Wingate by Wyndham Buckhead: Atlanta's Highly Rated, Reasonably Priced Buckhead Hotel

The Wingate by Wyndham Buckhead, a very highly rated, more reasonably priced alternative to most Buckhead hotels, is located in the northern part of Buckhead, Atlanta's upscale shopping, residential and business district. Nearby attractions include Chastain Park, site of an outdoor amphitheater with popular summer concerts; luxurious shopping at Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza; the world-class restaurants of Buckhead and the Atlanta History Center.

Wingate Hotels are typically thought of as a suburban brand, but, since 2003, the company has been working on changing that image. Their city-center program is moving the brand into urban areas "to give us a presence in major markets where we don't have a presence,'' says a franchise owner, quoted in Hotel and Motel Management. The trade magazine calls the Buckhead location "a trendsetter in terms of its major metropolitan location.''

The 100-room hotel, including 18 suites, offers a long list of in-room amenities, including a microwave and refrigerator, marble and granite baths with massage showerheads, hardwood floors with area rugs, a reclining chair, complimentary high-speed wired and wireless Internet access and a comfortable workstation. Suites also provide a separate sitting room, a spa tub and an extra-large bathroom. Along with its city-center program, Wingate upgraded its amenities, beginning in 2006, to include higher quality bedding and bath products and up-to-date technology in guest rooms. According to the company president, quoted in Hotel and Motel Management, "the upgrades are necessary to address consumer demands and to maintain a competitive edge.''

Other hotel services include a small but adequate fitness center, an outdoor pool and hot tub, a complimentary hot breakfast, complimentary Internet access in public areas and complimentary transportation anywhere within three miles in a stretch limousine. The only onsite dining is the breakfast, but the hotel is located within minutes of some of Atlanta's best and most popular restaurants, and the hotel's car will take guests to the restaurant of their choice. The Wingate has a small meeting space - 2,700 square feet in four rooms, the largest of which can accommodate 120 people theater-style. State-of-the-art audio/visual equipment is available for use, and a full catering service offering hot or cold meals, cocktails and snacks is available offsite.

The extraordinary thing about the Wingate by Wyndham Buckhead is that, on tripadvisor.com, perhaps the most respected user-driven travel website on the Internet, this hotel is frequently rated number one in all of Atlanta. (These ratings change, but the Wingate is always in the top five.) Ninety-two percent of those reviewers give this hotel an "Excellent'' or "Very Good'' rating, with the vast majority of those in the "Excellent'' category. One reviewer raves, "I feel totally safe and taken care of. ...The genuinely friendly staff seems to know everybody by name. ... Everybody does everything with the biggest smile.'' The location; the service; the room design, d,cor, and amenities; the limo service to anywhere at any time and the complimentary breakfasts all received great compliments, with the waffle and omelet chefs being singled out by name several times. The staff goes out of its way, including, according to one guest, "the manager, Anthony [who] personally collected us to avoid any delay [when] the regular driver was out.'' In general, visitors to the Wingate are pleased to be getting such extraordinary service for such a reasonable price.