Ponce City Market is going the short-term rental route with some apartments

Following a short-term visit in June to the Old Fourth Ward, a reviewer named Micheal opined online that he’d enjoyed “the best Airbnb I’ve stayed in.”

He hadn’t taken up temporary residence in an O4W bungalow or VRBO condo—but a Ponce City Market studio apartment dubbed “The Edison Loft,” which costs $199 per night.

Such brief PCM lodging arrangements will be the new normal.

Officials with the Flats at Ponce City Market, the development’s residential component, announced a collaboration this week with Atlanta Luxury Rentals to operate short-term rentals in the reimagined landmark, a former 1920s Sears, Roebuck & Co. distribution center.

For rates beginning at $180 per night, guests can claim flats ranging from studios to three-bedrooms—for a minimum of three days or up to several months.

Photos courtesy of Atlanta Luxury Rentals

An announcement Monday didn’t specify how many flats are being offered or what the reasoning is behind the transition, but the dolled-up units appear to be beckoning Hollywood along with regular business travelers and staycationing locals. Rental descriptions specify distances to movie-industry hubs such as Pinewood Studios (26 miles), Third Rail Studios (16 miles), and EUE Screen Gems Studios (6.4 miles).

The changes come at a time when other large apartment developments have been offering concessions—six weeks of free rent, for instance—to lure tenants in submarkets crowded with new inventory, such as Midtown.

Earlier this year, property management software specialists RealPage found that metro Atlanta is leading the nation when it comes to average rent discounts.

At Ponce City Market, short-term rates range from $180 per day for the smallest flat, $299 for the two-bedroom, 1,349-square-foot “Wheel Loft”—named for the 1920s tractor wheel mold in the entryway—and up to $399 for the three-bedroom “Le Noir Et Blanc” option that sleeps six.

All stays include the services of a 24-hour concierge, “hand-selected fine furnishings,” Italian linens, and Molton Brown bath products. Pets welcome.

Meanwhile, old-fashioned rental leases at PCM’s Flats begin around $1,800 monthly for 655-square-foot studios.

• Flats at Ponce City Market [site]