Reese Vanderbilt & Associates

What Reese Vanderbilt & Associates does

Reese Vanderbilt & Associates is an Atlanta-based architectural practice founded in 2009 by President Keith Vanderbilt, providing full-service architectural design, programming and predesign, and master planning and site planning to commercial real estate developers, property owners, and hospitality brand operators primarily across the southeastern United States. The firm organizes its work around four project verticals: hospitality (including branded hotels for Marriott, Hilton, Kimpton, The Kessler Collection, Margaritaville, and the Trump Organization), multifamily residential, senior living, and student housing. Its core technology is conventional architectural design and documentation work spanning schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration, with no disclosed proprietary technology platforms, AI tooling, or patented systems.

The firm generates revenue through professional architectural service fees billed on a project-by-project basis, with pricing dependent on scope, complexity, and project requirements rather than publicly disclosed or standardized rates. Business is acquired through direct enterprise field sales, referrals from real estate developers, and longstanding relationships with hospitality brand partners, with the firm's website portfolio serving as a mid-funnel content marketing channel. Management is led by Keith Vanderbilt (30+ years experience) and includes Associate Principal James Hampel (40+ years) and Director of Design Polya Valkanov (15+ years), with a broader team of 11–50 employees including project managers, architectural professionals, and quality control staff. Notable commissions include the $100M+ J.W. Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District, the Mandarin Hotel – One Museum Place in Atlanta, and the Trump Hotel & Residences Atlanta high-rise.

Name

Reese Vanderbilt & Associates

Legal name

Reese Vanderbilt & Associates

Website

https://reesevanderbilt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Reese Vanderbilt & Associates is an Atlanta-based private architectural firm founded in 2009 that delivers hospitality, multifamily, senior living, and student housing design services for commercial developers and brand operators across the southeastern United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Resort & Branded Residence Vacation Rental Management (BPAJAIAE)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Hospitality architecture
• Multifamily residential design
• Senior living facilities
• Student housing architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: The firm generates revenue through professional architectural and design service fees for commercial real estate development projects. Services include programming, predesign, architecture, master planning, and site planning across hospitality, multifamily, senior living, and student housing sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Reese Vanderbilt & Associates is a professional architectural firm that delivers full-service design through Programming & Predesign, Architecture (schematic design, design development, construction documents, construction administration), and Master Planning & Site Planning. The firm focuses on commercial real estate developments across four verticals — hospitality (branded hotels and resorts), multifamily residential, senior living, and student housing — for developers, property owners, and hospitality brands across the southeastern United States. Revenue is earned through project-based professional service fees.

Product overview

Reese Vanderbilt & Associates is an Atlanta-based architectural firm offering a portfolio of design services across four core offerings: Programming & Predesign, Architecture, and Master Planning & Site Planning. The firm specializes in four project categories: Hospitality (hotels and resorts including Marriott, Hilton, Kimpton, and Grand Bohemian brands), Multifamily residential, Senior Living (assisted living facilities), and Student Living. The firm has completed numerous named hotel projects including Mandarin Hotel, Margaritaville Hotel, Marriott Autograph properties, Grand Bohemian Charleston, and Trump Hotel & Residences. Services are delivered through a collaborative process from concept through construction administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-service architectural design spanning schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration for commercial real estate developers and property owners across hospitality, multifamily, senior living, and student housing sectors.
• Master Planning & Site Planning Long-term vision planning service for large-scale developments covering land use, circulation, infrastructure, sustainable integration, and long-range visioning to create functional, sustainable communities.
• Programming & Predesign Initial project phase service covering site analysis, feasibility studies, zoning analysis, and budget development to establish project parameters before detailed design.

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Marriott InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Marriott International delivering multiple branded hotel projects including Marriott Tribute Hotel & Residences, Marriott Courtyard, Marriott Autograph Collection properties, AC Hotel, and SpringHill Suites across the southeastern United States.
• HiltoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Hilton delivering branded hotel projects including Tempo by Hilton Gainesville and Homewood Suites Pensacola.
• KimptoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign partnership delivering Kimpton Hotel Arras in Asheville, NC - a luxury boutique hotel project.
• The Kessler CollectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner for The Kessler Collection's Grand Bohemian and Bohemian branded boutique hotels including Mountain Brook, Charleston, and Savannah Riverwalk properties.
• Kessler / J.W. MarriottcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on the J.W. Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District - a $100 million-plus waterfront redevelopment project anchored by a 160-room Grand Bohemian Hotel.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cooper Carry: Atlanta-based architecture firm with a strong hospitality, multifamily, and mixed-use portfolio across the southeastern United States. Closely comparable in geography, sector mix, and brand-client relationships (Marriott, Hilton, Kimpton) to Reese Vanderbilt.
• Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio: Hospitality-focused architecture firm with deep branded-hotel experience (Marriott, Hilton, IHG) across the Southeast. Directly comparable in client base, project types, and regional concentration.
• Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart: Atlanta-based architecture firm specializing in hospitality and multifamily projects. Comparable in scale, regional focus, and emphasis on branded-hotel design for major operators.
• Stonehill & Taylor: Architecture firm with strong hospitality and multifamily expertise serving branded-hotel clients. Comparable in project types and client mix, though primarily operating in different geographies.
• BLS Architects: Architecture firm focused on hospitality, multifamily, and senior living sectors. Closely comparable in vertical mix and customer types, with similar project scale.

Broad incumbents

• HKS Architects: Large national architecture practice with a significant hospitality division serving major brands. Comparable in hospitality expertise but materially larger in scale, geographic reach, and project scope.
• Gensler: Global architecture and design firm with extensive hospitality, multifamily, and mixed-use work. Operates across the same customer verticals as Reese Vanderbilt but at significantly greater scale and brand breadth.
• Perkins&Will: National architecture firm with offices across the US, including Atlanta. Comparable in multifamily, senior living, and hospitality design work, though with a much broader practice and larger teams.
• Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo (WATG): Global hospitality-focused architecture and design firm with deep relationships across luxury and lifestyle hotel brands. Comparable in hospitality specialization but with international reach and larger project scale.

Emerging players

• Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA): Hospitality interior design firm with branded-hotel expertise comparable to Reese Vanderbilt's interior-design capability. Overlaps in client base (Marriott, Hilton) but specializes in interior rather than full architectural services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100076643652405
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reese-vanderbilt-associates

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Reese Vanderbilt & Associates