STAYCATION

Elegantly sleek, the Thompson Buckhead is a new addition to Atlanta's hotel portfolio.

Stuck on You

The Thompson's Italian-American Dirty Rascal is brought to you by General Muir Chef Todd Ginsberg.

The Thompson Buckhead leaves a lasting impression STORY: Giannina S. Bedford

The Thompson Buckhead may be tucked away on the corner of East Paces Ferry

Road and Buckhead Avenue, but its 10-story glass exterior is hard to miss. The interior of the Hyatt property is impressive yet feels warmer and more inviting.

Upon entering the lobby to checkin for a quick 24-hour getaway with my husband, I was taken by the design mixing mid-century minimalism with statement-making light fixtures and colorful furnishings in various textures and patterns.

Pieces by local artists conjured the feeling of staying in a high-end residence while pops of greenery and striking flower arrangements by Botanica Floral added an almost tropical vibe. Adjacent to the lobby, locals and visitors alike lounged on tufted leather sofas and banquettes with cocktails procured from the intimate, five-seat bar just past an iron and glass archway. We were tempted to join the cocktail hour but instead headed upstairs to settle in.

Our accommodations, like all of the Thompson’s 201 guestrooms, featured subdued earthen hues and jewel-toned furnishings, from an emerald-green dresser retrofitted to serve as a coffee and cocktail bar to a red velvet lounger in the adjoining

TV room. Flanked by modern globe lights, the king bed in Sferra linens had a dark green velvet headboard that extended on one side to become the back of a bedside banquette, the ideal spot to take in striking skyline views through floor-to-ceiling windows. In the bathroom, dark tones reigned with titanium quartzite stone countertops in a leathered finish and a dark-gray tiled shower behind a textured glass door. A recessed shelf in the shower showcased a metallic and smoky tile backsplash that added a touch of glam in the otherwise masculine setting.

If the Thompson’s design makes the best first impression, a visit to the lobby level restaurant will only make one fall further in hotel love. Dirty Rascal is an Italian-American concept by James Beard-nominated chef Todd Ginsberg of The General Muir. The playful name is embodied by a red fox mascot depicted in decorative red metal works by local artist Huelani Fogleman. I’d heard it was becoming difficult to get a reservation at the new hot spot. The Friday night we stepped onto Dirty Rascal’s black and white penny tile floors, its popularity was apparent. The wood-paneled bar was packed with special event guests, couples and the after-work crowd. In our cozy booth, we sipped on an Old Cuban (Santa Teresa 1976 rum, lime, mint, prosecco and bitters) and Amaro Smash (Knob Creek Rye, Cynar 70, mint, honey and lemon), awaiting what turned out to be a shrimp cocktail of enormous, wildcaught crustaceans from Ecuador. We followed it up with a sharable portion of the Gorgonzola salad (celery, roasted grapes, candied pecans, pear, frisée and Gorgonzola dressing), the melt-in-yourmouth ricotta tortellini and lamb Bolognese and a precisely cooked flounder Francese. We also ordered sides of broccolini and garlic to accompany the a la carte dishes. With no room for dessert, we retreated upstairs post-dinner for a nightcap overlooking the city lights.

Upon my next stay at the Thompson Buckhead, I look forward to making use of the rooftop pool with private cabanas. Tesserae, its private membership club that opened after my stay, is invite-only, but guests staying in the suites and ninth-floor rooms have access to the indoor-outdoor rooftop space.

Atlanta is awash with stylish places to overnight, but my 24-hour fling with the Thompson Buckhead garnered it a spot near the top of my list of local loves. n

THOMPSON BUCKHEAD • 404.574.1234 thompsonbuckhead.com • @hyatt