Hotel Review: The Candler Hotel Atlanta, Curio Collection by Hilton
Spoiler alert: I loved this hotel.
Hotel Review: The Candler Hotel Atlanta, Curio Collection by Hilton
I’ve been to Atlanta countless times, mainly due to being a Delta loyalist. However, I never really ventured outside of the Atlanta Hartsfield Airport. Since Delta operates frequent non-stop flights between Pittsburgh and Atlanta, I decided to take a quick weekend trip to Atlanta. I had earned lots of Hilton Honors points this year, so I spent 60,000 points to reserve a 1 king bedroom at The Candler Hotel Atlanta.
What card did I use to earn those points? The AMEX Hilton Honors Aspire Card!
I earn tons of Hilton Honors points by using my AMEX Hilton Honors Aspire card. It is currently offering its highest sign-up bonus of 150,000 Hilton Honors points when you spend $4,000 within your first 3 months of card membership. It earns 14X Hilton Honors points per dollar when you book directly with Hilton, 7X Hilton Honors per dollar on flights and cars booked directly through AMEX Travel, and 3X Hilton Honors per dollar on all other purchases. Paired with Hilton’s frequent promotions, it opens a door to endless point earning opportunities.
AMEX Hilton Aspire card is arguably the best hotel card on the market right now. Photo credit: Americanexpress.com
It does come with a hefty $450 annual fee but has a ton of perks and benefits to significantly offset the annual fee cost. The Hilton Aspire card features the following benefits:
Automatic Hilton Diamond status - the highest status offered by Hilton
$250 Hilton resort statement credit - only applicable to Hilton resorts listed here (https://www3.hilton.com/en/resorts/index.html)
$250 incidental credit towards an airline of your choice - similar to AMEX Platinum’s airline credit
1 free weekend night certificate
$100 Hilton on-property, incidental credit - when you book a minimum two-night stay at the Waldorf Astoria and Conrad properties. Users must use the booking code ZZAAP1 when making a reservation
Access to Priority Pass lounges
Even if you do not stay at Hilton often, in my opinion, this card is still a must-have. It is a true example of a keeper card, as the benefits of the card outweigh the steep $450 annual fee.
If you’d like to apply for the American Express Hilton Aspire Card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! http://refer.amex.us/EDWARSr3Jf?xl=cp01
Why I chose the Candler hotel: Historic beauty and location
There are Hilton hotels everywhere in Atlanta; from Hampton Inn and Home2 Suites to Hilton and Embassy Suites, resulting in well over 15 locations to choose from. The Candler hotel is by far the most luxurious of them all. Originally built in 1906 by Asa Candler of Coca-Cola, this 17-story establishment was once the tallest building in Atlanta.
The Candler building was once the tallest building in the city of Atlanta.
The outside of the building features the Beaux-Arts architectural style, which continues inside by showing off its grand marble staircase, brass gargoyles, and original Tiffany windows. I’ve been to luxury hotels, such as Park Hyatt NYC, but the historic elegance of the Candler hotel was simply mesmerizing.
The outside of the hotel was as gorgeous as the inside.
To top it off, the location is also perfect. You can take either the Gold or the Red line from the Atlanta Hartsfield Airport, and a short 20-minute ride will drop you off right by the hotel (less than a 2-minute walk to the hotel from the Peachtree Center station). The Candler hotel is about a 12 min walk away from the World of Coca-Cola, CNN Center, the Georgia Aquarium, as well as the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Opulent Lobby and Seamless check-in
The Candler hotel has two main entrances, on either side of the building, so guests can have easy access from the street. The sumptuous lobby features marble columns, crystal chandeliers, and a stunning display of their original Tiffany windows.
I really appreciated the ambiance and art style of the lobby.
There were 6 elevators, so I never had to wait to go up to my room.
I never had to share an elevator with other guests.
The front desk and waiting area were tucked away, but I assume it was intentionally designed this way as the hotel is a historic property and allows access to the public.
Another entrance to the hotel. This entrance is closer to the check-in desk.
The check-in area was clean and modern, with sofas and tables all throughout to accommodate many guests at once. Upon my initial arrival, there was no wait and I was promptly assisted.
The check-in lounge had many sitting areas.
Room Review: Spacious and Luxurious
I received a complimentary upgrade to a Deluxe King One Bedroom Suite with city views - the best room the hotel had. As soon as I walked in, there was a sitting area with a table for two and a sofa.
The sitting area had a small table for tea or coffee, and the couch was comfortable.
On the wall was an industrial, LED-lit full-length mirror with an adorable small brass key tray.
I put my wallet and key on the tiny tray so I don’t forget them when I leave my room.
Off to the side of the living room area, there was a well-stocked Nespresso machine and a Marshall speaker available to listen to your own music.
The Nespresso machine was very well-stocked.
The living room featured another sofa, a 55-inch TV, a coffee table, and more chairs. The sofa was soft and comfortable, and there were lots of oversized windows letting in natural sunlight.
The living room area had a plenty of seats for a large party of people.
The bedroom featured a large king bed with mood lighting and more oversized windows, providing an excellent view.
The bed was very comfortable, and was equipped with outlets and USB ports.
The bed was very comfortable, and there were outlets and USB ports everywhere so guests could readily charge electronic devices. The bedroom had a 55-inch TV, and an entrance to the bathroom.
The view from the bedroom window was nice.
