Embassy Suites Atlanta - at Centennial Olympic Park: Atlanta's Easier Alternative Downtown

The Embassy Suites Atlanta at Centennial Olympic Park is located in downtown Atlanta on the edge of Atlanta's memorial park to the Olympics, now a major recreation area for locals and tourists alike. The hotel is within walking distance of the Georgia Aquarium, CNN Center, Philips Arena, the Georgia Dome, Imagine It! The Children's Museum of Atlanta and the World of Coca-Cola. Other downtown and Midtown Atlanta venues are very convenient. The Georgia World Congress Center is also adjacent to the park. The area is easily accessed from Interstate 20 and the Interstate 75/85 Downtown Connector. MARTA, Atlanta's public transit system, serves the location with a train station and several bus lines.

The Embassy Suites at the park was built after the 1996 Olympics as city planners and developers looked for ways to capitalize on the increased tourist traffic to downtown Atlanta. In 1999, the Atlanta Journal Constitution noted, "The first of the Centennial Olympic Park redevelopment ventures is ... the Embassy Suites hotel ... the first phase of a planned $100 million complex that will eventually include two residential buildings, another hotel and an office building.'' The 321-suite hotel opened in 1999 and has benefited greatly as more and more attractions have located around the park. The Atlanta Business Chronicle pointed out in 2006 that, "perhaps no hotel is better situated to piggyback on the new sites than the Embassy Suites.''

The hotel's suites come in four different sizes, but all have two rooms with a sleeping sofa in the seating area. Wired Internet access is available in the rooms along with two telephone lines. A hot breakfast and reception in the evening with snacks and drinks are both complimentary. The largest suite, the Presidential, comes with a kitchenette. Other hotel amenities include the fitness center, open 24 hours a day, with weight and cardio machines, as well as free weights; an outdoor pool and sundeck; a 24-hour-a-day business center and wireless Internet access in the atrium. The Embassy Suites has almost 16,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 7,000-square-foot, naturally-lit atrium; a 4,900-square-foot ballroom that accommodates 500 guests reception-style or 450 banquet-style; a boardroom and several meeting rooms of varying sizes.

Dining options in the hotel include the Park Avenue Deli and Market and Ruth's Chris Steak House, as well as the breakfast buffet with hot food, some of which can be cooked to order. The Deli is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and serves soups, salads and sandwiches. Ruth's Chris Steak House is considered one of the finest steak houses in the country. They are known for their thick, simply seasoned steaks served with sizzling butter. The food critic for the Atlanta Journal Constitution admires "all sorts of thick, charred, gigantic prime steaks that come to the table sputtering hot butter; big ol' lobsters that are steamed and cracked for a hefty price; great shrimp cocktail; and an iceberg lettuce salad piled with a staggering heap of blue cheese crumbles.''

The Embassy Suites at Centennial Park is fairly popular among guests who have reviewed it on travel websites. It "has the best location in Atlanta, right across from Centennial Park,'' says one. The breakfast buffet is a hit, although it can get crowded on weekends. Most guests find the hotel to be comfortable and clean, but, at ten years old, others think it may be time for a renovation. Some found the staff to be "friendly, courteous and professional,'' while others encountered less helpful attitudes. The Professional Travel Guide calls Embassy Suites "a refreshing alternative to the sky-high towers that surround it, and it is a more manageable choice than the downtown bigwigs. ... This place is not luxurious, but it's a great choice for business travelers or families.''