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Andaz (Avia) Savannah REVIEW - MASTER THREAD

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Andaz (Avia) Savannah REVIEW - MASTER THREAD

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Old Aug 19, 2021, 8:20 pm
  #76  
 
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Originally Posted by QuantumMeruit
My family and I finished up a great 4-night stay this week at the Andaz Savannah. Paid stay on a Prive 4-for-3 suite rate, booked directly into an Andaz Suite. Unsurprisingly, no upgrade. (I was running the numbers on a regular booking and using a TSU, but decided to go for the Prive rate.)

Breakfast in the restaurant was totally taken care of (and I had hungry teenagers who sometimes order two main entrees). Servers and the kitchen were a bit underwater a few days, but we had flexible morning schedules so not a big deal. Paid valet parking was also comp'd, even though we were not on a points stay. Yay! Welcome amenity was a plate of macarons in the room, a box with some local bourbon and vodka and treats, and two silicone wine glasses with a coupon for two pours of Canvas wine at the bar downstairs.

Water, sodas and juice are available on request from the front desk (as opposed to being stocked in the room).

The property is only doing full housekeeping every third night, which was fine by me. (Every day, though, they still enter the room for trash and to take away dirty towels.)

Location is great. Lots of stuff right off of Ellis Square, and it's a very short walk to the river and everything there.
Good to get some recent review of this property as a friend and I are staying in October. Hoping they have self parking also as we're taking a scooter (a Lambretta rally in St. Augustine) and it will be on a trailer, so not sure we'd trust the valet to be able to park it without damage. Using a free night 1-4, so either way it should be free.
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Old Aug 20, 2021, 6:15 pm
  #77  
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Originally Posted by rbAA
Good to get some recent review of this property as a friend and I are staying in October. Hoping they have self parking also as we're taking a scooter (a Lambretta rally in St. Augustine) and it will be on a trailer, so not sure we'd trust the valet to be able to park it without damage. Using a free night 1-4, so either way it should be free.
IIRC there's a public parking ramp across the street from the hotel's front entrance. I've always assumed that this is what the hotel uses for it's valet parking.
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Old Aug 21, 2021, 6:59 pm
  #78  
 
Join Date: Aug 2021
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Self Pay is available in Whitaker Street Garage. It is the same garage the hotel uses for Valet Parking. If you use the garage, I suggest using the elevators toward the middle of the main parking area vice the corner one. The main garage elevators have direct access to the Barnard Street and back access to the hotel (once you have a room card) while the other elevator (corner) will take you across the street from the hotel.

Stayed for a week in July and hotel breakfast was great when calling ahead. Shrimp and Grits were great but rich. If you want a hole in the wall local diner for b-fast check out Henry's.
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Old Oct 27, 2021, 6:52 am
  #79  
 
Join Date: Aug 2020
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Just finished a 3 night globalist stay using 3 category 1-4 free night certificates.

TLDR: This is a slightly glorified Hyatt Place. I feel like Hyatt just didn't have the right branding option for the hotel and slapped "Andaz" on it. Probably should be just "Hyatt" or something like that perhaps.

Service: Arrived via Lyft XL with no one at the door to either help with luggage or open the doors for us. Throughout the stay, it was hit or miss whether or not someone was at the door to open them (we have a 2 year old with a stroller, heavy doors aren't easy). Lady at check-in was very pleasant. Recognized Globalist status but zero flexibility in terms of upgrades, even after a bit of negotiation (ie, "how about the next day when I see rooms are available), but she was kind about it. Offered us either a free glass of champagne or locally brewed beers. I took the latter and they were great. She also gave us a bag of goodies including two local pralines (yum), a small bottle of local bourbon, small bottle of local vodka, and two koozies. Nice touch. Room service was provided every day which was great. Breakfast service was a complete shi*tshow, even when it wasn't crowded. I'm guessing they are understaffed? I mentioned it to the manager who was nice about it, offered free dinner, but we were booked at Savannah's awesome restaurants 3 nights so I didn't take him up on it.

Location: The selling point and also the reason I believe this hotel can get away with being a category 4.

Room: Tiny and carpeted. Base level room and even more cramped with my 2 year old in a crib. I got used to it throughout the stay, though. Luckily the bed was very comfortable. Room smelled of mildew every time you walked in but got better with the AC cranked. View was a brick building next to us. Shower pressure was good. Pharmacopia amenities which I thought was weird since that's the brand of HR. Soap and lotion was (I think) a local brand I'd never heard of and smelled nice. Plenty of towels refreshed every day.

