It’s always a pleasure to try a new property and Hyatt rarely lets us down, but the Andaz Savannah experience was a mixed bag.
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Location
Positioned in the historic district on Ellis Square, the Andaz Savannah by Hyatt is in the heart of the city. Just a few blocks from the river, surrounded by restaurants and bars, the hotel is well positioned for a weekend stay. We arrived late and the bars were a little loud and intimidating (with a family) and some of the revelers on the street had us concerned but we couldn’t hear them inside the room. There is parking available for $49/night by valet across the square or self-parking in the same garage for $24/night.
Address: 14 Barnard St, Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: +1 (912) 233-2116
Property
Initially opened as the Avia Savannah, in 2012 Hyatt bought the property and renovated it to become the Andaz Savannah that exists there today. On the main level, a restaurant, 22 Square, and bar serve guests and patrons amidst an upscale but casual lobby aesthetic. Upon entering, the concierge greets visitors with the front desk to the back of the lobby near the elevators. A small shop with local products and Andaz merchandise is situated between the two.
Meeting facilities on the main floor were significant, the hotel also offers a small pool with cabanas and loungers as well as a small fitness center. The property is pet friendly for those traveling with furry friends.
Benefits
Unfortunately, our stay was brief so we were unable to test the early check-in/late check-out option and as we required two queen beds, were not eligible for an upgrade as they do not have any suites with two beds.
Hyatt Privé and World of Hyatt Globalist will enjoy breakfast in the hotel restaurant, 22 Square, which is offered from 6:30 AM to 11 AM daily. The menu had a mix of American breakfast classics and some new innovations that were well-intentioned but missed the mark. Our family of four (one baby) ordered an omelet, the southern fried french toast and the Gourmond. while aspirational, none hit the mark for us.
To illustrate this, the Southern Fried French Toast, is a bread pudding adapted into fresh toast but this has a practical issue. Dry bread is soaked to create bread pudding which is then dried out again by the frying process. It was dry and a bit bland with neither the opulence of a bread pudding nor the caramelization of french toast. The concept – decadence on top of decadence – is a noble one but when executed it simply failed.
The Gourmond is shaved Georgia ham (subbed for bacon in our case) on top of a waffle with gruyere cheese, an egg, (good so far) and then topped with a mustard seed maple syrup. We are adventurous eaters, my wife has a culinary degree, but still this one just missed. On the first couple of bites, my wife commented that the mustard syrup added a Christmas component to the dish, but it lost its luster quickly.
The omelet was unremarkable, the toast unbuttered and cold.
I appreciate the chef going beyond the traditional bounds and trying something new, something edgy, but on these dishes it just didn’t work. I might recommend the two-egg American breakfast instead.
Room
We stayed in room 301 with a view of the pool and at the end of the hall. Some of the design elements were premium but others felt very much like any business Hilton. In fact, I initially thought the hotel was converted from a Hilton based on some of the design elements. Despite the historical nature of the building, it’s a traditional American hotel rectangle. Immediately to the right is the entrance to the bathroom and then the desk and TV run along the left with our pair of beds to the right; a small table and chairs at the window.
The bed was comfortable and the TV allowed for Chromecast which is always helpful with a family.
One feature of Andaz is a help-yourself minibar which sometimes includes booze but not always. The Andaz Savannah includes some non-alcoholic beverages, and chips but the rest is pricey.
Bathroom
The bathroom is a mix of basic and premium. The vanity is a standalone similar to most Hilton hotels, the bathroom is unremarkable save for two things: the shower, and the toiletries.
The shower is large but tiled and hidden around a corner with no glass – it felt like a gym shower, maybe an old YMCA.
Toiletries are C.O. Bigelow and were premium but not life-changing. Even though the shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel are attached to the wall, if they were mini bottles I still wouldn’t take them home with me but it was better than a basic option.
Value
For Globalists or Privé guests traveling without the need for two beds, this is one of the better values in the Andaz chain with nightly rates ranging from $190-350. When you include an early check-in, late check-out, breakfast for two adults, and a property that didn’t fight the upgrade, it’s a good cash value. For those with the Hyatt credit card, this is a Category 4 property so guests can use their annual Category 1-4 free night certificate, or 12,000 points for the stay. That said, for a family on a short stay it didn’t fit the bill for us, but if I was visiting Savanah on my own, I would likely stay here again and it was a good value for money.
What do you think?
I stayed there earlier this month.
Andaz is one of Hyatt’s better brands and is supposed to be the Hyatt equivalent of Marriott’s Edition and W brands.
“Supposed to be” is key.
While the hotel is nice, the overall standard fell short of luxury. The hotel is nicer than the nearby Marriott, Westin, and Hyatt Regency, but it’s not at the level of a luxury hotel.
There was no welcome letter at check-in and no welcome amenity in the room. As a Hyatt top-tier globalist I usually receive some kind of in-room amenity. And a personalized welcome letter is standard at a luxury hotel.
I had a suite, the Ellis Square Suite. I believe I received an upgrade to the suite because of my globalist status. So, the upgrade was appreciated.
