ATLANTA — Downtown Atlanta’s largest hotels have plans in place for when the FIFA World Cup comes to town in less than a month.
Ramon Reyes, general manager of the Omni Hotel in downtown Atlanta, says you should always prepare for the future.
He told Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen that when the world learned the World Cup was coming to Atlanta four years ago…
“We started planning the day it was announced,” Reyes said. “It was so busy. All of us jumped in to help.”
Allison Borden, who works at the Omni, was in the house at the Omni Atlanta Hotel for the Super Bowl in 2019, as well as the most recent big game, the 2025 College Football National Championship.
“This lobby was wall to wall. Most of our staff were here for that, so they’re geared up and ready,” Borden said.
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For the Omni, FIFA will be the same and different.
International teams and an international crowd could mean more guests who can’t speak or read English.
“I think what we’re leaning into the most is technology,” Reyes said.
Reyes told Petersen that they will use a system to text guests in multiple languages, and there will be special signage, depending on which countries the visitors hail from.
As for our tipping culture, which tends to be foreign to foreigners, automatic gratuities will likely be built in for food service staff, and he will monitor any gratuity gap for bellhops and housekeepers.
But Reyes said a growing number of international visitors understand U.S. customs.
“More often than not, we see them adopt it while they’re here,” Reyes said.
The first World Cup match here in Atlanta is set for June 15.
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