The Most Luxurious Hotel In Athens Georgia Is Rivet House
Athens, Georgia offers an intriguing mix of college co-eds and bohemian hipsters, cool culinary offerings and great live music—but one missing ingredient in this iconic university town has been luxury. Enter Rivet House—a refined, very cool, hotel offering that raises the bar for luxury in the Classic City.
Defined by soaring light-filled spaces and industrial chic style, the hotel occupies an historic century-old textile mill that once made denim jeans for women. After the manufacturing ceased operations, the building sat unoccupied for 30 years until local Athens couple Jessica and James Whitley (co-founder and COO of Landmark Properties) purchased the abandoned property and considered their options. The Whitley’s opted for the path of greatest resistance — resurrecting the massive timeworn industrial relic into a stylish boutique hotel with southern sensibilities. Says Jessica Whitley, who is the hotel’s creative director and responsible for hotel’s interior design, “I lost more than a few nights sleep over this. We knew we were pushing the envelope of what has been the standard here in Athens. The design was a challenge because the bones were so raw but I really wanted to keep the building’s history alive.” Whitley can take a bow, and get some sleep, having successfully repurposed a graffiti-covered rusted industrial shell into a warm and inviting triumph of craftsmanship and southern hospitality.
The 50-room hotel, which is managed by the Indigo Road Hospitality Group, has a holistic spa, restaurant (the already wildly popular Osteria Olio) as well as expansive bar, lounge, and outdoor patio. The nearly 30-thousand-square-foot space features reclaimed elements throughout such as original brickwork and oversize wood beams. Much of the millwork and metalwork in the hotel (note the custom doors that separate the lobby and the bar) was done by local craftsman. Whitley also incorporated international design elements such as Michelangelo and Tortuga quartzites, hand-laid marble, and natural travertine.
The main floor is home to the spa, a small coffee shop, bar and lounge, and the Osteria Olio restaurant. The second and third floors are comprised of guestrooms. Outside the hotel, spread across the entire façade, is a landscaped terrace accented with curvilinear lounge seating, native plants, and firepits. The overall effect is a harmonious mix of brick, wood and botany and will surely be one of the best perches in town come game day. (As an aside, on gamedays, they will have a shuttle for hotel guests running from the hotel to the stadium and back, as well as a pop-up bloody Mary bar, so make your reservations now.)
Each guestroom boasts beautiful oversized (in many cases floor to ceiling) windows. The abundant light and soaring ceilings lend each space a lofty treehouse vibe. Rooms feature warm botanical tones accented with custom furnishings and are decked out with luxurious Kassatex linens, Grown Alchemist toiletries, and a fully-stocked Nespresso coffee station.
Executive Chef JR Bearden helms the modern Italian restaurant Osteria Olio. He’s already well on the local radar (the house was packed on an otherwise quiet Tuesday in August), making people happy with dishes such as agnolotti di mais—a silky handmade pasta laced with creamed corn, mascarpone, and brown butter—or simple but spectacular pizza Americano topped with spicy pepperoni, honey, basil and parmigiano. The dining room is as warm and inviting as the cuisine with walls of original artwork, and velvet, wood and brick accents anchored by beautiful oversize windows. Be sure to order a glass of the Whitley Reserve Provencal Rosé—a custom bottling made in collaboration with Lydia Mondavi. Whitley, who is also an artist, painted the label design as well.
Naturally, the hospitality here is warm and welcoming. You’ll find yourself in deep conversation with the valet or making friends on the elevator—this is the south after all, so being friendly is practically a requirement. Says Whitley, “I felt like this was something Athens needed but didn’t want it to feel too forced or too stuffy. I wanted Rivet House to have an approachable luxury feel and be a place that locals would want to visit and be proud of.” Job well done y’all.