Timeless Stay
The Kessler Collection acquired the old Riverside Power Plant in 2012 and broke ground in late 2016. By the end, the project exceeded its initial budget by nearly $100 million. Photography / Michael Hrizuk
JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside
Saying that “everything is here on the riverside” is no exaggeration when it comes to the 670,000-square-foot mixed-use development, home to a 419-room luxury hotel, 14 different outlets, art galleries and installments, museums, entertainment venues, recording studios, and fine dining, distributed among three distinctive architectural experiences, like depots to extravagant destinations, the crowning glory of the Savannah waterfront. Plant Riverside District’s $375 million redevelopment has gained national recognition as a world-class destination. Creator Richard Kessler, chairman and CEO of the Kessler Collection, saw potential in the dirt road by the old plant for an establishment to entertain locals and visitors with what he calls, “my gift to my hometown of Savannah.”
Anchored by the locally owned and operated JW Marriott, try PRD Three Ways, winding through the innovative, culture-setting territories of the Power Plant, Three Muses, and the Atlantic, your choice of “handsome and stately, romantic and elegant, or historic and chic.” The Power Plant pays homage to the past while pushing the envelope of “now.” Edgy and urban, it’s been called part natural history museum, part art installation, part exhibition of rare gemstones. Wander in under the watch of a colossal chrome-dipped dino, 240 mechanical bones backscattering multicolored lights. Peer through blast insert floors to original steel beams and coal bin tracks. Sink into guest rooms of bold architectural character with exposed brick walls, stone and marble décor, and moss-emulative bursts of lush green velvetry. Cross the design border from industrial edge to the “soft and sophisticated,” stately European elegance of Three Muses, an artful renaissance with pinks, purples, and shimmering metallics that glisten in harmony with harbor furnishings, from the sheen of the Talmadge Bridge to the glassy surface of the river herself. Stepping into the Atlantic is an embarkation onto a landlocked super yacht.
“Inspired by a bespoke luxury yachting journey,” this maritime masterpiece is most reflective of the waters that run beneath its floor-to-ceiling paned picture windows and French-doored balconies. Seven top shelf eateries (not counting snack shacks and kiosks) deliver every culinary classification. Graffito tosses Neapolitan perfection in custom pizza ovens; pair “platters by the pound” with homemade root beers at District Smokehouse BBQ; the Bavarian-styled Biergarten boasts brats and Belgians; Baobab Lounge is Savannah’s savanna of spiced sausages and Schug Sauce Crudités celebrating African culture as “the origin of mankind itself;” Myrtle & Rose is a romance on the rooftop, raising fragrant botanical mixology and shareable bites the perfect pairing for date nights; Stone & Webster is a formidable modern chophouse on its own but the luxurious, chef table “Smokestack Experience” might be the only one of its kind, worldwide; and plug in your playful side for a funtastic finale at the Electric Moon Skytop Lounge and Moon Deck where you can take a literal slide down to a grownup playground with neon dance floor, LED swing set, and life-sized twister, all under the starry, starry southern night. All of this and we haven’t even touched on the high-end shops, galleries, spas, jewelry collections, live music and entertainment, and educational experiences for all ages. The seasonal event that puts the star atop the PRD tree: The Savannah Christmas Market set for November 16th 2023 – January 1st 2024 was named “Top Ten European-Style Christmas Markets in the US” by Travel + Leisure. Whether never setting foot outside the all-in-one wonderland that’s less a district and more a world, or touring the Coastal Empire and coming back each day to “home base,” everything here is appointed for you to enjoy river life, your space to revel, rest, recover, and rediscover what it means to wonder.
Perry Lane Hotel
Savannah loves a creative story – especially one built on art, history, and vibrant personalities – and the fantastically fictional muse Adelaide Harcourt embodies all the above through a narrative thread that weaves through the Perry Lane Hotel and its infused art collection. A member of the Marriott Luxury Collection, it is at once a luxury stay and a luxuriation of the senses.
