Background:
I was visiting Savannah with my friend who wanted to try a traditional B&B experience. But, I’ve always wanted to stay at the Andaz Savannah as I recall when it opened in 2008 under the Avia brand and it looked like a nice place to stay. The brand was later purchased by Hyatt who converted it to an Andaz in 2012. I also had an expiring World of Hyatt Category 1-4 Certificate, so we decided to stay one night at the Andaz as it is currently a Category 4 property. Then, we headed over to two nights at the Eliza Thompson House B&B. It would be a perfect opportunity to compare the two. I really enjoyed my visit to Savannah and I think it’s a great weekend getaway. Minus the humid hot days of July, I think it would be a great spring or fall visit.
Additionally, I’ve never tried the Andaz brand before, so I was excited to try it out (and check off another on my Brand Explorer for the World of Hyatt Program). Andaz is a Hindi word meaning “personal style”. The brand positions itself as luxury boutique hotels with sophisticated style that reflects the neighborhood it’s in.
TAKEOFF POINTS:
Date of Stay: July 2023
Room Type: Deluxe Loft Room
Pros: Well-appointed rooms, convenient location, and complimentary snacks/soft drinks
Cons: Lobby is a bit small, and too noisy if they are having live music
FORA TRAVEL BENEFITS:
I’m partnered with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays. Fora is partnered with Hyatt Privé. With Fora’s partnership, you can get special perks when booking cash rates with me. The Andaz Savannah offers:
- A $75 breakfast credit
- Upgrade of one category, based on availability
- Early check-in based on availability
- $100 USD Property Credit
If you are interested in getting these perks and want to stay at the Andaz Savannah, feel free to email me at takeofftotravel@fora.travel and I would be happy to help you plan your trip.
Pre-Arrival:
A week before my arrival I received a welcome email with recommendations and hotel information. Additionally, I noticed about 3 days before my stay in the app that my room had been upgraded from a standard king room to a Deluxe Loft which was appreciated.
Arrival:
We landed at Savannah/Hilton Head Airport around 8 pm, and a quick 20-minute Lyft ride took us to the hotel. For our 3-day visit to the city, we just relied on walking and very fairly priced Uber/Lyfts. But if you have a car, valet parking is $45 per night.
When we arrived the lobby was crowded, as there was live music in the lobby bar (22 Square Bar). It was a bit too loud for my liking, and perhaps the music should have not been right next to the entrance, but closer to the restaurant.
I feel like the front desk itself is too casual. My personal preference would be to see something more elegant. We were quickly checked in, and the front desk associate handed be a bag for being an Explorist Member. It came with a nice chocolate treat from the local Savannah Candy Kitchen and a scented bookmark. I definitely liked the local gifts, which were a nice touch.
Since I am a Hyatt Explorist member, I get a 2 pm checkout which the associate proactively offered me. This helped us as our next hotel had a check-in time of 4 pm.
Location:
I thought the location of the Andaz Savannah was quite good, as it was in between the touristy River Street and the Historic District. It’s quite walkable to most of the top attractions, making it a good home base for a visit to Savannah. It’s across the street from City Market and less than a 20-minute walk to Forsyth Park. The hotel is across Ellis Square, which I personally did not care for as there are many squares in Savannah (22 to be exact) that are cuter and have more trees.
The Room:
Our room was located on the 3rd floor, and I liked the vibe of the hallways. There are a total of 151 rooms at the Andaz Savannah. The Andaz Deluxe Loft we were assigned is stated to be approximately 450 square feet on the website, but it felt bigger to me.
Once you enter the Deluxe Loft, there’s a nice full kitchen that is fully stocked with pots, pans, and plates. This is special to this room type and some suites, as the standard rooms do not have kitchens.
There is a cute vintage Smeg fridge that comes empty, a two-burner stove, a microwave, and a dishwasher. A Nespresso machine is also provided. There’s also a small mini-fridge stocked with drinks. The non-alcoholic drinks are complimentary (Apple Juice, Sprite, Diet Coke, and Coke), and the two Vickies chips are included as well. This is a nice touch that Andaz hotels generally provide.
A cheesecake was also waiting in the room as a welcome gift which was nice. Between the cake, chocolate snacks, and scented bookmark, the welcome gifts were surprisingly much better than the Eliza Thompson House B&B that I stayed at after. That was ironic to me, as I would have expected the B&B to have provided more local treats.
Going further into the room is a lounging sofa, 55-inch TV, and king-sized bed.
There were dual nightstands with power plugs, and one side even had a wireless charger on the alarm clock. The bedding and pillows were quite comfortable, definitely to the 4-star level.
Our room had a balcony that had a view of the nearby Ellis Square and a building in front. Since it was quite hot, we didn’t go out to the balcony much but it may be nice to have during the spring and fall seasons.
Bathroom:
The bathroom was spacious with plenty of counter space.
Lotion and bar soap was provided by Bigelow Chemists. Shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner were in refillable containers and were Argan Oil based made in Italy. I liked the toiletries offered.
There was a standup shower, and while the water pressure was sufficient, the handle could use a reno.
In the bathroom is also where the closet is, and it has the iron/board, 2 robes as well as 2 slippers.
Dining:
The main restaurant is the 22 Square Restaurant (referencing the number of squares in the city) that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday from 6:30 am to 10 pm. This restaurant has a Southern-inspired cuisine curated from locally grown produce and sustainable ingredients.
Next to the lobby is the 22 Square Bar which is open daily and also has live music on the weekends.
Pool + Fitness:
As with many hotels, there is a destination fee of $33 per night. It comes with Old Town Trolley discounts, daily locally inspired appetizer tastings in 22 Square Lounge from 5-9 pm, daily beer and wine tasting at 22 Square Lounge from 5-8 pm, round of bubbles with 22 Square dinner reservation, discounted poolside cabana reservations, and daily sunset s’mores at the firepit area.
There’s a small outdoor pool with cabanas and lounge chairs. If you happen to be staying on a Saturday, the hotel also has complimentary yoga on the Pool Terrace from 10 am to 11 am.
There’s also a fire pit, and each evening the hotel offers complimentary s’mores until 10 pm.
Additionally, there is a very small fitness center, but it still had Peloton’s which was nice.
Pet Policy:
The Andaz Savannah is a pet-friendly hotel. Dogs weighing 50 pounds and under or two dogs under a combined weight of 75 pounds are permitted. All of the pet-friendly rooms are located on the 2nd floor of the hotel and for stays of 1-6 nights, the pet fee is $150 per stay (7-30 nights is $300 per stay).
Compared to the B&B Eliza Thompson House:
While some may find the Andaz a bit too “chain” like compared to B&B’s in the city, I think I preferred my stay at the Andaz over the Eliza Thompson House. I do think the Andaz is missing some of the old southern charms that the Eliza Thompson House provides but holistically provided a better stay with its amenities and room comfort. My review of the Eliza Thompson House is posted here if you are interested.
The Verdict:
Overall, my first Andaz stay was a success. I really liked the Deluxe Loft Room at the Andaz Savannah, and the location was super convenient to explore the city. If my travels bring me back to Savannah, I would definitely consider staying here again.
Have you stayed at the Andaz Savannah? How was your experience? Feel free to share in the comments!
Happy travels,
Ty
Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!
