Back in 2019 Hilton announced a new upscale brand called Signia by Hilton. Currently the first property has opened as a rebrand of an existing full-service Hilton in Orlando Florida. Meanwhile in Atlanta, developers have been working around the clock to construct Signia’s first new build property, Signia by Hilton Atlanta Georgia World Congress Center. It is one of Atlanta’s latest and largest developments to occur the past 40 years. The property officially began welcoming guests on January 10, 2023. We will be exploring the many vast areas of the property as well as staying the night, seeing how Hilton’s newest brand fares in the ever so competitive hospitality market.
Check In
The Signia by Hilton Atlanta is within easy walking distance from downtown Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park. Walking from street level from Centennial Olympic park brought us to the fourth-floor entrance. Located here are the restaurants and pool area. Getting to the lobby involved a walk through the restaurant and a quick elevator ride down to the lobby. The large lobby space is warm and welcoming, with tons of seating featuring various layouts. The front desk was able to check us in, provide a room key and transport luggage without much fuss. Many staff are still training on site, which is not uncommon for new property openings. All the staff during the check-in process were personable yet professional. Everyone appeared excited for the new opening.
Room
The room booked is a standard room overlooking the stadium. As expected, the furnishings were in tip top shape. Immediately upon entering is a small storage area, coffee / tea machine and the expansive bathroom. The shower in the bathroom offers plenty of space, along with the sink area. Between the queen beds is a small nightstand. In the bathroom area, a loud whistling noise was heard from one of the bathroom vents. After calling the front desk, they advised engineering would come to the room and investigate the issue. Nearly an hour later, no staff came to the room. After another call with the front desk, they gave the option to switch to a room on another floor. While this room did not have an issue with the bathroom vent, the noise of the construction of one of the elevator shafts could be heard. For the time being, light sleepers may want to wait for construction to complete before sleeping here.
Unique Amenities
After dropping bags off the room, the bellman offered us a little tour of the property. The Signia by Hilton Atlanta has some unique amenities not commonly seen at other properties. On the fourth floor is a market, named the friendship market A rather unique feature of this area is the chocolate market. The entire market area is cashless, and guests can charge their selections right to the room. Compared to other properties, the friendship market felt more like a mini supermarket rather than a hotel mini market.
On the lobby level is an expansive bar area featuring a star-lit ceiling, adding to the upscale modern ambiance. Just to the left of the bar, is a rather exclusive lounge where guests can pay a flat fee per day to access. Inside is a full-service bar and kitchen staffed 24/7. Currently the lounge is still being prepared with last minute construction and training taking place during our stay.
Restaurants
In all the property features eight food and beverage offerings. The lobby bar is an immediate attention grabber with its forward thinking seating and twinkling star lit ceiling. Here, guests can grab cocktails and light eats. In addition to the lobby bar, there is a smaller bar off the lobby as well as Nest On Four, which offers great views of Mercedes-Benz Arena. A fine dining restaurant, Capolinea offers fine Italian dining also providing great meals and views. The other full-service restaurant, Homespun, offers southern comfort dishes in a casual atmosphere. As this stay was the soft opening, only the lobby bar was open for food.
Prices at the lobby bar were steep for the food offered. That being said, the burger was outstanding and is quite better than most hotel lobby restaurants. Service at the bar was outstanding with the waitress addressing each guest by first name. This occurred during breakfast as well. Speaking of breakfast, the breakfast offering in the lobby was a standard lackluster hotel breakfast, consisting of bacon and eggs.
Expansive Meeting Spaces
In addition being connected to the GWCC convention center, there is massive ball rooms and meeting spaces spanning two floors above the lobby level. This is no coincidence as Hilton is making a push for increased event space. The event space is physically connected to the recently expanded Georgia World Conference center, making the property an ideal space for convention hotel goers.
Areas Still Under Construction
Despite being open for reservations, there are many parts of the hotel still under construction. Some of the elevator corridors were still being worked on while others were flat out missing some pieces of the flooring. The fitness center, business center and pool are still under construction. Other areas such as elevators to the garage were closed off during the visit. Despite being touted as “now open”, the lack of finished amenities may be off-putting for some.
Check-Out
Signia by Hilton Atlanta is a step in the right direction for the Hilton brand. Unlike the Tempo by Hilton Times Square experience, the Signia overall has a better identity and experience. Furnishings in the common areas may being a love hate relationship, with odd funky looking furniture that looks cool but is not the most comfortable. The rooms are nicely appointed but don’t stand out that much from other properties. Where Signia falls short is in its current value proposition. At over $230 a night before taxes and fees, having areas of the hotel under construction like the spa, fitness center and business center is a bit of a let down. The noise of the construction still taking place may be bothersome depending on room placement.
Overall, once construction is complete, the Signia by Hilton has quite the potential going for it. It is in a prime location next to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, has an great atmosphere, and has massive event space. Once the growing pains are rectified, the Signia by Hilton Georgia World Congress Center is worth visiting.