Atlanta, the capital and largest city in Georgia, hosts an annual New Year’s Eve celebration in Underground Atlanta, a large retail complex in the center of downtown. The celebration will mark the end of the year and the beginning of a next millennium, mimicking the approach historically taken in New York City with its Time’s Square midnight dropping of the giant sphere. But in Atlanta, it is the historic dropping of the symbolic, State of Georgia Peach that marks the event for this city in the American Southeast.

An alternative to the New Year’s Eve celebration is First Night Atlanta, produced by the Midtown Alliance. For the new millennium, this event promises to be the largest ever, with more than 50 performances, 500 artists and 350 volunteers. The “non-alcohol” event begins in mid-afternoon December 31 with the First Night family festival, when a variety of 30-minute performances at more than 25 locations get underway. At midnight, spectacular fireworks will light up the Atlanta skies.

Atlanta also has its smaller festivities to bring in the new millennium. Parties in Atlanta’s diverse neighborhoods provide entertainment for everyone, while the major hotels offer specific events and packages for the holiday. Since September, the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau has sponsored “A Celebration of American Spirit,” which incorporates events and exhibits at 47 of Atlanta’s theaters.

This first-ever celebration, which runs through January, brings together a wide variety of cultural groups in celebration of a common theme: “You can’t go forward until you have taken time to reflect on the past.” This initiative, which supports the city and local charities, is the result of the great success Atlanta’s hotel industry has enjoyed during the past several years.
Also marking the new millennium is Atlanta 2000, a city-sponsored, ongoing initiative to improve the local quality of life. During the year 2000, this organization will sponsor a variety of projects in response to concerns raised by residents and community groups, including many who believe the city has grown too rapidly with little attention paid to the supporting infrastructure.

Other plans call for making Atlanta more “environmentally friendly,” an initiative that involves an investment in the expansion of the mass transit MARTA rail system. 

Meanwhile, year-to-date occupancies through June 1999 in Atlanta are 66.8%, up 1.1% from the 65.6% recorded during the same period in 1998. In the process, the city has outperformed the entire South Atlantic Region. And, although there have been significant additions to Atlanta’s rooms supply, it has  been well absorbed, as occupancy levels continue to increase. However, average room rates, generally have increased at a rate below the consumer price index (CPI).
Atlanta’s hospitality industry has much to celebrate in the new millennium, enjoying increased revenues, improved profitability and the benefits gained from new technologies. With the city’s hosting of the 1996 Olympic Games, Atlanta has undergone a major revitalization. This new development and growth have characterized the city’s economy in recent years, creating a favorable market for the hospitality industry.

(Linda Coates is a senior manager and Brian Waldman is a staff consultant in the firm’s Hospitality and Leisure Services practice in Atlanta.) 

©Arthur Andersen