Breakfast: As a globalist, we could order whatever we want and it was all comped, including the tip. Highlights were shrimp and grits, the egg, bacon, cheese bagel sandwich, and bourbon blueberry pancakes. Tried the fluffernutter flatbread the last day and it was good, but so sweet. Again, globalists can order whatever the heck you want and it will all be comped. It's fairly reasonable, though, and even our most extravagant order came out to about $80.

Overall: While the location is good, I'd never stay here again. I walked through the lobby of the HR (basically across the street) and it seemed much nicer even though it's a Category 3. This hotel feels like a Hyatt Place with a couple upgrades thrown in to slap the Andaz brand on it. The location is good, but the room is tiny, cramped, and smells. I'd feel horribly ripped off if I paid the $3-$400 cash rates for this hotel. For a first time and free stay in Savannah, it did the trick.

Fwiw, I walked over to the new Thompson hotel. The first floor is GORGEOUS and the pool looked nice (although a little small). The location is probably the weakest point as it seems to be an up and coming area surrounded by a whole lot of nothing. River Street is about a 10 minute walk away. The location is a huge con compared to Andaz and HR.
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Old Oct 27, 2021, 7:03 am
  #80  
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
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Originally Posted by Daftryan
Just finished a 3 night globalist stay using 3 category 1-4 free night certificates.

TLDR: This is a slightly glorified Hyatt Place. I feel like Hyatt just didn't have the right branding option for the hotel and slapped "Andaz" on it. Probably should be just "Hyatt" or something like that perhaps.

Service: Arrived via Lyft XL with no one at the door to either help with luggage or open the doors for us. Throughout the stay, it was hit or miss whether or not someone was at the door to open them (we have a 2 year old with a stroller, heavy doors aren't easy). Lady at check-in was very pleasant. Recognized Globalist status but zero flexibility in terms of upgrades, even after a bit of negotiation (ie, "how about the next day when I see rooms are available), but she was kind about it. Offered us either a free glass of champagne or locally brewed beers. I took the latter and they were great. She also gave us a bag of goodies including two local pralines (yum), a small bottle of local bourbon, small bottle of local vodka, and two koozies. Nice touch. Room service was provided every day which was great. Breakfast service was a complete shi*tshow, even when it wasn't crowded. I'm guessing they are understaffed? I mentioned it to the manager who was nice about it, offered free dinner, but we were booked at Savannah's awesome restaurants 3 nights so I didn't take him up on it.

Location: The selling point and also the reason I believe this hotel can get away with being a category 4.

Room: Tiny and carpeted. Base level room and even more cramped with my 2 year old in a crib. I got used to it throughout the stay, though. Luckily the bed was very comfortable. Room smelled of mildew every time you walked in but got better with the AC cranked. View was a brick building next to us. Shower pressure was good. Pharmacopia amenities which I thought was weird since that's the brand of HR. Soap and lotion was (I think) a local brand I'd never heard of and smelled nice. Plenty of towels refreshed every day.

Breakfast: As a globalist, we could order whatever we want and it was all comped, including the tip. Highlights were shrimp and grits, the egg, bacon, cheese bagel sandwich, and bourbon blueberry pancakes. Tried the fluffernutter flatbread the last day and it was good, but so sweet. Again, globalists can order whatever the heck you want and it will all be comped. It's fairly reasonable, though, and even our most extravagant order came out to about $80.

Overall: While the location is good, I'd never stay here again. I walked through the lobby of the HR (basically across the street) and it seemed much nicer even though it's a Category 3. This hotel feels like a Hyatt Place with a couple upgrades thrown in to slap the Andaz brand on it. The location is good, but the room is tiny, cramped, and smells. I'd feel horribly ripped off if I paid the $3-$400 cash rates for this hotel. For a first time and free stay in Savannah, it did the trick.

