ATLANTA — Hotel Colee recently became the first Autograph Collection hotel to open in Atlanta’s Buckhead district. Owner Woodbine Development Corporation and operator Practice Hospitality, both based in Dallas, began welcoming guests to Hotel Colee—formerly the W Atlanta – Buckhead—in December.
Hotel Colee is designed to reflect the city’s energy, diversity, and culture. Woodbine tapped the team at Practice Hospitality to bring Hotel Colee to locals and travelers in Buckhead based on their experience in the independent space.
“Travelers trust Autograph Collection Hotels and the experience they provide, especially in times of uncertainty, and we believe there is no better partner to deliver on that promise than Practice,” explained T. Dupree Scovell, managing partner and CIO of Woodbine Development Corporation.
“From design, to service to programming, our aim is to be a charming accomplice in having a good time,” added Bashar Wali, president and CEO of Practice Hospitality. “Now, more than ever, I think we all appreciate the importance of celebrating the moment. Our hope is to enable guests to both get down to business and live it up.”
Andrew Alford, principal of Andrew Alford Creative and former director of design for Graduate Hotels, designed the hotel’s interiors by remixing Southern-style signatures—pastel, prints, and pops of vibrant color—to create an atmosphere that “encourages guests to embrace their essence, feel their best, and go ahead and put on that statement piece.” The lobby includes a barber shop and beauty parlor with vintage chairs reupholstered and reimagined in patterns that complement those throughout the rest of the space. The space pays homage to the role barber shops and beauty parlors serve as community centers. Hidden retail shelving for pop-up trunk shows highlight local makers, designers, and artists and will anchor events and activations.
Upstairs, the hotel’s guestrooms include eye-catching design elements like open-front, mirrored-back wardrobes, window seats, and walls with prints by Lela Brunet, an artist, muralist, designer, and native Georgian whose works contrast female figures with energetic patterns, color, and texture.
The hotel’s fourth-floor rooftop infinity pool overlooks Peachtree Road and pairs birds’ eye views of the neighborhood with privacy. The fitness center is open by appointment to facilitate social distance and safety protocols with equipment for cardio, strength training, and more. Hotel Colee also has a lobby bar and Whiskey Blue, a rooftop bar serving crafted cocktails.
Hotel Colee also includes 10,000 square feet of adaptable indoor and outdoor event space, with venues ranging from a 4,005-square-foot Show Room to a 529-square-foot Strategize space.
