Iron Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design · 2020
W Atlanta Midtown Luxury Hotel
- A' Design Award 2020 Iron Winner in Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design
- Awarded April 15, 2020
- CLIENT: Virserius Studio
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 16,543
- Verification code F84F1A3487 · Verify this award
About W Atlanta Midtown Luxury Hotel
W Atlanta Midtown is a hotel lobby and bar interior in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The design is based on the estate and secret garden of a fictional character named Arthur, who collects art and objects during extensive world travels. The lobby and bar cover about 929 square metres. Bespoke furniture, flooring, artwork and digital wall coverings form a living room and a botanical garden. A den refers to the folktale One Thousand and One Nights and includes painted ceiling art. Tiered terraces with amphitheatre seating support work, conversation or private gatherings.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- This design was a departure from other W branded hotels, essentially marking it a rebrand for this location. The art pays homage to the city of Atlanta as the epicenter of music, entertainment and sport and crafts a very robust story about of fictional character Arthur.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The lobby and bar measure approximately 929.0304 square metres
- Tags
- art, hotel, renovation, redesign, usa, atlanta, design, hospitality, public spaces, lobby, luxury
- Production Technology
- The bespoke furniture, flooring, art collection lining the walls and digital wallcovering were designed by Virserius Studio, representating Arthur's living room and botanical garden. His den was inspired by the Middle Eastern folktale, One Thousand and One Nights, and represents his many travels to that region. The den includes art designed by Virserius Studio and commissioned by a local artist to paint onto the ceiling. The intimate seating arrangements in the living room include tufted pieces with traditional and bohemian touches, the flowers on the ceiling are taken from the garden itself.
- Design Challenge
- The client objective for the W Atlanta Midtown rebrand was to cater to a different guest clientele, to skew to a crowd full of flair and sophistication. Virserius Studio wanted the space to reveal this new guest experience bit by bit, versus having it apparent upon entry. They wanted to design something rich and elegant with elements of surprise that were also functional and could cater to different audiences.
- Project Duration
- The project began in 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and was finished in January 2019. Additional updates have since been made, completed in Fall 2019.
- Operation Flow
- In the lobby are tiered terraces with amphitheater seating that can be used to work, chat, people watch, the choice is theirs. This area may be cordoned off for private gatherings if desired.
- Research
- To create the fictional character of Arthur and the narrative for his estate and garden, Virserius Studio traveled to Georgia to research the history of Atlanta and the state of Georgia in general, learning about nature that is unique to the area, as well as an understanding of music and entertainment that Atlanta is known for. In additional Virserius Studio came up with a profile of the type of person Arthur would be, a well heeled renaissance man who appreciated the arts, Southern hospitality and loves being from Atlanta.
- Inspiration
- The concept for the hotel was the recreation of the estate and secret garden of a fictional character named Arthur. The estate is decorated with his collection of art and other items obtained during his extensive world travels. He takes great pride in these collections and wants to share the stories behind these possessions. He also hopes they will make great conversational pieces, inspiring special moments among friends during their visit.
- Image Credits
- Image 1: Photographer Michael Kleinberg, 2019
Image 2: Photographer Michael Kleinberg, 2019
Image 3: Photographer Michael Kleinberg, 2019
Image 4: Photographer Michael Kleinberg, 2019
Image 5: Photographer Michael Kleinberg, 2019
Colors of W Atlanta Midtown Luxury Hotel
Design Interview about W Atlanta Midtown Luxury Hotel
Arthur is a fictional character, a native Atlantan from the Ainsley Park neighborhood located right behind W Atlanta Midtown. Virserius Studio’s design concept for the hotel is the recreation of Arthur’s estate and garden, decorated with his awe-inspiring collection of art and other items obtained during his extensive world travels. He takes great pride in these collections and wants to share the stories behind these possessions. He also hopes they will make great conversational pieces, inspiring special moments among friends during their visit.
We wanted the space to reveal a new guest experience bit by bit, versus having it apparent upon entry.
The first phase was completed in January 2019, just in time for the Super Bowl being held in Atlanta that year.
The client objective was to cater to a different guest clientele, to skew to a crowd full of flair and sophistication. Guests are immediately welcomed by curved slats on the wall that caress and invite; this ties into the curves on the stairs in the lobby leading to the mezzanine that also soften the space. We wanted to design something rich and elegant with elements of surprise that were also functional and could cater to different audiences.
We will not be reproducing this concept; this was exclusive to the W Atlanta Midtown. However, many of the art pieces found throughout are available for purchase on the Imaggo Production website, https://imaggo.shop/gb/
Any guest who appreciates art will have a fully immersive experience at this luxury hotel.
There are three W hotels in Atlanta. We worked on the Midtown location and wanted it to have a very strong design message that was different than the other two sites, but also complemented them very well in terms of luxury.
It's the name of the hotel, W Atlanta Midtown.
Because was art was such an integral part of this concept, we worked with Imaggo Production, an art consultant firm from Paris to realize a lot of Arthur's various collections.