin Oriental.

Fun facts about Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta

• The GLG Grand building is named for its Swedish developer G. Lars Gullstedt (1935-2015), who in 1991 proposed an ambitious 11-block "GLG Park Plaza" megaproject in Midtown but went bankrupt in Sweden mid-construction.
• It was Atlanta's first mixed-use skyscraper — the first to combine hotel, condos, and offices in a single high-rise.
• The hotel was originally the GLG Grand Hotel, then briefly the Occidental Grand, before becoming Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta in March 1997.
• The interiors were designed by the Atlanta office of Hirsch Bedner Associates — the same firm that designed The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore.
• The Four Seasons portion of the building is owned by Bill Gates' Cascade Investment (since 2013).
• The 53-story tower's exterior was designed by Joe Rabun, an Atlanta architect raised in Mobile, Alabama who attended Auburn University and later went on to design the St. Regis Buckhead.
• Bar Margot opened in 2015 as a collaboration between Four Seasons and chef Ford Fry, with the original cocktail program by Paul Calvert and Greg Best — two of the most influential bartenders in Atlanta.
• The hotel's AAA Five Diamond rating has been continuous since 1999, making it the longest-tenured Five Diamond hotel in Atlanta.