Atlanta’s Centennial Yards to Gain Virgin Hotel

CIM Group and Centennial Yards Co., along with the Drew Co., will develop a 261-key Virgin Hotel at Centennial Yards, the $5 billion, 50-acre mixed-use development in downtown Atlanta.

Within the hotel’s room count will be 21 grand king chambers and 21 one-bedroom suites, in addition to a penthouse suite and “Sir Richard’s flat,” a luxury penthouse suite named for Virgin Hotels founder Sir Richard Branson.

The hotel’s amenities will include:

•   a large pool deck with 10 private cabanas, a seasonal exterior bar and an adjacent event lawn;

•  three meeting rooms totaling about 2,900 square feet;

•  a ground-floor lobby bar with an outdoor patio;

•  a signature restaurant and pool bar, featuring a private dining room and an extensive covered outdoor terrace overlooking the Entertainment District’s plaza; and

•  a rooftop bar and lounge, designed for intimate social gatherings or exclusive private events, and featuring a rooftop terrace overlooking the sports venues and Entertainment District.

Virgin Hotels declined to provide additional information requested by Commercial Property Executive, and the other entities did not reply to CPE’s queries.

The hotel is slated for a 2027 opening, at which time it will be an anchor for the Centennial Yards Entertainment District.

The district ultimately will cover about 470,000 square feet within Centennial Yards, which itself is adjacent to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United, and State Farm Arena, home to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. In addition, the Entertainment District will feature major tenants like Live Nation and Cosm.

Years of expansion

Centennial Yards Co. was created by CIM Group to act as the redevelopment’s owner and master developer. On completion, Centennial Yards is expected to encompass 4 million square feet of office space, retail, restaurants and hotels, plus 4 million square feet of new residential buildings.

The first phase of Centennial Yards consisted of two 19-story high-rise buildings: the 292-key Hotel Phoenix and The Mitchell, a 304-unit residential tower, both adjacent to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena.

Plans for the Entertainment District were announced in March 2024. Components scheduled to open this year include Cosm’s immersive venue, Shake Shack’s first downtown Atlanta location and renowned pub The Irish Exit.

A 5,300-seat Live Nation venue will follow in 2027, anchoring the district with a major new destination for live entertainment. Additional culinary venues that opened recently or are planned for this year and next include Chops Lobster Bar, on the ground floor of the Virgin Hotel; Khao Thai Isan and soul food icon The Busy Bee Café at The Mitchell; and Zephyr, the Southern Brasserie at Hotel Phoenix.