New hotels in Buckhead, Atlanta

Buckhead is the part of Atlanta where Peachtree Road stops being a downtown street and turns into a corridor of malls, office towers and condominium blocks, with some of the city's oldest private estates set back in the tree cover on either side. It sits north of Midtown, inside the city limits of Atlanta, and it is the one district here where a hotel guest is as likely to be in town for a corporate meeting or a shopping trip as for anything on a sightseeing list. Three hotels we track have opened in it since 2021, and each one came out of a different kind of building: a 1950s apartment block, a shopping-mall plot, and an earlier hotel.

The district takes its name from a tavern. In the late 1830s Henry Irby ran a store and grog shop at the corner of what are now Peachtree and West Paces Ferry Roads, and a buck's head was nailed up outside. A bronze deer stands at that corner today, and it is still the point most locals mean when they say Buckhead.

How the district is laid out

Peachtree Road is the spine. Heading north from Midtown it passes Piedmont Road, Buckhead Village around the junction with East Paces Ferry Road, and then the two big malls near Lenox Road, roughly two miles apart. Roswell Road branches off to the north west, and Georgia 400 runs along the eastern edge, which is why so many company offices chose the area. Most of the residential streets are curved, shaded, and without sidewalks, so distances that look short on a map are often driven rather than walked.

Two MARTA rail stations serve the area. Buckhead station, on the Red Line, lets you out near Peachtree and Piedmont, a short walk from Buckhead Village. Lenox station, on the Gold Line, is beside Lenox Square and a few minutes' walk from Phipps Plaza across Peachtree. Both lines run through Midtown and downtown and on to the airport, so a visitor landing at Hartsfield-Jackson can reach either hotel area without changing trains, though the Village hotels still need a short ride or a walk from the platform.

Buckhead Village and East Paces Ferry Road

The Village is the district's old social centre, rebuilt in the 2010s as a block of luxury retail and restaurants after a long run as a nightlife strip. It is the one part of Buckhead where you can leave a hotel and walk between a dozen places to eat without crossing a parking lot. East Paces Ferry Road is the axis, running west from Peachtree past the shops and on into streets of large houses.

Two of the three hotels are here.

Kimpton Sylvan Hotel is at 374 East Paces Ferry Road NE. It opened in February 2021 inside a 1950s apartment building that had gone through a second life as senior housing and then a third as condominiums before IHG's Kimpton brand took it over. The conversion has 217 rooms, with Goodrich handling the interiors alongside Ave Bradley of Kimpton and architects Stevens & Wilkinson, and a mid-century look that fits the building's age. There are three in-house dining venues, among them the rooftop bar St. Julep. The scale is low-rise and residential, which is the main thing that separates it from the glass towers further up Peachtree.

A few blocks along, The Tess, Autograph Collection opened in October 2025 at 415 East Paces Ferry Road NE, in the building that housed the Thompson Atlanta-Buckhead. The operator is Peregrine Hospitality, formed in 2024 out of KSL Resorts, and it rebuilt the property around an invented muse called Tess. It has 201 rooms and suites, a rooftop restaurant and pool, and a lobby library of books and vinyl. Rates start from about $210 a night, according to the listing we hold. The hotel's concierge staff carry the title Experience Curators and handle access to hard-to-book restaurants and smaller galleries nearby.

Between the two, the choice is mostly about mood. The Sylvan is the older story, a building with three past lives and a restored shell; The Tess is a full rebrand of a hotel the neighborhood already knew, and has the bigger pool deck.

Phipps Plaza and Lenox Square

The malls are the other pole of Buckhead, and they are older than most people expect. Lenox Square opened in 1959 and was among the first enclosed malls in the South; Phipps Plaza followed across the road in 1969. Lenox is anchored by Bloomingdale's, Macy's and Neiman Marcus, and a JW Marriott is attached to it. Phipps Plaza leans higher up the price scale, with a long list of luxury labels and an outdoor lawn called the Green where a seasonal movie series is held.

Nobu Hotel Atlanta is built into Phipps Plaza at 3520 Peachtree Road NE. It opened in December 2022, the brand's first hotel in Georgia and its fifteenth worldwide. The nine-storey building was designed by Rockwell Group and has 152 rooms and suites, a Nobu restaurant of about 10,000 square feet and a rooftop saltwater pool. Rates start from about $395 a night, the highest of the three. The hotel ties a Nobu Movie Nights offer to the mall's Green. A Life Time athletic country club and coworking space opened at Phipps Plaza around the same period, but as a separate tenant, so do not count on it as a hotel amenity.

