Midtown resident David Hightower describes himself as a passionate Atlanta resident and neighbor of The Starling Atlanta Midtown hotel, next to Colony Square.
And he’s had it up to here with an oversized tarp flapping atop the former W Hotel Atlanta Midtown, covering the multi-story “W” signage that had shone brightly over 14th Street and Ansley Park for more than a decade.
The world might have more dire problems at the moment, but as Hightower points out in an email sent to Hilton International representatives and provided to Urbanize Atlanta, the tarp-covered signage “really looks unprofessional for a brand like Hilton and negatively impacts Midtown Atlanta,” as Hightower sees it.
Hightower, an admitted fan of the Hilton brand, points out that the tarp has been in place atop the high-rise hotel near Piedmont Park for nearly a year and 1/2. He asked for answers as to what future signage may look like in the Saturday email.
How the formerly prominent "W" signage over 14th Street appears today. Contributed
The W Atlanta Midtown Hotel debuted in 2009 (along with another former W outpost in Buckhead) and underwent renovations in 2019, alongside the reimagining of Colony Square next door.
Midtown’s W sold to Louisville-based Hilton International for $160 million in August 2021, as the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported at the time. It operates now as part of the Hilton Curio Collection. King rooms this week start from $130 to $155.
We’ve inquired with Hilton representatives to see if plans are in motion for removing tarps and updating signage at the hotel, and we’ll update this post with any details that come. Reps had not responded as of press time.
Compounding the issue of aesthetics in the immediate area is Dewberry Capital’s ongoing remake of the 1980s-era Campanile building across the street, where lower floors have been gutted and exposed for about three years as construction has stalled and restarted.
• Midtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)
