Residences at ATL would be in hotel located in the western edge of main terminal (Image: Hartsfield-Jackson)
Yes indeed. Hotel-style “residences,” which are a huge trend in the hotel industry, could be part of a new “airport city” at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport according to a report on AJC.com.
AJC reports that the airport’s general manager says that a proposed mixed-use development adjacent the to airport’s main terminal will likely include a hotel, office space, a gas station and retail, adding that residential development is “not off the table.” These condos or apartments could be available in as soon as three years.
Could you imagine living that close to an airport? Having the front door of your condo building connected to the entrance to the airport? Looking out the window at a control tower and jets taking off? Would this be a good thing… or bad thing?
Breakfast at home overlooking the runways? (Photo: Miami International Airport Hotel)
If you lived in a condo at Atlanta Airport, you would also have MARTA at your front door, which means that you could actually have a life off the frequent flyer track.
If the condo-at-the-airport concept works in Atlanta, it could easily spread to other airports. One great candidate for a condo makeover would be the ailing Miami International Airport Hotel— which is located literally on top of the main terminals.
There’s the big Hilton at O’Hare and the Hyatt at Dallas Ft Worth– both could include condos as well. At London-Heathrow, there’s a Sofitel and a Hilton that are both connected to the airport.
The view from my room at the brand new Hyatt Seoul Incheon (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
When I was recently in Seoul, I stayed at the brand new Grand Hyatt Incheon, which is part of a mixed use development– really a small city sprouting up at the entrance to Incheon Airport that already includes a hospital, the INHA International Medical Center, as well as several apartment buildings.
This Crown Plaza’s front door opens into airport terminal at Singapore Changi Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
In Singapore, there’s a Crowne Plaza hotel inside the terminal that could include condos. And then there’s that gorgeous 5-star Fairmont inside Vancouver International.
Up an escalator from Vancouver’s airport terminal to the Fairmont (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Where else could we see residences on airport grounds? I know that many TravelSkills readers figuratively state that they feel like they “live” at the airport. But would you ever consider actually moving in and really living there? Please leave your comments below.
In Case You Missed it…
>Which cities worldwide have the best (and worst) quality of life?
>United renovates airport clubs, boosts food quality.
>Virgin Atlantic will boost San Francisco schedule with a 787.
>Hilton finally jumps on the free Wi-Fi
Did you miss TravelSkills Weekend editions? No probs! Here they are:
Don’t buy Gogo onboard + Virgin to Hawaii? + Clever Delta ad + LaGuardia slots
$64,000 roundtrip + Bevy of new flights + Southwest bag fee + Lufthansa update + Kimpton nightcap
World’s 10 highest (and lowest) quality cities
How to enjoy dining alone
+++
>>Take a peek at what you may have missed on TravelSkills.com this week! <<
Like what you just read? Then say so! Scroll back up to the top and LIKE the post on Facebook, post it on Linked In and/or tweet it!
Would you rather get TravelSkills Weekly instead of Daily? No probs! click here to sign up for TravelSkills Weekly.
Please join the 85,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!
As an Atlanta based business traveler I am thankful I live adjacent to a MARTA train stop — it’s a direct shot to the airport. It’s reliable and I admire how clean the trains are compared to when I lived and traveled out of Philly. Yes, there are the occasional crazies on the train, but it’s not any different than other cities. In my 15 years living and traveling out of ATL I’ve never felt unsafe or compelled to drive to the airport due to my experiences on the MARTA train.
“Anything that gets you from point a to point b is ‘top notch’.” I beg to differ. For example, a beat-up bus, built to hold 50, but carrying 150 in India can get you from point a to point b. However, I wouldn’t call that “top notch”. “Top notch” subways are those in Tokyo, London, Munich, etc. MARTA may be “quick” and “reliable”, but it certainly is not safe or pleasant. It smells like homeless people and is full of thugs and crazy people. I’d rather drive to and from the airport and not have to deal with the hassle.
Anything that gets you from point a to point b is “top notch”. MARTA is the same as Metro in D.C., the subway in New York and bart in San Francisco. It’s quick, reliable transportation.
As for downtown Atlanta, there are some OK spots. Sorry I guess for you should of written that “Buckhead” is accessable in 30 minutes.
“Top notch train”??!! Have you ridden MARTA to downtown? Such a scenic route, NOT! Are you confusing ATL with another city? And why would anyone want to go to downtown Atlanta? Do you enjoy viewing urban blight, graffiti, filthy panhandlers, bums, thugs, crime, etc.?
If I traveled a lot I would probably consider it. Especially in a city like Atlanta that has a top-notch train right on your door step which would make downtown Atlanta accessable in ten minutes.
Now if I had kids I wouldn’t want to do that, be a bit unfair for them, but if I had the type of job that I had to travel a lot and my wife didn’t mind think it be great.
I was snow bound once in Chicago and stayed at the hotel at O’Hare. I did not get much sleep when the airport reopen that night plans every hour taking off to clear the backlog. They better have good insulation from the noise.
Why did they not build the new international terminal there and combine it with a new domestic terminal?
Chris, you used to live in ATL, right? I’d be willing to bet you lived in Buckhead, Midtown or maybe Alpharetta. Would you like to live in College Park? You’d be like a prisoner, you couldn’t leave the development for fear of being a crime victim. I’d also be willing to bet that you made sure you had plenty of gas when you drove to the airport, so you wouldn’t have to fill up your tank in that area.
Great article. Would be interesting for sure. If parking was included, that would cut down on parking costs. On the other hand, having guests over could be a bit cumbersome if they had to pay airport parking fees. Great views though. I think apartments would be more practical as many would be hesitant to invest by buying a condo that may or may not go up in value due to the location, and that could have issues such as parking, etc..