AWESOME & AWFUL - Marriott Marquis Atlanta

BOTH: The Marriott Marquis Atlanta has a lot of positive things going for it - absolutely non of them at ground level. Three sides of this block sized development are simply as inhospitable as one can make a blank wall of concrete. I even had a hard time finding the egress on the east side (facing the Hyatt) and only  stumbled upon it by accident.

So, on the AWFUL scale this hotel provides 3 block faces with 2 - 3 stories (depending on the elevation) of blank concrete and a total disconnect from any pedestrian realm. It was so bad I didn't even bother taking any pictures. Add to this the multiple skybridges and lack of obvious ways to find the street, and you have the usual Brutalism era hatred of the ground level, save access for automobiles and trucks.

The auto entry itself is pretty cool (see pic just below) but even this space is a bit oppressive for the average pedestrian.

Now, on the AWESOME side of the equation, we consider the soaring interior spaces the architect created... One cannot help but be impressed with the volume, the tapering balconies and the glass roof, 48 stories above. 1663 rooms and suites ensure a population guaranteed to fill the cantilevered Pulse Loft bar and the sail-like Pulse lobby bar. It obvious the interior decor has been tastefully and expensively updated in the recent past. If only the architect and the planners involved had given the same love to the ground level surrounding the hotel, this building would be long regarded as one of the best in Atlanta.

Sadly, the era in which this was constructed dictated that it was not to be so.

More photos on their website.

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