Before the skyscrapers and luxury shopping, Buckhead was a residential enclave for Atlanta's elite. Iconic Southern estates hosted intimate gatherings where Atlanta's high society would meet, converse, and exchange the ideas that shaped the city.

Today, Buckhead is the epicenter of Atlanta's entrepreneurial energy. It's a sophisticated business hub where innovation and influence intersect through luxury shopping, fine dining, and dynamic social experiences.

The Tess Hotel revives Buckhead’s legacy as a gathering place designed to inform culture and shape community, while meeting the moment of Buckhead today.

The hotel design strikes a perfect balance between tradition and modernism, evoking both the timeless beauty of historic Buckhead and the emotional depth of Southern romanticism through every carefully considered detail. The hotel’s service philosophy transforms traditional Southern hospitality into something distinctly modern and culturally relevant. And the hotel's creative programming creates the conditions where Atlanta's past informs its future, where business and social experiences blend naturally, and where every interaction is a spark for something extraordinary.

We personified Tess to further the story of the hotel and act as a key influence of service and experience. A savant of Southern etiquette and worldly wisdom, she is an embodiment of the brand–a fictional persona rooted in Buckhead society whose travels, taste, and background gave shape to the hotel's interior aesthetic, art collection, and styling. 

Each aspect of the visual identity from the typography to the imagery style reflect Tess’ blend of Southern grace and forward-thinking ambition. The Tess logo resembles a signature that embodies the hotel’s graceful and charismatic personality, its custom script an elegant, flowing gesture that reflects the Southern charm at the heart of the hotel. The color palette is rich, moody, and evocative, inspired by the interiors and selected to bring warmth, depth, and refined drama to the brand’s presence. 

By honoring Buckhead’s past, we’re able to shape its future. This hotel doesn't just occupy a place in Buckhead–it creates the gathering ground where the city's most curious, creative, and connected come to exchange the ideas that will define Atlanta next.