The Starling Atlanta Midtown, Curio Collection by Hilton

Character and identity

A 2022 reinvention of a 27-floor W Hotel (originally a 1970s Sheraton), The Starling brings 466 rooms and a genuinely quirky personality to Midtown Atlanta. The name nods to Piedmont Park's social birds, and avian motifs run throughout, including elevators dressed as wooded glens. The vast rectangular lobby is the heart of the place: multiple zones for drinking, eating, live music and DJs, anchored by The Commons for breakfast, Lantana for dinner (short menu, chicken wings done many ways), and the Hidden Bar & Lounge. Rooms are pared back, with pale gray forest-shadow wallpaper and floor-to-ceiling windows doing the work. Service is young, warm and unpolished in the best way.

Who's it for

Bottom line

What you're really buying here is location and atmosphere at a price that undercuts the competition: a walkable Midtown base with a lobby that feels like a neighbourhood living room. Book a Skyline King or Double Queen as high up as possible with park views, skip the $62 valet and use MARTA, and avoid the major festival weekends unless that's exactly why you're coming.