Staying here suits a trip built around the malls or the restaurant. It is less obvious for anyone who wants to be on foot among independent shops, because the Village is a drive or a ride away.

What to do in Buckhead

The most substantial cultural stop is the Atlanta History Center at 130 West Paces Ferry Road NW. It occupies a 33-acre campus with Goizueta Gardens, a set of nine gardens that takes a half day by itself, plus the Swan House, a 1928 mansion on the National Register of Historic Places, and the research library. The galleries open at 9am Tuesday to Sunday and the historic houses at 11am; parking on site is free. Check hours before you plan around them, because the houses sometimes require advance tours.

Chastain Park, further north off Powers Ferry Road, is a large public park with a golf course, tennis courts and an amphitheater that hosts summer concerts, many of them with diners bringing picnics. It is a driving destination from the hotels, not a walking one. The Buckhead Theatre, a restored 1930s movie palace on Roswell Road, is the district's main live-music room.

Restaurants cluster in three places. The Village carries most of the new openings. Along Peachtree and Piedmont are long-running names such as Bones, the steakhouse that has been on Piedmont Road since 1979, and Chops Lobster Bar. Both suit an expense-account evening. The malls add chain and hotel dining, and Nobu's restaurant is the headline there.

For shopping, the Village covers the single-brand boutiques and the two malls cover everything else. A visitor planning two full days of it should stay near one and use a car or ride-share for the other.

Where Buckhead fits in a longer Atlanta trip

It rarely works as the only base for a first-time visitor. The Georgia Aquarium, the Civil Rights museums and the stadiums are all in downtown Atlanta, and Midtown holds the arts district and Piedmont Park. Both are reachable from either MARTA station in about 15 to 25 minutes, depending on where you start. Travelers who want to be in the middle of the older neighborhoods often pair a few nights here with a stay in Midtown or the neighboring suburb of Decatur. A good match for Buckhead itself is a trip with a fixed agenda inside the district: a conference, a shopping weekend, a family visit.

Which hotel for your trip

For shoppers, Nobu Hotel Atlanta puts you inside Phipps Plaza, with Lenox Square across Peachtree and Lenox MARTA station close by. For a longer stay with a restaurant on site, its Nobu kitchen is the draw.

For Buckhead Village on foot, the choice is between The Tess and Kimpton Sylvan Hotel, both on East Paces Ferry Road. Pick the Sylvan for the lower price (from about $170) and the building's history, The Tess for the rooftop pool and the lobby library.

For business travel, Nobu and The Tess are the larger rooms of the three and both sit within a short drive of the Georgia 400 offices. The Sylvan is the cheapest of the three on average.

For couples, the Sylvan's rooftop bar and the Village's restaurants are the shortest evening out. For families, the pool decks at Nobu and The Tess matter more than the neighborhood.

Frequently asked questions

What is the newest hotel in Buckhead?

The Tess, Autograph Collection, which opened in October 2025 at 415 East Paces Ferry Road NE. It replaced the Thompson Atlanta-Buckhead and has 201 rooms and suites.

Which Buckhead hotel is inside a shopping mall?

Nobu Hotel Atlanta. It is built into Phipps Plaza at 3520 Peachtree Road NE, with Lenox Square across the road.

Is Buckhead walkable?

Partly. Buckhead Village around East Paces Ferry Road is walkable between shops and restaurants, and Kimpton Sylvan Hotel and The Tess both sit a short walk from it. Most of the rest of the district, including the residential streets and the History Center, is built for cars.

Can I reach Buckhead from Hartsfield-Jackson by train?

Yes. MARTA's Red and Gold lines both run from the airport to Buckhead and Lenox stations without a change. From the stations you still need a short walk or a ride to reach the hotels on East Paces Ferry Road.

Is Buckhead a good base for a first visit to Atlanta?

Not usually. Most of the major museums and venues are in downtown and Midtown, a train ride away. Buckhead works best for shopping, business meetings, or a quieter stay on tree-lined streets.

Which Buckhead hotel is the cheapest?

Kimpton Sylvan Hotel, with rates from about $170 a night in our listing, against about $210 for The Tess and $395 for Nobu Hotel Atlanta.