A Look Inside Forth, Atlanta’s New Old Fourth Ward Haunt

There is plenty of room in Atlanta for cool new hotel concepts. And while the most luxurious ones tend to open their doors on the north side of town in Buckhead, the Forth hotel and social club is already profoundly different just by existing in the city’s hip and historic Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. Forth tucks in among the Historic Fourth Ward Park, Ponce City Market, and the BeltLine’s Eastside trail and sits near the much-loved Three Parks Wine Shop.

From the outside, the 189,000-square-foot diagrid structure is reminiscent of Manhattan’s iconic Hearst Tower. But step inside and you’re transported to polished, sultry digs with a contemporary Parisian feel—and conversation pieces galore, like the taxidermied fox diorama at the check-in desk. Morris Adjmi Architects designed the 196-room hotel (in collaboration with Method Co., a Philadelphia-based hospitality and development firm). The team is known for such notable projects as the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn, the Four Seasons Charleston Hotel & Residences, and the Goodtime Hotel in Miami. Forth’s guest rooms are a testament to both firms’ focus on luxury touches big and small—from the floor-to-ceiling windows that peer out over the park’s lush tree canopy to the bathrooms’ decadent hinoki-scented toiletries from Le Labo.

But Forth is not just a hotel. The sixteen-floor structure combines wellness initiatives, striking design, food and drink options aplenty, and an emphasis on social connection—a combination that hasn’t quite existed for locals until now. Travel-loving Atlantans know we don’t have a Soho House, and while Forth isn’t trying to replicate Soho, it certainly shares a few traits with that well-known members-only club. According to the website, the Forth club hopes to attract “creators and innovators from all walks of life,” and membership includes access to the rooftop pool and the fitness center with its steam room, cold plunge, dry sauna, and yoga and pilates classes.

But the most exciting space might be Il Premio, the forthcoming lobby-level Italian restaurant and piano bar. The hoteliers promise a swanky space adorned with chandeliers and a vintage player baby grand piano—the kind of restaurant where Atlantans will want to dine with friends, family, and lovers, and even alone to soak up the scene from a bar stool. While we don’t yet have hints of who the chef will be, we do know the restaurant plans to serve homemade pastas and Italian wines.