Atlanta Hotel Market 2026: Occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, Sales, World Cup and Hotel-Motel Tax
The Hotelier Times · Southeast Desk
Atlanta ranks #2 in the U.S. hotel construction pipeline with 16,938 rooms (Lodging Econometrics, Q3 2026). City of Atlanta July 2026 RevPAR was $131 (ACVB via AJC). World Cup, 8% hotel-motel tax and the big trades.
Last updated: October 30, 2026 · The Hotelier Times · Southeast Desk
Atlanta’s hotel market in 2026: metro occupancy has softened under heavy new supply — including the 976-key Signia by Hilton next to the Georgia World Congress Center — while ADR held or rose modestly and RevPAR stayed roughly flat into mid-2025. This page tracks CoStar/STR and Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau performance, inventory and the nation’s second-largest construction pipeline, City of Atlanta’s 8% hotel-motel excise tax and Georgia’s $5 per-night state hotel-motel fee, notable 2025–2026 sales with price per key, CMBS distress, and demand drivers from Hartsfield-Jackson, GWCC/Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and the eight FIFA World Cup 2026 matches Atlanta hosted including a semifinal.
Last updated: October 30, 2026 · Refresh as new CoStar, ACVB, GWCCA, Lodging Econometrics and transaction disclosures land. Byline: Nathan Snyder, Editor.
2026 performance at a glance
The Plasencia Group’s Top 25 STR table for the June 2025 trailing twelve months put Atlanta at 63.8% occupancy (−1.1%), $126.22 ADR (+1.2%) and $80.49 RevPAR (+0.1%), on 115,539 rooms of inventory and 2,240 rooms under construction (1.9% of inventory) (TPG / STR Q2 2025 Data Book). HVS describes 2025 as an occupancy decline paired with moderate ADR growth that left RevPAR roughly flat, with the Signia supply wave cited as a headwind.
City of Atlanta figures for the World Cup window (ACVB via AJC) show occupancy at 63% in June 2026 (−4% YoY) and 57% in July (−10% YoY), while July RevPAR rose to $131 (+2.4% YoY per ACVB via AJC) — rate-positive, occupancy-mixed in the city core (AJC, Sept. 14, 2026). Label those as City of Atlanta, not metro Top 25. CoStar reported Atlanta’s semifinal week occupancy −8.2 percentage points YoY and RevPAR −6.4% as group demand fell 41.4% (CoStar).
Cornovus Capital’s Q2 2026 Southeast report projects full-year 2026 Atlanta occupancy 62.2%, ADR $127.87 and RevPAR $79.49, with roughly 1,000 rooms delivered — a named forecaster projection, not an actual (Cornovus). Full calendar-year 2025 CoStar absolute occupancy/ADR/RevPAR for Atlanta Top 25 was not publicly available in free CoStar national releases reviewed for this page.
Supply and pipeline
Lodging Econometrics ranked Atlanta #2 nationally at Q3 2026 with 154 projects / 16,938 rooms in the total pipeline, including 24 projects / 2,412 rooms under construction, 57 / 6,633 scheduled to start in the next 12 months, and 73 / 7,893 in early planning. LE forecasts 1,125 rooms opening by YE 2026 and 1,937 in 2027 (LE Q3 2026). Label LE and TPG under-construction figures separately; do not average them.
| Project | Keys | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signia by Hilton Atlanta (GWCCA Championship Campus) | 976 | Opened Jan. 12, 2024 | Owned by GWCCA; >100,000 sf meeting space; largest Atlanta ground-up hotel in ~40 years (Hilton) |
| Hotel Phoenix at Centennial Yards | 292 | Opened Dec. 1, 2025 | CIM Group full-service downtown (CIM) |
Hotel-motel tax and local rules
The City of Atlanta levies an 8% hotel-motel excise tax (O.C.G.A. 48-13-51(b); Georgia DCA). Georgia separately requires a $5.00 per calendar night state hotel-motel fee through day 30 (Georgia DOR). Sales tax on lodging is additional and varies by county (Fulton vs DeKalb) — state the three components separately rather than inventing a single all-in % (Georgia DCA; Georgia DOR FAQ). FY2024 Atlanta City hotel-motel tax revenue was about $101.6M (DCA).
Short-term rentals in the city need an annual Short-Term Rental License ($150) and are subject to the 8% hotel-motel tax (City of Atlanta STR). No City of Atlanta hotel-specific living-wage / Safe Hotels–style licensing ordinance analogous to NYC Local Law 104 was verified for this page.
