The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta — Hotel in Atlanta

I imagine that in the 1980s, this place was pretty great - a very cool, tall, cylindrical building dominating the Atlanta skyline. Unfortunately from my experience, no discernable improvements have taken place in the interim and this was honestly as close to a dive as you're going to get with a hotel that has "Westin" on the front of the building.

I stayed here for a quick work trip last weekend during the Tour Championship. From a conversation with my colleague who booked the trip, this place was primarily picked because of its location - it's right in the downtown ATL within easy walking distance of a few tourist attractions (not that I really cared about that; no offense to the soda industry, but the Coca Cola factory isn't on my travel bucket list) and most importantly a short bus ride away from the East Lake Country Club. It was also relatively easy to get to from the myriad of places I visited during the weekend in different parts of the city, so on that basis, it's hard to argue. I would also mention that tons of other hotels are in this area as well, so if the location is the sole reason for the pick, you may have better options just based on the sheer variety.

This needs to be emphasized - the neighborhood surrounding this hotel is AWFUL. I work near Penn Station in NYC so I'm sadly used to dealing with hordes of homeless drug addicts in my day to day, but this was significantly worse. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that there was a homeless guy staggering around with his pants around his ankles literally on the premises of the hotel - in the area outside by the valet parking within clear view of multiple employees - and no one did anything about it. Beyond that, I was outside numerous times during my stay and there were homeless people on the sidewalk in front of and on the sides of the hotel and in the small park across the street every time. It's a massive problem in this city and just an incredibly abysmal situation. But to me, it is inexcusable for a hotel claiming to be a pretty top-tier establishment just ignoring the problem and letting potentially dangerous people onto the premises within feet of its guests. You are just begging for a lawsuit at some point. I don't know if every single hotel in the city is like this or not, but I certainly hope this is more an exception than a rule.

The actual staffers I directly interacted with during my stay were very nice - a true saving grace. The gentleman who checked me in midday was super friendly and professional, and anyone I basically made direct eye contact with was sociable and helpful. At the very least, they're training the employees here to be legit members of the hospitality industry and arguably for many visitors, that's enough.

I alluded to it already, but the accommodations are desperately in need of an upgrade. I provided a few accompanying pictures, but there were noticeable tears in a lot of the furniture, as well as visible scuffmarks on the walls in both my room and in the hallways. It's hard to feel legitimately comfortable in a hotel when everything is in disrepair and doesn't feel clean (to be fair, I didn't encounter anything like bugs or mold, which is a different animal - it was all just in the vein of drab and falling apart). There's probably also nothing they can do about this absent a significant overhaul, but the bathrooms are a little claustrophobic and not well designed. I provided a picture so you can see the awkwardly narrow area next to the shower - there wasn't even room to lay down a towel on the floor because the toilet is so close to the shower.

I was on the 59th floor so I did have a view of the southern Atlanta area. Not much to say about that beyond being able to see the old Turner Field (now being utilized by Georgia State) and a bunch of highways. If you like being up high regardless of the surroundings, that's a selling point.

When my chum came to pick me up after I checked in, she arched her eyebrows and said, "Girl, you're in the...

