Billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Hotels brand will make its Georgia debut in Centennial Yards, a $5B development in the heart of Downtown Atlanta.
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CIM Group, in a joint venture with Boston-based The Drew Co., agreed to co-develop a 261-room Virgin Hotel within Centennial Yards, CIM announced Wednesday. The new hotel, which will include three restaurants, is expected to deliver in 2027.
The hotel will be a centerpiece of the 50-acre project's entertainment district, joining immersive entertainment concept and sports bar Cosm and a 5,700-seat performance venue by Live Nation.
“I think it's an extraordinary statement of confidence from an internationally known brand that is establishing itself in the heart of Centennial Yards,” Brian McGowan, president of CIM’s local development arm, Centennial Yards Co., said Wednesday.
Drew Co. also developed the Signia by Hilton Atlanta, the 976-room convention hotel at the Georgia World Congress Center that opened in 2024. McGowan said Drew Co. had a relationship with the Virgin Group that helped lure it to the project.
The first hotel in Centennial Yards, CIM’s redevelopment of The Gulch, is the 292-room Hotel Phoenix, which is operated by the firm and doesn't carry a major hotel flag.
Centennial Yards is ultimately planned to include 2,000 apartment units, 900K SF of retail, 1,500 hotel rooms and 1.2M SF of office.
The Virgin Hotel is planned to include 21 “Grand King Chambers” and 21 one-bedroom suites. The upper floors of the hotel will have Virgin’s “most prestigious keys,” including a penthouse suite and “Richard’s Flat,” a luxury residential suite, according to the release.
The hotel will also include a ground-floor lobby bar, a restaurant and pool bar on a terrace, and a rooftop bar and lounge for late-night parties. The pool deck is also slated to include 10 private cabanas and an adjacent event lawn. The hotel will also feature nearly 3K SF of meeting space.
Virgin Group operates seven hotels globally, along with a chalet in Verbier, Switzerland, called The Lodge.
Former Virgin Hotels CEO James Bermingham left the company in November after ushering in several new hotels, including in New Orleans and New York City, CoStar News reported. Bermingham was replaced by Virgin Chief Commercial Officer Joe Margison for a 12-month period.
“With Virgin Hotels Atlanta, we want to bring our signature mix of heartfelt service, bold design and playful spirit to a property that feels rooted in Atlanta and perfectly matched to the energy of Centennial Yards,” Margison said in a statement.
