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General Manager of the Bellyard Hotel in West Midtown Brendan Abraham joins co-hosts Carol Morgan and Todd Schnick in the studio to discuss the opening of the hotel in West Midtown on the Around Atlanta segment of the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio. As the inaugural hotel of West Midtown, Abraham shares how the hotel pays tribute to the area’s history and incorporates its legacy into the design and amenities.
With over a decade of experience in the hotel industry, Abraham spent most of his career in Pittsburgh working with Sage Hospitality before stepping into his role at the Bellyard Hotel. He was involved in several hotel openings including The Darcy in Washington, D.C., The Westin Cleveland and The Logan in Philadelphia. Abraham has resided in Atlanta for almost two years, and he is excited to be part of this new project.
“This project was exceptionally unique to me due to the design aspect that pays homage to West Midtown that ties in the entire story of why this property was built,” said Abraham.
Located within the Interlock complex in West Midtown, the Bellyard Hotel is the first hotel in this area of Atlanta. This provided the company with the opportunity to offer a new, high-quality establishment with first-rate customer service as the inaugural property. Affiliated with Marriott Hotels, the Bellyard is comprised of 147 guest rooms with 14 specialty suites. Half of the specialty suites are Bellyard Suites which contain unique design elements reminiscent of the history of West Midtown.
In addition to the guest rooms, the Bellyard Hotel has 7,500 square feet of meeting space that provides an incredible view of the Midtown skyline, as well as a bar and lounge called the Drawbar. The Bellyard also features visually appealing, functional space throughout the terrace and courtyard that is popular with visitors. Inspired by work, play and everything in between, the Bellyard Hotel décor has a one-of-a-kind style that seamlessly blends the amenities today’s travelers expect with unexpected, innovative touches.
Complete with a Wizard of Oz-esque style, the Bellyard Hotel’s Drawbar is a distinguished space that sets the hotel apart. The bar offers over 20 signature cocktails. The cocktail-centric menu offers a variety of craft cocktails with a unique twist that are prepared before the guests. Bar cuisine focuses on small plates including a staff favorite – pimento cheese arancini.
The West Midtown hotel resides along the lines of the former Southern Railroad, previously used during General Sherman’s visit in 1864. Formerly employed to ship cattle, mules and pigs from the West to the East, the Southern Railroad historically served as a major economical location within the city of Atlanta until the 1940s. The Bellyard notably pays tribute to the history of West Midtown throughout its design and distinctive details.
Surrounding the hotel, the Interlock offers amenities and attractions such as Top Golf, Anthropologie, Barcelona Wine Bar, Westside Cultural Arts Center and the High Museum of Art among many others. Establishments within the hotel or nearby include a variety of restaurants, bars, shops, St. Germain’s Bakery and its standalone shop Puttshack.
“This area is continuing to grow every month we’re continuing to see new projects that are in the pipeline. We are very excited to see what West Midtown is going to look like in a few years,” said Abraham. “We are fortunate to be the first hotel and we plan on establishing ourselves as just that as the years go on.”
Currently, the hotel offers a Grand Opening package that not only provides unique specialties from the hotel and its amenities but also ties to the local community neighbors that the hotel works with on a daily basis. The package includes a two-night stay with overnight accommodations, breakfast and complimentary drinks from the Drawbar. Guests will also be provided with Velvet Taco gift cards, body butter samples from Savannah Bee Company, discounted drink cards from Pour Taproom, a Bellyard Hotel logo item and discounts from East Fork and Puttshack. Coinciding with the package, the hotel is hosting an activation with local artists as well as a private mixology class at the Drawbar.
Within the next year, the Bellyard Hotel plans to build upon the base of its business. As pandemic restrictions begin to lessen, the hotel will reach out to its business transient guests to encourage them to frequent West Midtown. The Bellyard also plans to expand its weekend leisure stays to increase occupancy and overall revenue. Throughout the next six months, the Bellyard Hotel team is striving to solidify itself as the best hotel within the West Midtown Area.
Reservations are now open through the Marriott System for those interested in booking their stay. Listen to the full interview above and find more information by visiting www.BellyardHotel.com or find the hotel on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
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Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee, License #22564. NMLS ID #6606. Subject to borrower and property qualifications. Not all applicants will qualify. New American Funding and the Bellyard Hotel are not associated. Click here to view the terms and conditions of products mentioned during the show. Corporate office 14511 Myford Rd., Suite 100, Tustin, CA 92780. Phone: (800) 450-2010. (June/2021)
New American Funding is a family-owned mortgage lender with a servicing portfolio of over 123,000 loans for $30.4 billion, 198 branches, and about 3,100 employees. The company offers several niche loan products and has made Inc. 5000’s list of Fastest-Growing Companies in America six times. It has a state-of-the-art career training facility and develops innovative technology, including the GoGo LO mobile application. For more information, visit www.branch.newamericanfunding.com/Atlanta.
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