Offering “a refreshed take on luxury and a genuine taste of Southern warmth,” Perry Lane beckons you to “sleep soundly in our Superior rooms with up to 440 sq. ft. of welcoming, approachable comfort.” Residential in scale and rich in design, each of the 167 well-appointed rooms (including 12 expansive suites and more than 20 with Historic District views) feature Frette Italian bed-and-bath linens, slippers, robes, luxury bath products, and an enviable mini-bar, primarily a redundancy when well-crafted creations are flowing at the hotel’s food-and-wine Elysium that comprises the Peregrin, the Wayward, and the Emporium Kitchen and Wine Market.
Leaning into a Savannah’s penchant for “the theatrical delivery of artwork in public spaces, Perry Lane’s art collection is a combination of family heirlooms, travel mementos, and contemporary art described as, “eclectic, worldly, and idiosyncratic, brimming with sophistication, wit, and intrigue,” created in collaboration with NINE dot ARTS, the magic behind the “art consulting and creative placemaking.” Their imagined muse Adelaide exudes, “I determined that building a hotel would open a door for the world to Savannah’s joie de vivre. Nestled among churches, parks, restaurants and homes, Perry Lane Hotel straddles the past and present much as it straddles the lane – an old soul with a modern outlook; a worldly elegance with a creative edge; where international style meets southern warmth. Welcoming yet unexpected, imbued with Southern comfort, showcasing aestheticism, and regaling us with stories, Perry Lane captures a rare duality in its contemporary design and love for our historic city, a visionary hotel that reveres Savannah’s past, captures its present, and champions its future.” This passion and voice is breathed into the feng-shui intellect at every corner along the Lane including the buyer style of the Muse Boutique.
As the story goes, Adelaide “wanted to commemorate her time in each location she ventured to by finding the perfect piece of clothing, items that would create a connection, a memory to the city she found it in. Throughout her travels she discovered unique brands, met with incredible designers and listened to their stories, and as time went on, she developed a deep appreciation for fashion and its wonderful ability to make you feel beautiful. She knew firsthand that even the simple act of putting on a gorgeous dress can make you feel empowered, and she promised herself that she would find a way to help others feel that too.” Take on her spirit of joie de vivre with the shop’s hats, bangles, bags, books, and wracks of airy blouses and dresses in arty prints and textiles. Not just for travelers, event planners take note, the Perry Lane’s venues for meetings and occasions offer sweeping views accessible from a 2,625 square feet glass-enclosed grand hall ballroom and a 1,066 square feet rooftop terrace ballroom. Infusing old world class in your stay, the Destination Amenity package includes complimentary sparkling wine at the front desk, a cup of joe at Bowerbird Coffee, trading the stereotype of chocolates on pillows for a River Street Sweets praline in your parlor (guestroom), shoeshine service, and to get around town, bike rentals and luxury car service within two miles of the Historic District, your home court neighborhood during your stay.
Desoto Hotel
A local legend and historic treasure, the DeSoto by Sotherly is a beloved landmark that has stood sentinel for more than a century at the center of the Savannah social scene. Constructed at the height of “economic prosperity and industrial expansion” in the US in 1834, The Oglethorpe Barracks (named for Georgia founder James Oglethorpe) were redeveloped by the Savannah Hotel Corporation in 1879 to become “a cutting-edge boutique hotel,” designed to influence Savannah’s reputation as a vacation destination. Opened on New Year’s Day 1890 with 300 “magnificently equipped guestrooms,” the new DeSoto would thrive to host famed clientele including Katherine Hepburn, Gregory Peck, B.B. King, Elvis Presley, and several US Presidents.
The ebb and flow of time and preservation would see the property close, reopen as the Hilton Savannah DeSoto, then be elevated again when Sotherly Hotels would invest more than $21 million “renovating the entire structure to recapture the prestige that originally defined the building when it first opened at the height of the Gilded Age,” successfully re-establishing the DeSoto as “Savannah’s top luxurious boutique hotel.”
