FORTH Hotel Atlanta

The place looks beautiful, from the fantastic lobby to the restaurants and lounges, and the rooms are stylish and smell nice. My room was cute but difficult to keep cool, and its lighting was so dim that doing makeup would be hard. It also lacked a bathroom trash can, basic toiletries like toothpaste, and a hair dryer. The service and extra charges were disappointing for an upscale hotel. At the valet, nobody offered to help with my bags or get a cart, and parking cost $50 a night even for hotel guests. So many things were an added charge through separate entities. When I called the lobby for scissors to remove a ribbon or tag from my dress, they said I'd have to bring the item downstairs myself. I was in my skivvies, so that wasn't possible. The price and all those hurdles left me disappointed.

Tazavia at the front desk made check-in quick, easy, and welcoming. She answered my questions with a kind, professional manner, asked about my trip, and helped me feel at home. Before that, the valet was attentive and got us into a cozy, lively lobby with a fire going and plenty of staff ready to help. We ate at both restaurants and had great experiences. The fireplace downstairs was especially nice in the cold weather. FORTH has warmth, polished service, and beautiful facilities that stand out among Atlanta's business-focused hotels. Its Historic Old Fourth Ward location is great, with plenty to explore within a mile, including the BeltLine and nearby attractions. I'd recommend it for a staycation or other visit.

The apple tart with hot chocolate made using almond milk and a little vanilla is a lovely combination. If you're at the ground-floor café, give it a try. Queen the Waitress from Georgia also impressed me with her product knowledge and excellent customer service. A suggestion for the Manager: coconut milk could be a nice addition to the dairy-free options, since it adds a pleasant sweetness.

We stayed one night on our Christmas trip and still give the hotel four stars, though the Amex FHR process took extra effort. At check-in, I was told breakfast credit totaled $35, despite Amex advertising “daily breakfast for 2.” That seems very low for breakfast for two at this hotel, and I suspect the marketing may have been misleading, so I can't say the hotel itself was to blame. At checkout, the remaining Amex credit hadn't been applied to my breakfast bill, and a hotel clerk had to correct it manually. The location worked well for the attractions we visited. Our room was larger than a typical two-queen room, though a second chair and a bigger desk would have helped. The hall light either wasn't working or we couldn't figure it out for two minutes. The gym is outstanding, with equipment across two floors. The locker room was the best I've seen at a hotel, with clean towels, complimentary bottled water in a fridge, free toiletries at the sink, and clean steam and sauna rooms.