AMP Up1 Hospitality Announces The Looking Glass at The CTR in Downtown Atlanta
AMP Up1 Hospitality, the Atlanta hospitality group behind the award winning Your 3rd Spot, today announced The Looking Glass, a new immersive social destination coming to The CTR (“The Center”), the reimagined former CNN Center in downtown Atlanta. Construction is expected to begin after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with an anticipated opening in the second quarter of 2027.
Set within the former CNN Studios overlooking Centennial Olympic Park, The Looking Glass will transform one of Atlanta’s most recognizable spaces into a multilevel destination for interactive play, culinary exploration, private events, and social gathering. The first location is being designed for more than 1,000 guests and is expected to create approximately 200 jobs in downtown Atlanta.
Created by a team with decades of experience opening, operating, and scaling hospitality and entertainment brands, The Looking Glass is AMP Up1 Hospitality’s most ambitious concept to date. The venue builds on the company’s work with Your 3rd Spot while introducing a distinct world of its own, shaped by premium design, thoughtful service, strong food and beverage, flexible event use, and a carefully considered guest journey.
“The Looking Glass is the kind of project our team has spent decades preparing to build,” said Josh Rossmeisl, Founder and Chief Vision Officer of AMP Up1 Hospitality. “It brings together story, hospitality, play, food, beverage, sound, light, and discovery inside one of Atlanta’s most recognizable spaces. We are building a place that gives people a reason to be present with each other and a reason to come back with someone new.”
Rooted in an immersive modern storyline, The Looking Glass invites guests to move through a living world of games, illusion, sound, light, food, drink, and hidden discovery, with curiosity serving as the throughline of the experience.
Each guest will receive a Curiosity Card, designed to support access and discovery throughout the visit. Experiences will include elevated carnival style games, immersive art inside The Hall of Illusions, challenge based attractions, nine pin bowling inspired by traditional European play, and custom tabletop games developed specifically for the brand. AMP Up1 has also assembled a carefully selected group of global creative partners with deep experience in immersive entertainment, themed environments, interactive design, and sensory storytelling. These partners are already helping translate The Looking Glass vision into the visual, sensory, and interactive moments that will define the guest journey.
The Curiosity Quest will serve as a venuewide scavenger hunt woven into the guest journey, giving people a reason to look closer as they move through the space. Using the Curiosity Card as a guide, guests will navigate hidden moments, visual clues, secret interactions, and story based surprises that reveal themselves throughout The Looking Glass. It is designed to make discovery feel social, intentional, and repeatable, so the venue continues to unfold differently from one visit to the next.
“What excites me most is the range of experiences we are curating for adults,” said Doug Warner, Co Founder and Chief Solutions Officer of AMP Up1 Hospitality. “We searched for activities that create different kinds of connection, from competitive play and hands on challenges to immersive spaces, hidden discoveries, and moments guests can simply wander into. The Looking Glass is being designed so the night can shift with the people you are with and the mood you are in.”
Food and beverage are central to the concept. Tea Time reservations will offer a modern take on the classic ritual with savory and sweet offerings, celebratory drinks, and a social energy suited for date nights, birthdays, bachelor and bachelorette celebrations, and group gatherings. Ember Market will feature upscale share plates, a pastry and sweets program, cocktails, zero proof offerings, and other signature drinks. Planned menu highlights include Westside Lemon Pepper Shrimp, Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice, Midnight Beignets, Brown Butter Tea Cake, and Raspberry Rose Macarons.
The Looking Glass will welcome locals, visitors, families, and groups during the day, with guests under 18 accompanied by a parent or guardian. In the evening, the venue will shift into a strictly 21 and older environment for adults seeking an immersive, social, and memorable night out.
The Looking Glass is also being built as a major downtown Atlanta events destination, with flexible layouts, private gathering spaces, and a format designed around movement and discovery. The venue will be well suited for birthday parties, team outings, client entertainment, holiday celebrations, receptions, brand activations, and full venue corporate events. Its location next to the Georgia World Congress Center, near State Farm Arena and Centennial Olympic Park, and surrounded by thousands of nearby hotel rooms makes it especially attractive for convention business and large group gatherings.
The venue will open as part of the major transformation of The CTR, CP Group’s reimagining of the iconic former CNN Center into a mixed use destination for food, culture, work, entertainment, and community. Positioned at the intersection of Atlanta’s sports, convention, and entertainment districts, The CTR gives The Looking Glass a downtown platform with built in energy from locals, visitors, arena guests, convention attendees, and hotel traffic.
About The Looking Glass
The Looking Glass is a large format immersive social destination from AMP Up1 Hospitality, created around story, curiosity, hospitality, play, food, beverage, events, and shared discovery. Set inside the former CNN Studios at The CTR in downtown Atlanta, the venue invites guests to explore a layered world of games, illusion, culinary experiences, social gathering, and hidden moments. The first Looking Glass is anticipated to open in the second quarter of 2027.
About AMP Up1 Hospitality
AMP Up1 Hospitality is a founder led hospitality group building experience driven brands rooted in connection, curiosity, and purpose. Its leadership team has spent decades opening, operating, and scaling hospitality and entertainment brands. The company created Your 3rd Spot, an award winning Social Experience Club in Atlanta that blends food, beverage, play, and hospitality into a shared social experience. With The Looking Glass, AMP Up1 Hospitality is expanding its vision through a new immersive hospitality concept built for exploration, events, and social connection.
About The CTR
Formerly known as the CNN Center, The CTR (pronounced “The Center”) is a reimagined 1.2-million-square-foot mixed-use destination in downtown Atlanta, set to reopen in June 2026. Backed by more than $425 million in total investment, with $65 million committed to its initial transformation phase, the CTR is being repositioned as an always-on hub for food, culture, work, and community at the center of Atlanta's sports and entertainment corridor. The property will serve as a key activation site during and after the 2026 FIFA World CupTM. Learn more and sign up for updates at TheCTRAtlanta.com
About CP Group
Founded in 1986, CP Group is a vertically integrated, privately held commercial real estate firm and value-add investor specializing in office and mixed-use properties across the Sunbelt. The firm manages a current portfolio of approximately $4 billion and has acquired, repositioned, and operated more than 180 properties totaling over 64 million square feet — valued at more than $8 billion — across its history. CP Group's Atlanta portfolio spans nearly 8 million square feet and includes landmark assets such as Bank of America Plaza and Piedmont Center. The firm maintains offices in Atlanta, Boca Raton, Denver, Jacksonville, Miami, and Washington, D.C. Learn more at CPGcre.com.
Editor’s note: This article was posted on June 2, 2026. Please be aware that pricing, hours of operation, availability of specials and menu items may change over time. For the most up-to-date information, please refer directly to the restaurants mentioned above.
Renderings provided by AMP Up1 Hospitality