Editor Pick
Radisson Atlanta Airport South
- August 24, 2006
- Rated 2 of 5 by
brianestadt from McKeesport, Pennsylvania
Stayed here in 2005 during layovers to/from the U.S. Virgin islands. Since we were spending a nice chunk of change in the islands, we went with the cheapest airport hotel we could find in Atlanta. This was it.
Others thought the same. Processing at the front desk was a bit slow, and the lobby always seemed crowded with families with lots of children and even more luggage. That said, it IS an airport hotel... But that doesn’t explain the funky smell in the halls and our rooms. This place had a mild mildew aroma. An extremely through cleaning/upgrade would help.
Among the amenities are an indoor pool, bar/lounge, and exercise room. We didn’t use the pool, but it looked like every other hotel pool you’ve ever seen. The exercise room was bare-bones: a treadmill, a bike, and a few other pieces of equipment. It also had a terrible green decor.
As for the bar/lounge, it was an experience. The bartender was a plain-speaking woman in her late 40s who was accommodating and friendly, but she was far from the fastest bartender I’ve ever encountered. Yet, she was handling not only the tiny bar, but also the locals who were (loudly) playing pool and the jukebox. Still, with maybe only a dozen people, she could have moved faster.
After a long day of travel, my wife and I were starving, so we asked at the bar if we could order some food. The bartender told us that the kitchen had just closed (this was a little after 9pm), but that she’d see what she could do. A few minutes later, she returned and asked what we’d like. We went with the beef nachos and a fried chicken dinner. The nachos had a really interesting — in a good way — flavor. Sweet and only mildly spicy, they were an unexpected, welcome meal. The chicken dinner was fine, but a bit disappointing for someone who looked forward to what he hoped was genuine southern fried chicken.
Drink options were very limited (no Crown Royal that day and a rudimentary selection of beers that left me with a Coors Lite), and the abundance of signed 8x10 photos of professional wrestlers from the ‘80s to the present was a bit bizarre. As a hockey fan, I was reassured to see a hockey stick hanging on the wall and a few Atlanta Thrashers items.
At the bar we met a Swedish business traveler, and the three of us had a great ranging conversation that spanned a couple of hours, so even though the locals sometimes got too loud, we have good memories about the bar. Overall, for the hotel, however, it was below average because of the smell and dated decor. But you get what you pay for, so we didn’t feel ripped off. Truly a budget accommodation.
From journal Atlanta, as Seen During an Overnight Layover