Notable 2025–2026 Atlanta hotel sales
Price per key only where both price and keys were publicly attributed.
| Date | Hotel | Keys | Price | Per key | Buyer / seller |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 2025 | Hilton Atlanta Airport, Hapeville | 510 | $111.3M | $218,235 | Highline Hospitality Partners from Wheelock Street Capital (Traded) |
| Mar 2025 | Courtyard by Marriott Atlanta Buckhead | 181 | $24.25M | $133,978 | Partners Capital; seller reported as RLJ Lodging Trust (CRE Direct) |
| Jul 2025 | Holiday Inn Express & Suites Morrow | 93 | $15.2M | $163,441 | JSK Hospitality (CRE Direct) |
| Oct 14, 2025 | Crowne Plaza / Staybridge Suites Midtown Atlanta | 462 | Reported $35.5M (ABC / Bisnow / Hotel Business — not in HWE PR) | ~$76,840 (on reported price) | Monomoy Property Ventures + Axonic Capital; HWE brokered; planned Marriott rebrand/reno, late-2027 reopen target (HWE PR; price via secondary reporting) |
| Nov 2025 | Hyatt House Atlanta / Cobb Galleria | 149 | $18.2M | $122,148 | Hospitality Asset Procurers; Hunter Hotel Advisors (CRE Direct) |
| Dec 19, 2025 announce / Jan 2026 coverage | SpringHill Suites by Marriott Atlanta Buckhead | 220 | ~$19.3M (ABC via REBusinessOnline; buyer/seller PR did not disclose) | ~$87,727 | Blueleaf Capital + Three Vision Partners — sale/ownership change, not an opening (buyer PR; REBusinessOnline) |
| Mar 4, 2025 | Hilton Atlanta, 255 Courtland St NE | 1,249 | $191M credit bid at foreclosure auction | $152,922 | Trinity Investments + Axonic Capital; prior ~$218.8M loan defaulted; new Axonic loan ~$193.6–$193.8M (maturity Jan. 2026) — distinct from Airport Hilton (AJC) |
| May 28, 2026 | Westin Peachtree Plaza | 1,073 | Undisclosed (do not treat assessed value as sale price) | — | Portman Hospitality Fund I from Marriott International; Marriott retains management (BusinessWire) |
Crowne Plaza Midtown’s $35.5M is labeled as secondary-source reporting (ABC/Bisnow/Hotel Business); HWE’s own PR did not disclose a price.
Hotels for sale (on-market signals)
Asking prices are omitted unless a broker OM or news article states one. Active broker-verified marketing signals for this page:
- Hampton Inn & Suites Atlanta Buckhead Place, 3312 Piedmont (186 keys per marketing) — Hunter Advisors; call for offers Nov. 12, 2026 (Hunter Advisors listings)
- Fairfield Inn & Suites Atlanta Stonecrest (85 keys per marketing) — Hunter Advisors; call for offers Nov. 6, 2026 (same Hunter listings page)
Other broker marketing pages (HWE Hyatt Place Buckhead, JLL Perimeter/Galleria assets, Colliers Airport-North) exist as on-market signals; HT’s own Hotels for Sale pages are not a source. Colliers Airport-North starting-bid figures are omitted until a primary OM confirms them.
CMBS distress
- The Georgian Terrace, Midtown (326 keys) — maturity default (Notice of Default June 26, 2025); forbearance agreement Dec. 16, 2025 through June 1, 2026 with ~$3.8M principal paydown (Sotherly 8-K). Post–June 2026 outcome is not confirmed in free sources reviewed for this page (Sotherly 8-K).
- Fairfield Inn Atlanta Buckhead (~$9.8M) and Fairfield Inn Atlanta Perimeter Center (~$11.6M) — previously on special-servicing paths; October 2026 CMBS wire reported both returned to master servicer. Do not call them distressed after return without a current delinquency flag.
What’s driving Atlanta
- Supply is the structural story. #2 U.S. total pipeline at Q3 2026; Signia (976) and Hotel Phoenix (292) already in the competitive set.
- World Cup 2026 was rate-positive and occupancy-mixed. Eight matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium including the July 15 semifinal; ~442,000 city hotel rooms booked June 13–July 16 (ACVB). City occupancy still fell YoY; CoStar saw semifinal-week group demand collapse.
- Hartsfield-Jackson remained the world’s busiest passenger airport in 2025 with 106.3 million passengers (ACI).
- GWCCA complex (GWCC + Mercedes-Benz Stadium) generated $1.94B Georgia economic output in FY2025, with $29.9M local hotel/motel tax and $8.99M state hotel/motel fee attributed to complex activity (GWCCA FY2025 study).
- Forward sports calendar: Super Bowl LXII (2028); NCAA Men’s Final Four (2031) per ACVB.
Key sources
- TPG / STR Top 25 Q2 2025 Data Book
- Cornovus Q2 2026 Southeast report
- Lodging Econometrics Q3 2026
- AJC / ACVB World Cup hotel data
- CoStar World Cup host-market rates
- ACI World busiest airports 2025
- GWCCA FY2025 Economic Impact Study
- Georgia DCA hotel-motel tax report
- Georgia DOR state hotel-motel fee FAQ
- FIFA Atlanta host city
- Hilton Signia Atlanta
- HWE Crowne Plaza Midtown sale PR
What’s next for Atlanta hotels
- World Cup 2026 was rate-positive and occupancy-mixed in the city core. Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosted eight FIFA World Cup 2026 matches, including a semifinal on July 15, 2026 (Mercedes-Benz Stadium; FIFA Atlanta). ACVB figures cited by the AJC put City of Atlanta occupancy at 63% in June (−4% YoY) and 57% in July (−10% YoY), while July RevPAR rose to $131 (+2.4% YoY per ACVB via AJC) (AJC). CoStar reported Atlanta’s semifinal week occupancy −8.2 percentage points YoY and RevPAR −6.4% as group demand fell 41.4% (CoStar).
