The St. Regis Atlanta, located in the Buckhead neighborhood, features 151 guestrooms, 31 suites, wine room and, yes, one amazing pool.

Southern Swagger: Best New Hotels in Atlanta

Sure, we have an embarrassing number of streets sporting the name Peachtree, and the infamous humidity has earned our fair city the moniker Hotlanta. But you already knew that. What many visitors are learning, however, is that this city recently added a number of hip hotels offering just the right amount of swagger for residents and guests alike.

A Buckhead hot spot is the opulent St. Regis Atlanta (starwoodhotels.com/stregis; rates from $209). The ceilings drip with chandeliers from the Czech Republic, and the posh pool piazza transcends its location near Atlanta’s bustling Peachtree Road to ensure guests feel as if they have retreated to a private European oasis.

Each of the hotel’s 151 guestrooms and 31 suites and its 2,800-square-foot Empire Suite comes with a number of incredible amenities, but a hands-down favorite is the St. Regis Butler, a tradition for more than 100 years. That’s right, guests have their own butler who is accessible via email to handle specific requests such as ironing clothes, booking dinner reservations or arranging a shopping tour.

And while other hotels simply host wine tastings, The St. Regis offers its weekly Tasting Notes, where a sommelier pairs wine with music genres. The bright and airy Wine Room, with more than 500 wines by the bottle and more than 60 by the stem, appeals to women almost as much as the rich, mahogany-clad corners draw men into the handsomely appointed St. Regis Bar.

Situated in downtown Atlanta, away from the glitz and glam of Buckhead, The Ellis Hotel (ellishotel.com.com; rates from $160) believes that being a chic boutique property isn’t as important as being a sustainable one. Its commitment to take what is available and turn it into something impressive begins with the building itself.

A member of the National Registry of Historic Places and formerly the site of the historic Winecoff Hotel, The Ellis is a 1913 Atlanta landmark that has moved into the 21st century with a firm farm-to-table philosophy. Take a seat at the Terrace Restaurant overlooking Peachtree, where executive chef Jon Wolf’s passion for the slow food movement has ultimately led to a menu that is near and dear to a foodie’s palate and a farmer’s heart, offering fresh products from more than 40 regional purveyors.

As the hottest scene in town, the rooftop of the W Atlanta-Buckhead (starwoodhotels.com/whotels; rates from $149) is easily the epitome of cool, and while the hotel touts its dramatic views of the Atlanta skyline, everyone else knows better.

Much like the SkyBar atop the Mondrian Hotel in Los Angeles, people wait anxiously to ride the private elevator to the 12th floor for a night of socializing and people-watching. After all, Rande Gerber’s Whisky Blue is one of those places in town where the cocktails and décor are almost as sexy and sophisticated as the fashion-forward crowd clamoring to settle into its stylish setting.

Want to cool off before the night heats up? Then go early and hit the WET deck. The hotel’s outdoor infinity-edge pool is a happening hot spot all on its own, bedecked as you might expect with the W’s signature amenities and cozy private cabanas.

All right, as a resident, I’m biased, but Atlanta is so hot these days, it’s hard to imagine the city has ever been cooler.