The bathroom had gorgeous white marble flooring with a bathtub in the middle and a sink on either side.
The bathroom was classic looking and functional with two sinks.
The tub was big enough to fit two small adults, so I took a bath at night to decompress and relax. Both sinks were well-lit, although only one of them had a separate magnified LED mirror. There was a walk-in shower, and the toiletry items were by Balmain. The toilet was in an enclosed room, which shared an entrance from the living room area.
The bathtub was big for two small adults and was very comfortable.
Balmain amenities? Thank you! I kept them upon checking out.
A new, high-tech gym
As a self-proclaimed gym junkie, I usually work out even when I travel. I wish the Candler hotel had a pool but it did have a nice, high-tech gym. It was fully equipped with Pelotons and the newest Life Fitness machines for those who like to cycle, run, or row.
Two Pelotons for those who want to cycle.
These Life Fitness cardio machines were brand new.
There were two benches with dumbbells and a dual adjustable pulley with various resistance bands.
The pulley had a bunch of different types of resistance bands.
Two benches and basic dumbbells were enough for me.
The gym was not very big but has everything you need. I appreciated the little den where you can sit down to tie your shoes and grab chilled water bottles or fresh towels before and after exercises. I ended up stopping by the gym before I left the hotel to grab a few chilled water bottles.
Cold water after an intense workout is always appreciated.
There were two enclosed restrooms and a small powder room if you need to freshen yourself up after an intense workout. The restrooms did not have showers but I usually prefer to take a shower in my own room, so it did not matter to me.
The gym did not have a shower, but it was not a problem for me.
Outside the gym, there was a small sitting area, and the water fountain was absolutely gorgeous.
There was a small lounge area right outside of gym.
A gorgeous water fountain in the basement area.
What I loved: Free breakfast at By George
I love food and dining out. When I found out that Hugh Acheson’s restaurant By George is located on the first floor, I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to try his food. The restaurant is gorgeous, continuing the marble, Beaux-Arts architectural style.
The restaurant was big and spacious, continuing the marble-chandelier theme of the hotel.
There was a fully stocked bar close to the entrance of the restaurant.
Though menu items are not cheap, Hilton Gold and Diamond members can get free breakfast.
The free breakfast menu for Hilton Gold and Diamond members.
When I arrived at the restaurant at around 8AM, it was very empty. I chose Intelligentsia coffee, orange juice, and a croissant sandwich with soft scrambled eggs, duxelles, gruyere, and scallions. The duxelles was very flavorful, with funky and earthy mushroom notes, and the scrambled eggs were so soft and creamy. The waitress was attentive and my overall breakfast experience was pleasant.
The sandwich was delicious and the coffee was smooth. I would come back here again.
How much value did I get out of my stay?
I originally booked their lowest tier room (1 king bedroom) using 60,000 Hilton Honors points. At the time of booking, it was $355.38 per night with taxes and fees included. That put me at a 0.59 cents per point valuation, which was typical given Hilton Honors points are usually valued between 0.4 and 0.6 cents per point. However, because I got upgraded to the 1 king bedroom deluxe suite, which was $582.17 per night at the time of booking, I was able to get an incredible 0.97 cents per point valuation! The king bedroom deluxe suite at the Candler hotel usually costs more than 200,000 Hilton Honors points, and it was 236,000 Hilton Honors points at the time of my booking. I would never feel comfortable paying over 200k Hilton points per night for a hotel room, even though it is a luxury suite. Thanks to my Hilton Diamond status, I was able to score this gorgeous room for only 60,000 points.
I only used 60,000 Hilton Honors points for the best suite available at the Candler Hotel, which normally costs over 200,000 Hilton Honors points for a night. Photo credit: Hilton.com
What I disliked: Creepy turndown experience
The only part that turned me off from the hotel was their turn-down service. I appreciate turn-down service when it is done right. For instance, when I stayed at Park Hyatt NYC for a week, my room was exceptionally well cleaned and organized every evening before I returned for the night. The Candler hotel staff did a good job of cleaning. However, they turned off every light in the room and turned on both of my TVs (one in the living room and one in the master bedroom) for some reason, and I never watch TV in hotel rooms. It was really off-putting to open my hotel room door only to see darkness and hear voices talking. Some mood lighting would’ve been nice. I concluded that the hotel cleaning staff probably turned on the TVs while cleaning and forgot to turn them off. It was not a big deal but since it is a luxury property, I expected everything to be near perfect.
I did not enjoy the turndown experience, but loved the door tag.
Summary
The Candler Hotel Atlanta, Curio Collection by Hilton is an amazing property. Its location and historic beauty are well worth the 60,000 Hilton Honors point tag. The deluxe one king bed suite was very spacious while over-sized windows allowed great views and ample natural lighting. I loved the bathtub, which was perfect for relaxing at the end of the night. The restaurant By George is not your everyday dining spot, but it lives up to its hype and is well worth a visit in the morning for breakfast, especially if you are either a Hilton Gold or Diamond member. Although the turndown service was imperfect, I enjoyed the service by the front desk staff and the restaurant staff. The gym was full of state-of-the-art machines, and the fridge full of cold water bottles was a nice touch. As you could probably tell, I really liked this hotel. I will definitely visit again when I am in Atlanta in the future.
If you’d like to apply for the American Express Hilton Aspire, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! http://refer.amex.us/EDWARSLgWl?XLINK=MYCP
