sixsixsixtynine

Does the new build mean the old one--famous for its airport view rooms--is going away?

apodo77

Where is the new one? haven't seen it.

sixsixsixtynine

This 'un:

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...gateway-hotel/

apodo77

Ahh. Must be what they are building across from the Marriott at the GICC.

I'd bet the old one stays. Love the views from the rooms.

Horace

The new Renaissance is by Georgia International Convention Center, near the airport. It's supposed to open in April 2017:
The location is right by the Marriott:
The old Renaissance is at the airport, less than 3 miles away from the new one:
There's no reason to believe the new Renaissance is replacing the one at the airport. But having two Atlanta Airport Renaissance hotels is likely to cause a lot of confusion.

This deal goes back to long before the Marriott-Starwood merger announcement. If the developer wanted a 4-star Marriott brand, Marriott and Renaissance were the two options back then. I suppose Autograph Collection would also have been an option, but an airport/convention hotel does not need a "strikingly independent" identity.

I suppose Marriott and the hotel developer could look to the brands that Starwood is bringing to the combined company, after the merger closes. Or maybe the Renaissance is so far along that it's a done deal. (And there's already a Sheraton and a Westin at Atlanta airport).

Segments

Any more confusing then having two Atlanta Airport Marriott hotels? These have co-existed since the Gateway Marriott opened and less than 1 mile apart.

Non-NonRev

I think the key to differentiate the two Rens will be to emphasize the 'Concourse' in the name of the older property.

jmd001

From the map on its web page, the property (opening April 2017) appears to be at the Convention Center stop on the ATL SkyTrain that goes from the airport to the Rental Car Center.

And the web page indicates the hotel will NOT have shuttle to/from ATL (i.e., the SkyTrain is the only "free" transport between the hotel and the airport).

Had a great stay at the current property about a month ago. Would be sad to see it leave the Marriott family.

On the other hand, if the current property stays branded as a Renaissance, it will create a problem similar to the one in Arlington, VA where there is the Marriott Crystal Gateway and the Marriott Crystal City.

Horace

In addition to current full-service brands -- Marriott, Renaissance, Delta, and Autograph Collection -- Marriott is gaining additional full-service brands from the Starwood acquisition -- Westin, Sheraton, Le Meridien, Tribute Portfolio. However, Autograph Collection and Tribute Portfolio are really for anti-chain hotels, not chain hotels. Then there are the near-luxury full-service brands such as W and JW Marriott, but they cost more to operate because of their positioning. Westin and Sheraton are already represented at Atlanta Airport.

Even with all those brands, it's hard to have a half dozen hotels with appropriate Marriott brands in the same geographic area without brand overlap.

As already noted, there's no reason to expect the Renaissance Concourse Atlanta Airport Hotel to close just because there will be a second Renaissance near the airport.