The Hyatt Regency Atlanta, located on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, is an award winning hotel which opened in 1967. The John C. Portman, Jr. designed building has influenced hotel design since. When it was first built in 1967, the Regency Hyatt House, as the hotel was originally called, instantly became one of the most recognized buildings in Atlanta, and its open-air 22-story atrium and revolving rooftop restaurant became a "must-see" attraction by Atlantans and tourists alike.
The building consists of the main "Atrium Tower" and two extensions, completed in 1971 and 1982, containing a total of 1,260 rooms. On top of the Hyatt Regency is a revolving restaurant called Polaris, located just beneath the blue dome-shaped structure which gives the hotel its distinctive profile. This was John Portman's first designed revolving restaurant of many. When the hotel first opened, the restaurant gave diners an ever-changing panoramic view of the entire city; however, as taller buildings were erected on all sides of the hotel, the restaurant's view became increasingly constricted. Hotel managers cited renovation needs when the Polaris closed in August 2004, but no plans to re-open the restaurant have been announced.
In 1971 the Ivy Tower (now called Radius Tower) was constructed, which was also designed by John Portman. It closely resembles his Westin Peachtree Plaza, which opened five years later. So similar are the two buildings that in 1981, the Tower doubled for the Peachtree Plaza in the film Sharky's Machine starring Burt Reynolds. Stuntman Dar Robinson dropped (67 m (220 ft) from the Tower, setting a record for the highest freefall (unrestrained) jump from a building in a film. In 1970, Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors, stayed at The Hyatt Regency Atlanta while attending the Atlanta Film Festival. At the awards ceremony, he gave his room key to the woman presenting him the plaque.
In 1982, the International Tower was added, which is the same as the original design but has expanded rooms and suites.
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View of the Atrium and glass elevators looking up from the lobby floor
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View of the Atrium from the 8th floor
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View of the Hyatt from the Westin Peachtree Plaza