InterContinental Buckhead – Take Another Look
Simply Buckhead
November 4, 2022
The InterContinental Buckhead gets a modern refresh!
Dine in one of The Americano Restaurant’s stunning crescent-shaped booths with butcher-block tables.
The InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta has been a local fixture since it opened its doors in 2004, but it has never looked as dazzling as it does today. With a recent top-to-bottom renovation complete, the grand lobby and great hall greets guests with rose marble floors, lush planters, a massive chandelier adorned with 2,000 raw crystals and large-scale abstract paintings that inch out of their frames and onto the walls around them by local mixed-media artist Niki Zarrabi, whose custom pieces can be found throughout the property.
The InterContinental has been part of the Buckhead landscape since 2004.
The design magic by Chicago based KTGY Simeone Deary Design Group excited me to reconnect with the iconic hotel during my staycation with a girlfriend. The friendly service started upon arrival when I was greeted by a gracious butler who brought me to my king bedroom on the club floor.
All 422 rooms, including three Presidential-style suites, decked out in sophisticated black, gray and white with teal accents, have received modern updates including 65-inch LCD HDTVs and new marble bathrooms.
A recently renovated king room at Buckhead’s InterContinental hotel boasts sweeping views of the area.
On the 21st floor, where I stayed, guests have access to the redesigned InterContinental Club Lounge, a spacious hospitality suite offering not only a place to meet, work or just relax but also a complimentary breakfast buffet and a plentiful evening happy hour spread that includes charcuterie, cheeses and cocktails. After settling in, my friend and I headed straight there for pre-dinner drinks to enjoy the city-skyline views.
Perhaps one of the most notable property transformations has been its restaurant, now the upscale Italian-American The Americano by celebrity chef and two-time James Beard award-winner Scott Conant. The place was hopping on a Friday night. Patrons dressed to the nines decorated the moody, all-black decor warmly lit with gold wire light features.
The impeccable filet at The Americano.
We started by ordering the Hamachi crudo, a chunkier take on the typical delicate slivers with finger lime, avocado and a Calabrian chili crisp. The pasta al pomodoro is a simple yet simply perfect handmade spaghetti and tomato sauce that I could eat for days, and the potato gnocchi with black truffle, chives, peas and Parmigiano-Reggiano is a decadent delight. We shared an exquisitely prepared center-cut filet mignon with a side of the roasted wild mushrooms featuring my favorite ’shroom, hen of the woods. A bottle of Primitivo from Puglia, Italy, recommended by the sommelier complemented our courses.
When we wrapped up dinner around 10 p.m., the venue was still full and the wraparound bar all abuzz, making us wonder which club everyone was going to next, or if they would close out the night here. We didn’t wait to find out; a sumptuous bed awaited us. The next morning, after enjoying bagels with lox and all the fixings at the club lounge, we headed to the hotel’s saltwater pool and heated jacuzzi for a dip. We enjoyed the comfortable loungers and putting our to-do lists off for as long as possible, but without many updates, the pool area looked like a different era than the rest of the hotel.
The new spa featuring Biologique Recherche products opens soon and offers an excuse to return.
INTERCONTINENTAL BUCKHEAD ATLANTA
404.946.9000
intercontinentalatlanta.com
@intercon_buckhead_atl