- The construction pipeline remains the structural story. Lodging Econometrics ranked Atlanta #2 nationally at Q3 2026 with 154 projects / 16,938 rooms in the total pipeline, including 24 projects / 2,412 rooms under construction (Lodging Econometrics). Recent downtown supply already includes Signia by Hilton (976 keys, opened Jan. 12, 2024) and Hotel Phoenix at Centennial Yards (292 keys, opened Dec. 1, 2025).
- Hotel-motel tax and state fee keep the guest tax stack material. The City of Atlanta levies an 8% hotel-motel excise tax (O.C.G.A. 48-13-51(b)), and Georgia charges a $5 per-calendar-night state hotel-motel fee through day 30 (Georgia DCA; Georgia DOR FAQ). Short-term rentals in the city require an annual Short-Term Rental License and are subject to the hotel-motel tax.
- Brand conversions and downtown lifestyle product are reshaping Midtown/Downtown comps. Hodges Ward Elliott completed the sale of the 462-room Crowne Plaza / Staybridge Suites Midtown Atlanta, with secondary reporting of a $35.5M price and a planned Marriott rebrand/reno targeting a late-2027 reopen (HWE PR; price via ABC/Bisnow secondary — attribute as reported). Analysis: Conversion-led supply can compete with new-build lifestyle keys without waiting for ground-up entitlements.
- AI booking agents raise distribution questions for a hub market. Agoda is live inside Meta’s Muse in Singapore and Japan (Agoda PR); Cloudbeds plans a U.S. Muse path that records bookings as direct in the hotel PMS for Q1 2027 (Cloudbeds). Analysis: Meta expects commerce fees “paid for by businesses,” but no hotel take-rate is disclosed — treat second-cut narratives as open questions (Meta Q3 2026 transcript).
- Named outlooks still flag supply pressure after the Cup. Cornovus Capital’s Q2 2026 Southeast report projected full-year 2026 Atlanta occupancy 62.2%, ADR $127.87 and RevPAR $79.49, with roughly 1,000 rooms delivered in 2026 (Cornovus). Label those figures as a named forecaster projection, not as actuals.
Future section sources: Mercedes-Benz Stadium · FIFA Atlanta · AJC/ACVB · CoStar · Lodging Econometrics · Hilton Signia · CIM Hotel Phoenix · Georgia DCA / DOR · HWE Crowne Plaza PR · Cornovus · Agoda / Cloudbeds / Meta transcript.
Atlanta hotel market FAQ
How is the Atlanta hotel market doing in 2026?
Metro Atlanta’s June 2025 trailing-twelve-month CoStar/STR path (via The Plasencia Group) showed 63.8% occupancy (−1.1%), $126.22 ADR (+1.2%) and $80.49 RevPAR (+0.1%). City of Atlanta occupancy fell YoY in the World Cup months (63% in June, 57% in July) while July RevPAR rose 2.4% to $131 (ACVB/AJC). Cornovus projects 2026 full-year occupancy 62.2%, ADR $127.87 and RevPAR $79.49.
What hotel taxes apply in Atlanta?
The City of Atlanta levies an 8% hotel-motel excise tax (O.C.G.A. 48-13-51(b); Georgia DCA). Georgia separately requires a $5.00 per night state hotel-motel fee through the first 30 nights. Sales tax on lodging is additional and varies by county. Short-term rentals in the city also pay the 8% hotel-motel tax and need an annual STR license ($150).
How did the 2026 World Cup affect Atlanta hotels?
Atlanta hosted eight matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, including the July 15 semifinal. About 442,000 city hotel rooms were booked June 13–July 16 (ACVB). City occupancy still fell YoY in June and July; rates/RevPAR held up better than occupied rooms. CoStar reported the semifinal week with occupancy and RevPAR down YoY as group demand dropped more than World Cup leisure could replace.
How large is the Atlanta hotel pipeline?
Lodging Econometrics (Q3 2026): Atlanta ranks #2 in the U.S. with 154 projects / 16,938 rooms in the total pipeline, including 24 projects / 2,412 rooms under construction. LE forecasts 1,125 rooms opening by YE 2026 and 1,937 in 2027.
What role do GWCC and Hartsfield-Jackson play?
GWCCA’s FY2025 study puts complex-wide economic output at $1.94B, with $29.9M in local hotel/motel tax and $8.99M in state hotel/motel fees. Hartsfield-Jackson remained the world’s busiest passenger airport in 2025 with 106.3 million passengers (ACI).
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