Looks like the Mandarin Oriental Hotel is indeed taking over the Mansion on Peachtree. According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the company has inked the deal and is set to transition into the hotel starting this coming April. (I broke the story last week on my blog.) Sorry Midtown! It is definitely easier for the brand to enter the market utilizing an existing high-end building, rather than starting from scratch. The Mansion is a beautiful property as-is, but I’m sure the folks at Mandarin are going to come in and make it even more upscale and unique. I’m looking forward to the changes!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas! I’m enjoying the weekend with my close friends and family!

The photo is of the lobby at the Four Seasons Hotel in Midtown. Thank you Dan!

The 2010 Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Christmas House will be held this year at the Mansion on Peachtree in Buckhead. There will be two residences to view on the tour, which are roughly 3,393 and 3,754 square feet inside and each has a large octagonal private terrace of about 213 square feet. The website for the Christmas House states the units are on the 41st floor, but floor 41 & 42 are the privately owned duplex penthouse currently on the market for $4,999,000. I believe the show units are actually on the 25th floor. The Christmas House will be open for public tours Thursdays through Sundays, beginning Friday, November 26, and will end on December 12. If you are interested in learning more about the event, please click here.

I love to travel and when I do, I like to experience the best properties a city has to offer. Atlanta has a good number of luxury hotels to choose from. We have a Four Seasons, St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton and a Rosewood Hotel – all offering something unique. As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently stayed at the Mansion on Peachtree over the Fourth of July holiday. My stay was exceptional. The hotel was full of life and the staff was extremely attentive. I really love the interior design of the hotel because it’s a great mix of classic design and modern furnishings.

Over the past few months, the Mansion has had it’s fair share of up’s and down’s, but I really love the property, location and service. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, you should put it on your list. It’s conveniently located on a prime stretch of Peachtree Road and is within walking distance to Phipps Plaza and Lenox Square. Click Here for More Photos & the Rest of the Feature

We have our first official 2010 announcement of a mixed-use project – including condos! Alvin D. James, a veteran broadcasting industry executive, plans to develop the unnamed project on the site of the former One Museum Place condo project at 1301 Peachtree Street, directly across the street from the High Museum.

With an estimated cost for the project of $350 million, the plans include a five-star hotel, street-level retail space, a spa, three restaurants, two pools and a fitness center, as well as an on-site fine art museum to house Wieland’s private art collection for the first year. 24 residences will be above the hotel. He is also planning a separate condo tower with 50 units. James said his luxury condo units will start in the low $700,000s and penthouse units will start at $1.2 million.

James is in talks with three international hotel brands as a flag for the hotel, which he plans to open in spring 2012. He said a European hedge fund, which he did not name, is fully funding the $350 million project. Design Reese Architects and Associates P.C. in Atlanta is designing the hotel.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle broke the story in today’s edition.

Today I attended my first TweetUp. The idea was to get a bunch of Tweeters together to explore the new Loews Hotel in Midtown. We were the first people to see the inside of the hotel, so it was quite special.

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably already read my comments as I was wandering through the hotel. If not, you can always go back and read them because there is some great information there.

Above is the Lobby. It’s a beautiful space with huge ceilings, great finishes and can accommodate a large number of people. Loews doesn’t have dedicated front desk people. Everyone on the floor can assist you with your needs. Think of it like concierge service. Ask and you shall receive… I’ll test those limits when the hotel opens. Click Here for More Photos & the Rest of the Feature