Perseverance pays off? Better late than never? Pick a cliche for the Mandarin Oriental's arrival to Atlanta. The upper-upscale (that's industry speak so don't blame us if it sounds funny) luxury hotel brand won't have its first-choice pick of properties or neighborhoods based on the original vision of a flagship hotel in a glistening new 53-story building in Midtown, but it will be able to get its flag up quickly on the former Mansion on Peachtree. The Mansion is a small hotel at only 127 rooms and the overall project has struggled with the original developer being foreclosed on and Craft restaurant departing after a short-lived tenure. So are they settling for the Mansion? Maybe not. Mandarin clearly is keen on getting the brand into the Atlanta market, and it is getting an iconic building in the tower located on Peachtree Street in the heart of Buckhead. The biggest factor of this deal, given the new economic normal, is that the Mansion offers a rare opportunity for a luxury brand to get rooms without adding to supply in the city. Its a great move with so many doubts about the true demand for luxury hotel rooms in Atlanta. The arrival of a luxury hotel brand though is never a bad thing for a city, and there is no question that the Mandarin Oriential brand has a certain cache among international travelers. This will be one more small feather in the cap on Atlanta's parade to become a truly international city. And though its clearly a nice win for the Buckhead community, Midtown folks still have an argument that the decision is "settling."
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