While non-alcoholic drinks and snacks in the mini-bar were complimentary, the selection was pretty basic. For the non-complimentary wine, there was a cheap grocery store prosecco and a cheap grocery store red wine. No white wine. No rose. If you’re going to charge for alcohol, have a good selection. And strangely, there were no wine glasses and no corkscrew. So even if you wanted the cheap prosecco or the cheap red wine, there was nothing to drink from. How does a suite at a supposedly luxury hotel not have wine glasses or a corkscrew?
No turndown service. In a suite at a luxury hotel, you would expect turndown service. I was also asked if I wanted housekeeping service each day. Of course, I wanted housekeeping service. I booked a hotel because I wanted a hotel experience. Housekeeping should be automatic. You shouldn’t be asked if you want it. With that said, housekeeping did a good job. The room was cleaned and amenities that were used were replaced every day.
The suite itself was, however, poorly designed.
For starters, the suite was cramped. There simply wasn’t enough room. I had a large suitcase that folded open. The only place big enough to open the suitcase was the entryway. I don’t know how two people with two large suitcases would have enough room. You are fine if you have a duffel bag or a smaller carry-on suitcase. But larger suitcases will be problematic.
There are virtually no accessible electrical or USB outlets, save for a single USB outlet built into the clock on the nightstand. I wanted to charge devices and use my computer. I had to unplug lights and move things around to find electrical outlets. How does a hotel in the year 2025 not at least have multiple electrical and USB outlets?
My suite had a small balcony, but the balcony faced an active construction site. So, it was pretty useless, especially on weekdays when construction was taking place.
Noise insulation for a modern building is poor. You can hear a lot of downtown noise from Ellis Square and the surrounding streets. Especially at night. On Friday and Saturday nights, the noise goes to 2 a.m.
The lobby bar and restaurant were inconsistent. It was fine for drinks, but the food at breakfast and the one night I had dinner there was inconsistent. Service was also inconsistent depending on who was working. One morning, there seemed to be only one waiter for breakfast. It took about 20 minutes to get coffee. Another morning, a different waiter, Josiah, was fantastic. Every day, my experience was different based on who was working. So, they need to improve consistency.
Supposedly, as part of the resort fee, there are incentives like sparkling wine at dinner. I had dinner at the lobby bar and didn’t receive anything. I also never saw anyone else receive anything. I also never really saw anyone eating at the hotel besides breakfast. The restaurant’s small dining room has no atmosphere at all. They need to re-think the food and beverage concept because the restaurant, specifically the dining room, felt like a complete and total afterthought. I didn’t pay the resort fee because I’m a globalist with Hyatt, but the resort fee is pretty much a junk fee. The things that are supposedly included with the resort fee are either (a) difficult to get, (b) not provided, or (c) nonexistent. Supposedly, I could download newspapers using an app, but I was never given access. Why not just have some print copies of the Wall Street Journal or another newspaper in the hotel lobby, especially on weekends? I saw bicycles in the lobby but never saw anyone use them. I suppose I could have asked for one.
Staff at the front desk were polite and always welcomed guests as they entered or exited the hotel.
There was a concierge, who I never used. I assume she could book tours, etc. Maybe the front desk should plug the concierge during the check-in process. Nothing was ever said.
All things considered, the Andaz is a nice hotel. Is it a luxury hotel? No. Adding turndown service, some room updates, and a better F&B concept would push the hotel closer to the luxury category. I would consider staying here again if rates were reasonable. I think under $300 per night is a good value. Above that price point, I would book the Thompson, Perry Lane or JW Marriott.
Wow You hit the mark of every aspect of the hotel and every hotel
Globalist going on 6 years over 100 Hyatt properties
I noticed those things but few rarely bother me
Globalist Breakfast to room is a major major thing for me. I’m a morning introvert. Last thing I want to be doing is getting out of my room to get food.
My biggest travel issue is the horrible quality of coffee on the go. Why can’t hotels work to make good to great coffee? Coffee is a major part of my life
Kuddos to park Hyatt Paris concierge who, When I mentioned I needed to leave early in the morning to the airport and will not have time to go to the store near the hotel to get coffee, went to shop , had hot pour over coffee ready when they woke me..
SFO with ritual coffee is really also the only travel coffee redemption.
Mustard seed and maple sounds like a pork glaze not a waffle topping!
100%
My family of five stayed here in December for four nights on points. I booked a king room and a two queen room and requested connecting rooms. As it turns out this request requires an Andaz Suite to connect to a standard two queen room. It turns out that this hotel has a large number of Andaz Suites, presumably because it was not built as an Andaz initially. A quick call to the hotel resulted in a confirmed suite upgrade and connecting room without the need for a suite upgrade cert to be applied. That was a big bonus for us and turned an average stay into an above average stay.
As a Globalist, we had several days to sample the breakfast menu and found the food to be average and the service to be below average. Because they were understaffed and lacking basic hospitality training many guests were left frustrated and unsatisfied. The hot honey fried chicken and waffles is probably the safest best, but gets old after a few days. My wife and I also tried the bar’s happy hour a few times and found the wine cheap and the cocktails to be sloppy at best.
However, if you are just there to sleep and enjoy the city it is perfectly fine and a good use of a free night cert. There are plenty of nearby restaurants for breakfast that are likely cheaper and more enjoyable.
Kyle, if there is a next time, head to the Starland District and try Brochu’s and Flora and Fauna. Great people and great food.