Where do I start? I guess being trapped on the 84th floor with a newborn baby would be as good as any! I recently suffered a pin stroke due to preeclampsia in Nov and a life break was much needed but instead it was a nightmare at this hotel where I was both stereotyped and neglected! I had a wonderful dinner at the Sundial which I went too under the impression it rotated…it wasn’t until I was seated I was told it stopped rotating in 2017! I was there with my newborn celebrating her sweet 3 months and more…the service was great and accommodating but trying to return to my room is where the terror began. The elevator was stuck and would not move! I felt absolutely helpless to protect my newborn who looks to her mommy to keep her safe! Dispatch tried to keep me calm as I hyperventilated and eventually had a panic attack. I’m unable to give the time we were trapped because head of security refuses to give me any information on the dispatch call, but the emergency person did what they could to stop me from literally stroking out in fear while they tried to get me and my sweet baby off the elevator. They eventually got me out and gave me water. The next day I expected management at the very least to reach out and at least apologize for my experience but that never happened! Front desk told me the GM Tom Boyer was at a meeting…I had to once again get on the frightening elevator because the phone in my room did not work! (a service technician had to eventually come fix it) after coming down to speak with management twice with no luck I was very frustrated and disappointed because this was a hotel I held to very high expectations but I assume I didn’t fit the profile of their high paying customers! When that couldn’t be further from the truth! I brought my baby down in her snow suit after not being able to speak with a manager I went to go outside to smoking area to calm down because I was literally in tears and the lady at the front desk who understood my frustration asked me if I could go back to the room to get a car seat and she would look out for the baby and keep her behind the desk which was still in visible sight so I didn’t have to take her out in the snow. I thought that was very kind of her again I held this hotel to the highest standard and from where I was standing I could see everything including the agent and desk area. It was literally a 2-3 min breather I took before I came back in and was finally met and approached by a manager named Tiffany (manager from different racial background)who turned her nose up at me and proceeded to yell at me about hotel policy of leaving my child. I told her not once but three times what happened and that I was offered that As a courtesy of a representative being kind she disregarded everything I said and still treated me like an unfit parent! The elevator may have caused physical pain but the treatment by Tiffany a member of management caused me emotional pain because I would never in a million years hurt my children definitely not abandon them, even though their property rendered me helpless to protect her (my newborn) being in a jammed elevator. Again I asked to speak to Gm Tom Boyer who they once again said was in a meeting I asked that they leave a urgent message that he at least speak to me after the meeting about my experience and after hours of absolutely no contact from the GM Tom Boyer I spoke to another manager who said he would at the very least offer points and never did to this day! I was so afraid of the elevators and treatment I called my husband and other children to join me so that I could rest from my anxiety because I felt helpless and alone. The next day at checkout I again asked to speak to GM Tom Boyer who they said was not available so I asked for a recording of the dispatch and the recording of elevator call and was then greeted by head of security who extended only an apology. Please see photos for the rest of this horrible experience as I have exceeded character...

Pros: The location was perfectly situated for where we needed to be. It allowed us to walk everywhere we needed to go. The hotel is very unique in design, which made it easy to find amongst the crowds. Even though valet was full the entire time we were there, the staff were very friendly. We had a King room on a lower floor that was clean and had a nice office area that was perfect for when I had to work with clients via computer. They offer room service, which was prompt and food was good. While I did not physically interact with front desk staff, when I did speak with them on the phone, they were courteous, kind and professional. Bed was comfortable and water stayed nice and hot. AC worked great!

Cons: Unfortunately, they outweigh the pros. If you want a good window view, opt for a higher floor, like 50th+ ... otherwise, your only view is that of a parking garage across the street. This is definitely an outdated hotel that could use some furnishing upgrades. The shower grout looked moldy or dirty so it felt kind of gross to stand in. The pillows were not comfy and I had requested feather pillows with my reservation and either they didn't have them or forgot. Either way, this was the first time a Marriott property didn't supply me with my requested pillows. The elevators for the lower floors are messed up!! Several times we felt the elevator drop and bounce up and down and then were stuck on the 6th floor. One time we were fortunate to have a hotel employee in there to get us out but we couldn't get to the 5th floor from there and didn't even want to try. Another time I was stuck in there I pushed the 6th floor where it said it got stuck and it opened after a minute and the floor and elevator wasn't even leveled with each other. I leapt out of there and chose to use the accessible all floors elevator the duration of my stay. Btw, be prepared to hear the elevators the entire time you are there going up and down. It is the strangest sound.

Our fridge didn't work so we had to get a new one. There isn't a microwave in the room. We were oddly supplied half the towels we normally would be. To get in touch with the front desk, we would have to call over and over for periods of sometimes 15-20min and after awhile the phone just stops ringing and turns off - so we would have to keep restarting the process. The bartenders were RUDE. When we arrived, we waited our turn and when we got to the front they made eye contact with both of us several times and then proceeded to help people BEHIND US and to the left of us. This experience alone dropped what would have been a 3-4 star rating to a 2 star rating. We didn't leave a tip but I'm sure they charged one themselves when they charged to our room bc the cost was $$$. If expecting to eat at the Sundial or if that is a factor for booking here, make sure to call ahead to ensure it's actually open. It was closed the entire time we were there which was terrible and if you want to go up there for a view.. it costs those of us staying there $10 each adult! Which to me is a joke considering the steep cost of our stay.. and we never made it up there due to the hours of operation. There is no self-parking, only valet and valet fills up fast and stays closed out then. It's $55/day. We were fortunate to find a spot at the attached parking garage NOT a part of Westin, that charges $40/day, otherwise you must go a block or two down to park, like most of our party. If you want a late checkout, anything after 12P is...