Reigning supreme today, this beloved landmark is steeped in timeless period details (original crystal chandeliers and terracotta tiles) situated amidst gallery-ready contemporary art, perfecting the city’s signature style of modern design and deeply ingrained historical context. Page through a variety of room types and matching amenities that suit the style of your stay: CITY VIEW lends a window to the world of twinkling Historic District lights. POOLSIDE OASIS gives you direct access to the rooftop pool. WITH BALCONY pairs those views with private terraces. All spaces are appointed with original artwork and vogue décor, with the benefits of SoClean Initiatives, Sotherly Beautyrest mattresses, bath amenities by Olive Branch Botanicals, and the pet friendliness of the DeSoto Tail Waggers pet package. Wherever you stay at the DeSoto, stay satiated with well-established eateries and watering holes, starting with the best way to start your day, the Buffalo Bayou lobby hub, treating you to “treats, mid-day bites, and coffee drinks brewed from Perc Coffee Roasters beans.” Or slip into something more comfort-foodie with an easy going favorite, Proof & Provision, an indoor-outdoor gastropub pairing barrel-aged cocktails with locally sourced “Southern comfort food” servings. Most laid-back of all, settle your spirits at the Pool Bar, with firepit, rooftop views delivering drinks and light bites at water’s edge. And don’t let the simplicity of the à la carte Main Dining Room Breakfast fool you; it’s a flavorful fave with menu listings like lemon berry compote blueberry pancakes, smoked salmon bagels, and homemade biscuits. Still, the gastronomic pièce de resistance is 1540 Room where valet is on the house and reservations are highly recommended.
Chef de Cuisine Collin Clemons and General Manager Andrew Noye have created “a world accented with smoke, spice, and delight,” brought to life in “a lively dining room with an open kitchen featuring Lowcountry sourced, farm-to-table dishes and an eclectic array of wines from all corners of the globe.” The pair work closely with regional farmers they source from including Billy’s Botanicals, Vertu Farms, Gannon Organics & Vital Mission Farm, among others, taking “the freshest, in season ingredients and elevating them with spices from around the world.” Book your stay 21 or more days in advance and earn an 18% discount off the lowest rate at the time of your stay. In addition to traditional amenities, this cornerstone of the Hostess City is built to host your large party or event with 20,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor venue space available. So many ways to stay in the most historic way.
Kimpton Brice Hotel
Newly refreshed and renovated, the Kimpton Brice has been named “Savannah’s Coolest Hotel” by Fodor’s Travel and “one of the best in the south” by Southern Living, but its most telling epithet bills it locally as, “the southern belle of Savannah hotels.” After a recent property-wide upgrade, the Brice’s marquis boasts, “more beautiful than ever,” and doubling down on its debutante distinction as “beautiful and poised on the outside, a bit sassy and rebellious on the inside – a stylish yet comfortable boutique hotel with an urban resort vibe right in the center of Savannah’s National Historic Landmark District.”
Central Savannah isn’t proverbial; the Brice is tucked in among the “museums, churches, gardens, monuments, mansions and more” surrounding Washington Square, a quaint walk away from River Street and City Market. Underneath these genteel and cultured wrappings, reverberates the soul of the Brice, a chic cosmopolitan glamour paired with vintage touches and the art of renewal and relaxation.
As Savannah has history in its walls, so too the Brice, perhaps more than most, designing an uber-contemporary artful stay in the antebellum Greek revival building that was in former lives a livery stable, cotton warehouse, beer garden, and the city’s first Coca-Cola bottling plant where the “curvy bottle” design was born. Apropos of the birth of iconic design, the Brice is still giving edge and elegance, at once stately and understated. 145 guest rooms provide a wealth of stylized options, including 26 suites that have been individually interior-designed with well situated furnishings and galleried art selections. Wind your way through vivid prints and natural elements like teak framed accent rockers to set a spell, or boucle sofas angled toward breezy French Doors and broad windows, whose dramatic drapery holds grand views in their floor-to-ceiling silver velour embrace.
Among the suites with living rooms, sleeper sofas, soaking tubs (select suites), and Euro-showers, take note of the Juliette Suite, with a private pool-view terrace and room for up to 6 guests in its 760 square foot space. Wherever you land, take it all in from your modern gilded four-poster canopy bed, paired perfectly with its mirrored armoire, both a modern interpretation of traditionalist architecture. The best of all worlds. Determined to do you one better, the Brice also offers yoga mats in every room, a “plant pals” program where you can order up a little extra photosynthesis for your stay, conversation-chair-styled book nooks, and transpo-addons that range from cherry-red cruiser bikes to Tesla charging stations.
