Can't help you with lodging suggestions, but as for architecture:

One of my favorite architectural guilty pleasures is John Portman's Peachtree Center, especially the Mariott Marquis hotel atrium:



The whole Peachtree Center complex is so anti-urban it should be criminal, but I love the brutalism and the huge atrium spaces. Last time I was there, it was possible to ride the express elevator to the top without having a room key, but I'm not sure if that's still allowed. If it is, it's almost as much of a rush as a theme park ride.

Atlanta's MARTA rapid transit system isn't much to write home about (think of it as a poor man's DC Metro), but the Peachtree Center station is hewn from solid granite, which is left exposed:



I've always liked the Five Points station as well, where the two main lines cross each other in a huge cavernous space, with a multitude of stairs and escalators connecting all the platforms. (But then, I'm fascinated by stuff like that.) The one nice thing about MARTA, though, is that it serves the airport directly, so you may find it useful if you're not renting a car.

I think Richard Meier and Calatava have done buildings at the art museum, but I'm not very familiar with those projects. I'm sure others will chime in with their own ideas.

I stayed at the Ellis in 2007, the last time I was in Atlanta. Aside from the reason I was there (thoroughly bad business trip), the hotel itself was pretty nice, and definitely would appeal to an architect.

i have to agree with living in gin, the peachtree center station void has an affect on me.

their is Meier's original High Museum, with the addition by Renzo Piano.

the calatrava stuff doesn't exist anywhere but on paper and on someones hardrive. way too progressive for atlanta.

you could always go to the aquarium just off centennial olympic park, i hear the fish are nice.

there is a project just off the park which i like. it is a printing facility with a perf metal and corrugated aluminum skin.

i have a list of niche architecture- to add to mo's there. email me when you come down. ill be around. i've always wanted to meet an archinector with more than 5000 comments.

as for hotels, they have just finished three "W" hotels around the city- one downtown, midtown, and buckhead (uptown)- that is if you want to be trendy. other than that the ellis is right downtown as mentioned. there is a variety of price ranges in downtown though since it seems to have the most tourism.

email me if you need some more info.

+

was there a few months ago..buckhead library of course, and if you're into some newer urban design, check out the area just west of the buckhead library...

they ran a new metro line a block behind the main road and have built out some nice mixed use city blocks that have great street frontage and integrate the metro on the back side...housing above and lots of storefront commercial...

there's a small cluster of blocks being rehabbed south of the MLK birthplace as well...between that and the restored factory lofts...some cool little restaurants in this area too...area looks a bit intimidating with some boarded up houses and stuff, but should be fine in broad daylight....

in addition to what has already been mentioned possibly the main library by breuer downtown... and maybe paul rudolph's chapel at emory...

and if you want to take some pictures of what not to do with a post-industrial site, then take a walk around atlantic station... and while you're there, be sure not to miss the arc d'atlanta...

I'll be in downtown ATL starting tomorrow afternoon through saturday morning. Hope to meet some archinect faces.

TK I have a suggestion for you. It's actually a place I had to hoped to stay in but never had a chance. It's not a "hotel" but I suspect you would appreciate why it is not, it's called Hostel in the Forest

Archi,
That place is awesome. I stayed there once weekend during my graduate school years. Clothing optional swimming hole, community garden, geodesic glass domed yoga and meditation center. Hilarious that you even know about it...