Modern Marvel
FORTH hotel rises to the occasion in
Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward
By Blair Knobel
There are hotels that are unapologetically blasé. They tell a lackluster story. We trust these brands to deliver high on function, low on inspiration.
FORTH, a new contemporary hotel and social club in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward, eats lackluster for lunch. It demands reverence. It’s an intersection of modern design, European influence, and vintage touches. It’s a location of layered experiences: stay for a night in a scenic guest room, or a month in a residential suite; work by day at its Italian-influenced café, then dine like a royal by night at its elegant steakhouse; cap the evening at its dreamy rooftop bar, then wake for breakfast at its poolside Mediterranean-focused café. Thanks to the elevated experiences at FORTH, no two days feel the same.
The hotel, which opened last summer, takes residence as the historic Old Fourth Ward, the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., takes new shape. Atlanta is known for its faceted history and urban transformation. FORTH, with floor-to-ceiling windows amplified by a criss-crossing concrete pattern, is a foil to the Craftsman bungalows of its neighborhood. But balance is key to good design, and FORTH’s guest rooms are an equitable blend of modern and classic style. Furniture, woodwork, and rotary phones reflect the vibe of a Southern home from decades past. In contrast to the exterior’s concrete diagrid architecture, FORTH hotel’s wood-beamed lobby sets a warm scene with mid-century modern furniture, moody lighting, and a wood-burning fireplace.
A stay at FORTH lingers long after leaving. The hotel’s attention to detail adds to the ambience—rooms feature a stocked mini bar with etched glassware, along with bourbon from an Atlanta distillery, small-batch liquors, beer, wine, and locally procured snacks; and the bathroom boasts marble finishes, as well as carefully sourced toiletries from Parisian brand Le Labo.
“FORTH, a new contemporary hotel and social club in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward, eats lackluster for lunch. It demands reverence.”
The hotel’s restaurants Elektra and Il Premio, and rooftop bar, Moonlight—featuring stunning city views—are as detail-driven. Il Premio, Italian for “the prize,” feels both capacious and warm (like the hotel’s lobby that is a mash-up of mid-century modern meets Italian monastery). The restaurant continues this vibe with plush seating, a fresco-style mural, and Mediterranean menu. Dishes are artful and varied: my guest and I enjoy Mediterranean sea bass, cucumber, finger lime, and caviar; an appealingly bitter radicchio salad with hearth-roasted beets; pillowy cappelletti di zucca (which, as my dinner companion noted, means “priest stranglers” in Italian) with brown butter, sage, and Amaretti; American Wagyu “Rossini Style” with spiced foie gras, maitake mushrooms, and truffle Madeira jus, along with transformative broccolini alla brace and olive-oil-crushed potatoes on the side. The cocktail list is inventive while rooted in the classics (like Italy, itself), and the wine, which the server selects, amplifies the flavors of the food.
The next morning, I open my room’s blackout curtains to reveal a blue-steel sunrise that I enjoy in bed while sipping in-room Nespresso coffee. Only the lure of breakfast at Elektra pulls me from my elevated chamber, and I push myself to the gym for a short session before diving into an expertly made omelet.
After breakfast, knowing that check-out is imminent, I opt to enjoy a long shower in my suite and take in the expansive city view. For a moment I feel down about leaving, but then I remember the shortest visits are often the sweetest.
FORTH, 800 Rankin St NE, Atlanta, GA; (470) 470-8010; forthatlanta.com
Photography (interiors) by Matthew Williams; (food and drink) by Andrew Thomas Lee. This story appears in our Spring 2025 issue.