The sprawling sense of lux comfort and eye candy pours from your stately rooms through lobbies, pools, and gardens where poetic alcoves sit swaddled in aged brick walls and wright iron gates under a canopy of Georgian sky, and black and white balconies stand sentinel over quiet poolsides reminiscent of Beverly Hills but with southern sensibilities and Spanish moss breezes. Don’t keep this all to yourself, share it with (in the Brice’s own words), “your furry, feathery or scaly family member — no matter their size, weight, or breed — at no extra charge through our Wag! partnership, connecting pet parents with professional pet caregivers for pet walking, boarding or sitting.” An indulgent experience like the Brice is incomplete without their “food, wine, and wow” offerings, all centered around their Pacci Italian Kitchen + Bar. “One of the most preferred Savannah restaurants” caters to guest preferences with live music on Friday and Saturday nights, weekend brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, and all with the added appeal of a Secret Garden extension for “dine and drink experiences under the brilliant Georgia sun and shimmering night stars.”
Alida Hotel
As inimitable as its namesake, celebrated Savannah wavemaker Alida Harper Fowlkes, rises a stylized blend of then and now that is a feast for the savviest of Savannah senses. Step into the culture-forward nostalgia that is the Alida Hotel, reveling in the River Street resort style residence that exceeds expectations at every turn. Featured in Travel + Leisure 500, the Alida is a space that is uniquely yours, designed around “custom creations, original designs, and local craftwork, so no two rooms at our hotel are quite the same, with king beds throughout.” Each room is a personal gallery of selections showcasing the works of artists from the Savannah College of Art and Design, artfully placed among a clean, minimalist base of neutrals creating an inviting dichotomy of simple and sensational. Hardwood floors run like a river into “oversized windows in every room, affording exceptional views of the historic city—an unforgettable union of antebellum and industrial architecture.”
Further crafting your one-of-a-kind stay, indulge yourself with customizable experiences and in-room amenities or venture out of your “room with a view” drawn by the charm and attraction of the Alida’s experiential style and location. On-site, ground level, you can wonder as you wander from the poolside Cabana Club to the lobby’s Trade Room pouring “a wealth of knowledge and an impressive list of whiskey.” Browse the boutique shop that celebrates the area’s “maker culture” with a 24-hour emporium showcasing hand-selected goods from local artisans – leather goods, fragrant hand-mixed bath salts and soaps, one-of-a-kind ceramics, and more.
Level up to The Lost Square – created to mirror the town squares of downtown SAV (the spirit of gathering, passing through , the crossing of paths among neighbors and travelers) this one rises above literally, lifting you to unforgettable sunsets, river views, and “cocktails inspired by Savannah’s rum-running history and ever-evolving free spirit, paired with small bites that take their cues from the region.” If you’re ready to set a longer spell, schedule a sit down at the establishment’s southern styled Rhett, “serving Coastal Cuisine that celebrates the bounty of the Lowcountry – a lighthearted hub of taste, with a warm and convivial spirit and a dedication to warm Southern hospitality, the quintessential Southern port of call from day to night.”
Executive Chef Alex Bollinger (born, raised, and heavily influenced by the epicurean culture that is San Francisco’s East Bay) transforms “revered local dishes” into “playful, accessible plates,” serving up three squares a day plus signature brunch, every day of the week. Bollinger maintains his long lived “appreciation for regional ingredients” and delivers them translated for the southeast, serving “American staples that feel familiar, like a home-cooked meal,” though with exquisite interpretation of gourmand thinking. Explore hand-crafted creations like BBQ Octopus, Scottish salmon, and specialty cocktails like the “I’ll Call You Later.” All of this before you’ve even passed through the cozy curtain of your stay into the soft southern surroundings of the Entertainment District and River Street’s Riverfront District, or drifting even further downriver with the Alida’s “Culture Seeker” Port of Savannah Boat Tour. The culture seeker package includes your overnight accommodations at the hotel, while adding 2 boat tickets for the city’s most popular boat tour and two complimentary craft cocktails redeemable daily wherever the Alida is pouring. Whatever culture you’re seeking, from the brick, leather, and marble that meets you at the door to the bay window breezes of your cultivated, urban-vintage personal space, the historic hotspot continues to push the envelope of restful richness that makes it your set-apart selection for where to stay in Savannah.
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