Midtown has gotten a new hotel. The Darwin Hotel is now open for the holiday season and just in time for a city that greets thousands of visitors every Christmas and New Years.
The 111-room hotel joins a number of boutique and upper midscale hospitality properties in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. Proximity to the Atlanta Beltline and Ponce City Market are attractions that continue to lead developers and hoteliers to build in the area.
Of the 111 rooms, with rates starting at $169-per-night, there are 16 suites, which start at $269-per-night. Half of the suites are of the specialty themed variety and include a library room, glam night out room (for bachelor and bachelorette parties, for example), a bunk bed room and the Y’allywood Room, the hotel brand’s nod to cinephiles with a popcorn machine, large TV with surround sound, and movie theater ambiance provided by specific lighting.
The hotel officially opened Monday, December 12. According to owner Shyam Patel and general manager Alfonce McKinney III there have already been 160-plus room nights booked. “It has been pretty fun and an encouraging experience,” said McKinney, who has managed hotels in Charleston and Savannah. The Darwin Hotel is his first time managing an independent property.
The property was purchased in 2016, with construction having been handled by S&A Industries, Inc., a Suwanee-based hospitality renovation company and interior design by C+TC Design Studio, an Atlanta-based design group that specializes in hospitality properties.
The fact that the building was previously a hospitality property -a Stratford Inn and later a Red Roof Inn (139 rooms)- did nothing to help with the construction, design concepts and decor. The Darwin Hotel will pay homage to the Old Fourth Ward’s old school neighborhood feel, according to Patel. “This neighborhood would appreciate what Atlanta is all about and I appreciated renovating this hotel,” he told The Atlanta Voice by phone Tuesday night.
There is a central courtyard, an on-site dog park and the option to rent electric bikes.