Fwiw, I walked over to the new Thompson hotel. The first floor is GORGEOUS and the pool looked nice (although a little small). The location is probably the weakest point as it seems to be an up and coming area surrounded by a whole lot of nothing. River Street is about a 10 minute walk away. The location is a huge con compared to Andaz and HR.
THe rooms at the regency are pretty dated, the breakfast is awful in comparison to the Andaz. Globalist sometimes get a slightly large river view room (they call it a premium suite which is an absolute joke as it's not even a suite) and a coupon for a free bottle of wine (or snacks) but the breakfast I will never eat again, probably why I'm staying at the andaz on my next trip.
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Old Oct 27, 2021, 10:16 am
  #81  
 
Join Date: Jun 2020
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I feel that all 4 Avia properties should have been Centric, Hyatt didn't have a premium hotel in San Diego and Savannah at the time so they slapped Andaz brand to these 2 undeserved properties. As reported in Andaz Wall Street thread, there is a plan to rename some subpar Andaz hotels, Savannah and San Diego are the most obvious, maybe Napa is also on target.
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Old Nov 16, 2021, 2:32 pm
  #82  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Atlanta (most of the time)
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Just finished a 3 night award stay as Globalist.

I swear, they give people with award stay upgrade to room 312 most often and it's not a great room location. It's on the second floor right above a construction dumpster which you will hear in the weekday mornings.

Breakfast was taken care of. Order as much as you want and it's taken off including tip. But it takes a LOOOONG time for anything to come out. So if you have a flight to catch, be cautious of that.

Valet Parking is also taken care of as Globalist award stays.

The hotel is showing signs of age. I remember being there a few years back and how nice everything was. This time you can see the stains on couch, chipped furniture and old carpet.
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Old Dec 14, 2021, 8:38 am
  #83  
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I just finished 2 separate stays and I can't say enough about the treatment we received. I used 3 cat 1-4 awards. I had asked for a contact at the hotel so I could request a paid upgrade to a suite, since I couldn't use an upgrade certificate. I ended up conversing with the hotel manager, who went above and beyond for us. We were given the same suite for both stays and he comped the upgrade to an Andaz suite 420, which had a balcony and overlooked Ellis Square. He also waived the pet fee. We also received two lovely amenities each arrival.

The room was clean and very comfortable, if not a bit small. I think it could have used a bit less bathroom, which was huge, and a bit more living room. The bathroom had a large shower, free standing soaking tub, a large double sink vanity and toilet... all with a lot of room at the center. The bedroom was a decent size with a king bed. The living room had a wet bar area, though without any water, sofa, ottoman and chair. It was more than adequate for us. The only downside is that on the weekends, Ellis Square gets noisy, but everything shuts down at 11pm.

Oh, I had never had Shrimp and grits - ever. They were absolutely delicious and when I commented, they said it was probably the best version of it in the area. So now I've been spoiled You can order it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and I'm sorry I didn't get it again.

Breakfast was comped each morning, no matter what we ordered, as was valet parking. Since we had a dog with us we had to get take out service for dinner, which was prepared and packaged very well. The offerings are limited though, and we ended up trying door dash for the second dinner - we should have ordered from the hotel again.

Should we decide to return, we definitely will go back again. While the Regency is in a nice riverfront location, you can't beat the location of the Andaz.
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Old Dec 21, 2021, 9:37 am
  #84  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: RDU
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Stopped over for 1 night using a Cat1-4 award. Based on previous reviews, it seems that the quality of stay is heavily dependent on what room you get. We were pre-upgraded to an Andaz Deluxe Loft overlooking the pool terrace. It was a comfortable room with the only obvious signs of wear inside the closet and on the balcony doors. The layout is good for a room of this size. The balcony is not very big, only good for stepping outside to take in views. We arrived late on a Friday, but did not notice any major issues with noise inside the room even though we could hear noise from other rooms in the hallway. At most we could hear the shower running in the neighboring room. The bathroom is long with the shower at the opposite end from the door, enclosed by the walls. The shower initially looks very dim, but the light warms up shortly.

The location of the Andaz is great - plenty of dining and shopping options a short walk away. It certainly beats the Thompson in this aspect.

Very friendly front desk - always received a greeting when entering and leaving. However, it can back up while the staff explain the available amenities to people checking in and running back and forth to the back area to provide complimentary beverages.

We arrived too late for dinner so we grabbed take out pies from a nearby pub (The Little Crown) a short walk away which were tasty. Breakfast was slow - I wouldn't count on anything faster than 45 minutes without pre-ordering ahead of time. Many thanks to all who recommended the shrimp and grits - I don't eat grits very often but this is probably the best version of shrimp and grits I've ever had. The SO loved their "Wake the Cluck up" (chicken and waffles). All breakfast and valet charges were taken care of without asking.
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Old Jan 4, 2022, 1:41 pm
  #85  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
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Stayed for two nights at the tail of 2021. Pretty much same feeling as others expressed.

