THE SOUTH
Savannah’s Best Hotels for Every Traveler: Luxury, Boutique & Riverside Gems
By Eric Barton | Sept. 15, 2025
AUTHOR BIO: Eric Barton is editor of The Adventurist and a freelance journalist who has reviewed restaurants for more than two decades. Email him here.
I pass through Savannah so often that I’ve started thinking of it less as a stopover and more as a standing appointment. We’ll usually stay a night or two, long enough to hunt down the new restaurant or cocktail bar that inevitably opened since last time. And there’s always a new hotel too, because Savannah never seems content to let its accommodations stand still.
By now I’ve slept in just about all of them—grand old dames on the river, sleek newcomers with rooftop pools, quiet boutiques hidden behind iron gates. Which means I can finally offer something like an expert analysis of the city’s ever-shifting hotel scene. So here it is: my list of the best places to stay in Savannah.
Bellwether House
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Bellwether joins two Italianate townhouses from 1876 into a 16-room boutique hotel with long porches, original high ceilings, and modern-classic touches everywhere. They include a full breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening champagne toasts, plus concierge service that helps you map your stay with off-the-beaten-path spots if you’re in discovery mode. The rooms vary a lot—some have garden patios or double showers, others lounge spaces or deep soaking tubs—but all feel like staying at someone’s beautifully curated home rather than a rigid hotel.
Best for: Travelers who want indulgent quiet and old-world charm just steps from Forsyth Park
The Bohemian Hotel Savannah
$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
Right on River Street, this Kessler-collection spot goes full maritime-glam—dark woods, brass, and local art—with many rooms looking straight onto the river (some with balconies for ship-spotting). I come for Rocks on the Roof, the rooftop bar where you can watch container ships slide past, and the hotel has recently launched a new downstairs restaurant, Coastal 15, recognizing that they’re 15 miles from the ocean. Rooms aren’t huge, but they’re plush and quiet once you’re upstairs, giving you the riverfront energy without the late-night chaos.
Best for: View chasers who want a rooftop perch
The Drayton Hotel
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I like The Drayton because it takes one of Savannah’s oldest 19th-century buildings and balances its historic bones with bright, bold design—think pastel jewel tones, reclaimed wood floors, and those big green-and-blue color schemes undoing monotony. With 50 rooms and suites, you get options that face either the Savannah River or the Historic District, and the beds are pillow-top with premium linens that feel like a reward after a full day of walking the squares. Dining and drinking are strong here: St. Neo’s Brasserie does Lowcountry twists on French classics, the rooftop Pendant Terrace & Bar gives you skyline views of City Hall and the river, and The Vinyl Room offers a snug cocktail lounge for late-night conversations.
Best for: Stylish travelers who want history with a rooftop bar
The Grant
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If I need a base that blends loft-living with downtown walkability, The Grant nails it: modern industrial lofts (complete kitchens, big open living areas), Parachute linens, and understated yet sharp design that nods at Savannah’s brick-and-iron roots. Location is its real magic—you're on Broughton, so you’re a few minutes' walk from Johnson Square, SCAD Museum of Art, shops, and all the city’s pulse, but the rooms themselves feel like a calm retreat. It’s not massive; it feels personal and artful, and for a traveler like me who wants both utility (kitchen, comfy bed, Wi-Fi) and style, this hits a sweet-spot.
Best for: Travelers who want stylish loft comfort in the center of things
Hamilton-Turner Inn
$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
This one is a show-stopper: the Hamilton-Turner Inn is a French Empire / Victorian mansion from 1873, with original architectural elements that speak loudly—ironwork balconies, tall windows, elegant parlors that still feel stately. I stay here when I want indulgence: full Southern breakfasts each morning, afternoon snacks and wine & hors d’oeuvres in the parlor, designer bath products, and rooms that combine period décor with modern comforts. Because it's on Lafayette Square—just inside the Historic District—you get both proximity to all the squares and museums and a sense of seclusion once you're back in your suite.
Best for: History lovers who want grandeur, ghost stories, and no compromise on comfort
JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District
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Whenever I stay at the JW, I feel like I’m in Savannah’s most ambitious hotel experiment: 419 rooms spread across three dramatically different buildings—the industrial Power Plant, the dreamy Three Muses, and the sleek Atlantic—so you can pick your vibe. The lobby, above, is a dramatic display of modern art. The rooms are spacious, with river or city views, modern-industrial touches, plush beds, and suites that include bi-level lofts if you want to go all in. When I want restaurants, nightlife, rooftop pool time, or a spa day without leaving my building, this is the place—Stone & Webster Chophouse, Electric Moon, Baobab Lounge, and the riverfront itself make it a city within the city.
Best for: Travelers who want big-hotel luxury and full access to the riverfront scene
Kimpton Brice Hotel
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In a gray-brick, onetime Coca-Cola bottling plant at Washington Square, the Brice pairs historic bones with a leafy “Secret Garden” courtyard and a legit outdoor pool. Rooms are approachable and unfussy, and the Kimpton staples are here in force—yoga mats in the closet, French-press coffee on request, and complimentary. While there’s certainly fancier hotels in town, nobody has a better free cocktail hour that spills from the lobby into the courtyard every night.
Best for: Garden-courtyard loungers who want easy access to River Street
Municipal Grand
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A 1960s bank reborn as a 44-room boutique, Municipal Grand sits at Broughton and Abercorn with a mid-century look that actually feels fun—curved banquettes, pop-art hues, and a lobby that works as the city’s living room. Rooms are calm and tailored, and when I’m not in one I’m usually at Municipal Bar downstairs (all-day menu, proper cocktails) or upstairs at the guest-only Sun Club, a rooftop pool deck that looks across Savannah. There’s talk of a basement bar coming online soon; for now, the combo of central location, serious drinks, and that rooftop makes it an easy pick.
Best for: Design-minded travelers who want a lively lobby
The Perry Lane Hotel
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Savannah’s sleekest stay is part of Marriott’s Luxury Collection, a design-forward retreat in the Historic District with rooms that feel modern without losing the city’s Southern ease. I come for the rooftop: a proper pool and Peregrin, the open-air bar with long views and a social scene that kicks in before sunset. Downstairs, Emporium Kitchen & Wine Market turns out a solid breakfast and an even better evening lineup, so you can make a night of it without ever leaving the block.
Best for: Design lovers who want a rooftop scene with real substance
Planters Inn on Reynolds Square
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I like Planters Inn because it’s the most affordable entry into the romantic storybook Savannah vibe. The building dates to 1913, it looks over Reynolds Square, and its Deluxe Fireplace or Balcony Parkview rooms feel like something out of a Southern novel. Inside you get real comfort—Southern Lady mattresses, free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, and rooms with coffee machines that don’t feel like afterthoughts. Plus the little touches count: warm cookies, complimentary evening reception a few nights a week, strong proximity to Olde Pink House and all the walkable delights around the square.
Best for: Couples and slow travelers who want classic Southern hospitality in a postcard-perfect setting
Thompson Savannah
$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
Set on Eastern Wharf just beyond the Historic District, this is my go-to when I’m passing through. A quick riverfront walk pulls you into the action, and an equally quick walk brings you back to quiet. Rooms skew modern and calm—floor-to-ceiling windows, rain showers, blackout shades, and beds that feel engineered for the I-95 reset. Bar Julian’s rooftop and the pool deck stare down the river, and Fleeting downstairs solves the “I’m tired but still want a proper dinner” problem with style.
Best for: Road-trippers who want calm design and a short stroll to the Historic District
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