The Staycation Economy Is Booming in Atlanta — These Hotels Are Cashing In

While international tourism to the U.S. softened significantly in 2025, down nearly 11% compared to the prior year according to industry data, something interesting happened in Atlanta: locals started spending their travel budgets closer to home. A lot closer.

The numbers tell a clear story. According to Deloitte’s 2025 Summer Travel Survey, 53% of Americans planned to stay in paid lodging during the summer, up from 48% in 2024, even as household budgets tightened and consumer confidence dipped. A weakening dollar made international trips less attractive for cost-conscious travelers, and the staycation quietly went from pandemic-era workaround to legitimate lifestyle choice.

Atlanta, with its restaurant scene, walkable neighborhoods, and year-round event calendar, is particularly well-positioned to capture that shift. And the city’s hotel industry, in the middle of its biggest expansion in decades, is responding.

A City in the Middle of a Hotel Boom

Atlanta’s hotel supply has nearly doubled since the 1996 Olympics, from roughly 60,000 rooms to over 110,000 today. The pipeline hasn’t slowed: the city saw 20 new hotel openings in 2024 and expected 24 more in 2025, according to the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Much of that construction is event-driven. Atlanta is hosting eight FIFA World Cup matches in 2026 and has already been selected for the Super Bowl in 2028. Large-scale investment in downtown inventory, including the 976-room Signia by Hilton, the largest ground-up hotel development in downtown Atlanta in 40 years, signals how seriously the hospitality industry is betting on the city’s long-term draw.

But it’s not just convention-goers and sports fans filling those rooms. According to Colliers’ Georgia Hotel Industry Report, while corporate and group events are driving occupancy gains, the leisure segment is where hotels are increasingly competing for differentiation. And in that competition, amenities matter more than ever.

The Rise of the Premium Amenity Play

When travelers are spending their own money, not an expense account, they want a reason to choose a hotel over a short-term rental. Increasingly, that reason is an in-room jacuzzi or private hot tub suite.

A jacuzzi suite turns a one-night staycation into an actual experience. It’s the difference between a room you sleep in and a room you plan your evening around. For anniversary trips, birthday weekends, or just a Friday night escape from a stressful week, the amenity carries emotional weight that a rooftop pool or a gym simply doesn’t.

Several Atlanta properties have leaned into this. The St. Regis Atlanta in Buckhead features a resort-style pool with jacuzzi access alongside its full-service spa. Newer boutique properties across Midtown and the Beltline corridor are increasingly marketing suite upgrades with soaking tubs and whirlpool amenities to local couples looking for a quick reset.

For travelers searching specifically for hotels with Jacuzzi in Atlanta, TubHotels cuts through the noise by listing properties by this exact amenity, rather than burying it in a long checklist on a generic booking platform.

Who’s Actually Booking These Rooms?

The staycation customer in Atlanta isn’t who you might expect. It’s not primarily budget travelers avoiding airfare. Deloitte’s data shows that households earning over $100,000 make up nearly half of leisure travelers this summer, people who could fly somewhere but are choosing not to. For this segment, the value proposition isn’t about saving money. It’s about saving time and reducing friction while still getting a genuine experience.

Atlanta’s intown neighborhoods make that easy to deliver. A couple can book a jacuzzi suite in Buckhead, walk to dinner at one of the neighborhood’s well-known restaurants, and return to a private soak without a single Uber or checked bag involved. That frictionless quality is exactly what a well-chosen staycation offers, and what premium suite hotels are increasingly selling.

What the World Cup Effect Could Mean for Locals

Atlanta’s FIFA preparation is already reshaping parts of the downtown hotel landscape. New inventory, infrastructure upgrades, and a surge in hospitality investment are creating a rising-tide effect that extends well beyond the tournament itself.

For local travelers, the practical implication is more options and more competition among properties for leisure bookings. Hotels that have historically focused on convention business are paying closer attention to the weekend leisure guest and upgrading their amenity packages accordingly.

Colliers projects modest RevPAR growth through 2025 and into 2026 as supply growth eases and major events drive demand. For staycationers, the window before World Cup crowds arrive may actually be the best time to explore Atlanta’s hotel scene, before peak demand sends rates climbing.

The Bottom Line

The staycation economy isn’t a trend that emerged from boredom. It’s a rational response to rising travel costs, a stronger appetite for low-friction experiences, and a city that keeps giving people reasons to stay. Atlanta’s hotel boom, driven by events and fueled by leisure demand, is producing a more competitive market than the city has seen in years.

For locals, that’s good news. For the hotels investing in what guests actually want, it’s proving to be good business too.