Portman Reclaims Atlanta Icon as Downtown Hotel Market Prepares for Super Bowl Surge

ATLANTA — One of Atlanta’s most recognizable skyscrapers is heading back into the hands of the company that first imagined it nearly 50 years ago.

Portman Hospitality Fund I has acquired the 73-story Westin Peachtree Plaza from Marriott International in a move that reconnects the landmark tower with the development firm founded by legendary Atlanta architect John Portman Jr.. Marriott will continue operating the property under a long-term management agreement.

The deal comes as downtown Atlanta enters another major investment cycle tied to the city’s role as host of Super Bowl LXII in early 2028. Portman says the tower will undergo a large-scale renovation of guest rooms, meeting areas and public spaces ahead of the event.

For longtime Atlantans, the transaction carries unusual symbolic weight. The cylindrical glass tower has defined the downtown skyline since opening in 1976, when it briefly held the title of tallest hotel in the world.

The hotel remains one of the most visually recognizable structures in the Southeast, rising 723 feet above Peachtree Street with its reflective curved glass exterior and scenic elevators running along one side of the building.

The site itself reflects several generations of Atlanta history. Before the tower rose downtown, the property housed Georgia’s first official Governor’s Mansion, followed later by the Henry Grady Hotel and the Roxy Theatre.

Inside, the building once featured one of the city’s most ambitious hotel interiors: a seven-story atrium with an indoor lagoon, floating cocktail islands and elaborate public gathering areas. That lagoon disappeared during a major 1980s renovation as hotel design trends shifted toward more conventional lobby spaces.

The tower has also survived major structural challenges over the decades. After the 2008 tornado that struck downtown Atlanta shattered hundreds of windows, the building underwent a massive reglazing project replacing more than 6,000 panes of glass and modernizing core mechanical systems.

Today, Portman’s strategy appears focused less on nostalgia and more on timing.

Large convention hotels near major event districts are expected to benefit heavily from Atlanta’s preparations for the 2028 Super Bowl. The Westin’s 87,000 square feet of meeting space and proximity to convention infrastructure position it as one of downtown’s key hospitality assets during that period.

The acquisition also reflects how Portman itself has evolved.

For decades, the company became famous for inward-facing mega-projects like Peachtree Center and the towering atrium hotels that reshaped downtown Atlanta during the late 20th century. Those developments often prioritized enclosed interior worlds connected by skybridges rather than traditional street-level urbanism.

Under current leadership, however, Portman has increasingly shifted toward mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented projects tied to trails, transit and active streetscapes. The company’s Amsterdam Walk redevelopment along the Atlanta Beltline has become one of the clearest examples of that transition.

That broader strategy now combines two parallel bets on Atlanta’s future: preserving iconic downtown assets while investing in newer walkable urban districts increasingly favored by younger residents and employers.

The reacquisition of the Westin Peachtree Plaza places Portman directly at the intersection of both eras.

For many Atlantans driving into the city from suburbs like Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Roswell or South Forsyth, the tower remains one of the first unmistakable signs that they have arrived downtown. Nearly half a century after changing Atlanta’s skyline, the building is now preparing for another reinvention.

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About the Author

Tsvi Jolles

Author, Editor & Publisher

Tsvi Jolles is the author of seven books and the founder and publisher of North Atlanta Star. He has lived in Cumming for almost a decade.

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