I recently completed a 2-night stay at the Hyatt Regency Savannah. If you’ve been to Savannah, the hotel may be familiar to you as it is located in the center of things along River Street. It’s an “old school” Hyatt with inward looking atrium, but the rooms were comfortable and well maintained. Best of all, the staff was extremely pleasant.

Getting There

I arrived via taxi from the Savannah airport, a $28 flat rate fare. You can review other ground transportation options here.

Checking In

I arrived a little later than my usual hotel check in time, around 9:30PM. No one was waiting to check in, and I was immediately assisted by a very polite front desk clerk. She welcomed me as a Hyatt Diamond, and immediately offered a choice of Diamond amenity, points or a food and beverage item. Just for grins, I went with the F&B item, wine and a cheese/fruit board. The front desk offered to send it right up, but I requested to have it delivered the next afternoon. For good measure, here’s a picture.

IMG_1295

It was to much for one person, well…the snacks were… the wine? đŸ™‚ I wound up taking it with me. In any event, after reviewing the breakfast amenity with me as there is no club lounge, I was on my way to my 5th floor river view room.

The Room

Room 534 was a king room, river view, a good ways from the elevator which is just the way I like it. I was working, and did not spend much time in the room, but I did enjoy the river view when I was there. You may be surprised to learn that the Port of Savannah is the 3rd or 4th, depending on who you talk to, port in the country. That river view will get you a window full of this.

IMG_1286

Or sometimes this.

IMG_1301

But back to the room. As I said, this Hyatt is old school, and not the most modern. It is well maintained, my room was clean, comfortable, and well air conditioned….a necessary thing in Savannah! There were plenty of power outlets, plentiful lighting, nice desk, TV, and bath. If I had a complaint, it would be that the wi-fi was spotty where I was located. It was there, I could mostly connect, but the speeds were slow, and could barely support a VPN connection for work. In other areas of the hotel where I tried to connect, it worked better, just not in my room which was at the far end of the building. I wound up using my Mi-Fi most of the time when I was in the room working. I snapped a few photos around the room.

IMG_1278

IMG_1277

IMG_1279

IMG_1282

IMG_1283

IMG_1284

Around the Hotel

Savannah is an historic city with a lot of beautiful architecture, great restaurants, and I guess what professionals call “charm.” This was my third visit to the city, but my first when working and traveling without MrsMJ. There’s a bit going on at night, but I did not have time to participate during this trip. One thing I did ensure happened was a return to Sapphire Grill. There are other restaurants in town worthy of a visit, perhaps even better, but each of my three visits to Savannah so far have included one visit to Sapphire Grill. Excellent service, wine, and food. Make a reservation. On Thursday evening there was a bit of a wait when my colleagues and I arrived, but the bar was empty. We just made our way there and enjoyed great service.

Returning to the hotel, the Vu Lounge was a solid choice for a nightcap on the terrace overlooking River Street. A better choice might be the rooftop lounge at The Bohemian Hotel next door. There’s even the sister property, Andaz, up the street. There are just two of dozens of bars in town. As I mentioned, I was working, so I had to focus. I’ll say a little more about the city in my “Savannah on My Mind” post later this week. For other activities, there was a fitness center and pool, but I did not pack for it this trip. Restaurant in the Windows Restaurant was covered by my Diamond benefit. Typical buffet that was quite tasty.

The Bottom Line

Savannah is a great town, and I enjoyed my visit even if I was working. This Hyatt may be a little on the “old school” side, but staff were uniformly pleasant and welcoming. The hotel’s staff and location make it very likely that I’ll be staying here again on my next visit to Savannah. I like this Hyatt.

-MJ, June 30, 2014

MJ Logo5