Sep. 18, 2008 - The owner of Bank of America Plaza is negotiating to bring a 315-room, "five-star" hotel to the iconic Midtown skyscraper.

The hotel would go in the first 16 floors and require Bank of America to move its offices in the building, said David Cobb, president and chief executive office of BentleyForbes, the Los Angeles-based owner.

The 55-story Bank of America building, at Peachtree Street and North Avenue, is the tallest building in Atlanta.

Cobb said BentleyForbes is trying to work out issues with tenants in the building and interviewing architects before announcing the hotel's name.

"We're retooling the Bank of America Plaza to free up space for a luxury hotel," he said.

BentleyForbes is a privately held commercial real estate company that also owns Prudential Plaza in Chicago. The Atlanta building is its second-largest property at 1.29 million square feet.

BentleyForbes bought Bank of America Plaza in 2006, paying $436 million.

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