The Tess, Autograph Collection

The Tess opened in October 2025 on East Paces Ferry Road in Buckhead, in the building that housed the Thompson Atlanta-Buckhead. Peregrine Hospitality, the operator created in 2024 from KSL Resorts, rebuilt the hotel around an invented muse named Tess and placed it in both Marriott's Autograph Collection and its own Boutique & Lifestyle Collection. It has 201 guestrooms and suites. The general manager is Nils Bergmann, who joined in October 2025 after running The Charter Hotel Seattle, a Curio Collection property, and who has previously worked for W Hotels, Kimpton and AC Marriott.

The place

415 East Paces Ferry Road NE puts the hotel in Buckhead, the uptown district of Atlanta known for tree-lined streets and high-end boutiques, a short walk from Buckhead Village. The hotel's concierge team goes by the title Experience Curators and handles access to hard-to-book restaurants and smaller art galleries in the area.

The concept

The design starts from Tess, a fictional traveller whose journeys are said to inspire the personal touches in the rooms. The anchor of the lobby is The Tess Collection, a library and listening lounge stocked with books and vinyl, from Octavia Butler titles to Rolling Stones records, which guests can browse or buy, with headphones provided. The same space can be booked as a podcast recording studio, by guests and by Atlantans who do not stay. It was developed with Atlanta-based artists and tastemakers, and the programme includes literary evenings in the foyer, book signings by emerging Southern authors and music-driven afternoons by the pool.

The Presidential Suite has large living areas, city views and a bathroom built around a deep soaking tub.

The event offer is large for a 201-room hotel: more than 17,000 square feet of event and studio space, including a 4,187 square foot ballroom for up to 415 guests, a 1,823 square foot outdoor terrace, smaller salons and a lounge-style study.

Dining & wellness

Tesserae is the rooftop restaurant, serving American cooking with skyline views. The menu launched in October 2025 lists a Cabernet Sauvignon braised short rib, a half chicken cacciatore and a butternut squash and sage risotto. On the ground floor the Lobby Bar works in marble, leather, wood and brass, and its signature cocktails include the Sunset in Georgia and the Cosmic Crush, a vodka infused with strawberry and basil.

The rooftop pool is lined with cabanas, and the fitness center has Peloton bikes and a rowing machine.