I did stay at Andaz San Diego extensively a few years ago and SAN property actually is quite a bit better than SAV.

For SAV. Location is great. Breakfast is good but very slow. It's not even understaffed - plenty of folks working it. But they tend to forget things and take extreme time. Pretty much no limit for Globalist is a nice touch - had a chance to try a few things over two days.

Free parking for Globalist on award stay saved quite a bit. Cars are in the underground garage under Ellis square. I had to grab something and it was convenient. Noticed valet didn't lock my car though.

Location is great.

Got upgraded from 2 queen to a suite without asking. They didn't pay attention that I needed 2 beds. The sofa is not good at all for sleeping. Also I got 306 which is accessible room - those are a bit creepy and not optimally configured if one doesn't have accessible needs.

I did get two pralines at check-in but nothing else. Since we arrived at midnight, something more substantial would be nice.
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Old Jan 5, 2022, 5:55 pm
  #86  
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Originally Posted by SAVlover
Self Pay is available in Whitaker Street Garage. It is the same garage the hotel uses for Valet Parking. If you use the garage, I suggest using the elevators toward the middle of the main parking area vice the corner one. The main garage elevators have direct access to the Barnard Street and back access to the hotel (once you have a room card) while the other elevator (corner) will take you across the street from the hotel.
.
Has anyone Self-parked in this lot mentioned above? i saw on Andaz's site it says its $22 a night and the HR it seems tells its self-parkers to use the When I called same lot and says its $16.

When I called The Andaz she told me " its $22 to self-park in our area in that garage". I have no idea what that means and knew I wasnt gonna get anywhere if I kept talking to her. Was going to stay on Pts and Valet would have been free but with the rate ,$150 its not worth using my pts/ or cert

Last edited by craz; Jan 5, 2022 at 8:17 pm
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Old Jan 16, 2022, 9:14 am
  #87  
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I booked for 2 nights next October, some time back in early December. I booked the "Member Rate".
I just checked back to see the rate development and interestingly, the "Member Rate" is no longer available. They only sell at the "standard rate" (unless you add a corporate code).
interesting, I have never seen the Member Rate disappear.
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Old Jan 16, 2022, 12:52 pm
  #88  
 
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Originally Posted by 59Impala
I booked for 2 nights next October, some time back in early December. I booked the "Member Rate".
I just checked back to see the rate development and interestingly, the "Member Rate" is no longer available. They only sell at the "standard rate" (unless you add a corporate code).
interesting, I have never seen the Member Rate disappear.
It's weekends in October that are showing only Standard Rates and high season award points. Weekdays show normal Member Rates and Standard award rates.

Hotel must be expecting extraordinary demands for October weekends.
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Old Jan 16, 2022, 12:56 pm
  #89  
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
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Originally Posted by craz
Has anyone Self-parked in this lot mentioned above? i saw on Andaz's site it says its $22 a night and the HR it seems tells its self-parkers to use the When I called same lot and says its $16.

When I called The Andaz she told me " its $22 to self-park in our area in that garage". I have no idea what that means and knew I wasnt gonna get anywhere if I kept talking to her. Was going to stay on Pts and Valet would have been free but with the rate ,$150 its not worth using my pts/ or cert
I self parked at this garage a few years ago when I stayed at the HR. It's a public garage without in and out. and you cannot charge to your room. At $150 room rate, just go ahead and park at the garage, whatever the daily rates.
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Old Jan 16, 2022, 7:59 pm
  #90  
 
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 5
The Andez has designated spaces with restricted access for the hotel within the Whitaker Street Garage (search Savannah Gov website for parking garage info). The Hotel's daily rate is higher than the public for the garage (select parking spots with limited access and unlimited in/out privileges) where otherwise to the public its first come first serve in the garage at the public rate. Generally, there is ample parking on levels 3 and 4 of the public. If you are arriving late on Thur-Sat, there may be fewer "one dingers" to select on level 3 and 4. However, if you arrive during he day after 3, there should be no problem. Honestly, when I visit I park and walk and don't need in and out privileges, but each their own. Note; The Whitaker does offer free charging stations for electric with limited time slots. The garage also has other reserves spaces by City permit. So busy during the week with workers and visitors over the week-end.
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