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| image from TripAdvisor |
Destination: Savannah, GA
Date: September 2015
Hotel: Doubletree
Brand: Hilton
Elite Status: gold
# of travelers: 4
nights: 1
Hotel: Making the Decision
Over Labor Day weekend, we went down to Savannah, GA to witness the birth of our newest family member – my nephew. Because our planning was so last minute, we didn't have many options for our Saturday night stay. I ended up taking one of the last hotels available from a chain in which I had status. My dad thought he might have to work on Labor Day proper so we only booked one night at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites. When we woke up Sunday morning, over breakfast I asked if we were staying a second night to which I received a unanimous "yes!" While we could have stayed at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites for another night, none of us were too impressed with the hotel; thus a search for another hotel began.
At the time I was seeking gold elite status with the HHonors program with Hilton. Etihad had worked a deal so that all of their members could get said status after 3 paid stays at Hilton hotels before October 31st. Always up for a challenge, Justin and I began by booking this Doubletree in Savannah. We, at first, considered the local Hampton in the historic area, but when that hotel was full, we opted for the Doubletree. While there were other cheaper hotels available, we were ready to start conquering the 3 stay gold challenge!
Getting There
We arrived by car.
My brother actually lives about 45 minutes from historic Savannah, so, after check out of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, we drove to his house to see my nephew and spend the day. We didn't get back to the hotel to check in until much later in the day.
We, obviously, didn't have much choice but to have a car with all of the back and forth commuting we were doing, but you don't have to arrive by car to the Doubletree. You can fly into the Savannah airport (or other nearby airports) and take a taxi to the hotel or you can take amtrak into Savannah, then take a taxi to the hotel. Once you are there you shouldn't need a vehicle to get around. Historic Savannah is very walkable. About the only reason you may need a vehicle is if you have any plans on going to visit Tybee or leaving historic Savannah for any reason. If you do choose to drive to Savannah, whether rental car or your own, parking is valet only and costs $25 a night.
Checking In, Elite Status Perks, View, & Amenities
Check in begins at 4pm. My family was a little late checking in, but I always make sure to ask for a room with a view in the hopes they have one and will give it to me. This time I was unsuccessful. Apparently, being a holiday weekend meant all of their rooms with a view were full (or at least that's what they said. Despite that, the hotel did offer us free water bottles and chocolate chip cookies. My dad, who loves cookies, even went back to ask for more to take to the parents of his new grandson; he was so excited (about the cookies and the grandson)! I'm not sure if these "perks" are offered to all guests, but we certainly enjoyed them.
Other perks the hotel offers include free wine tastings (on specific nights at specific times), complimentary breakfast (possibly just for elites), free flavored water in the lobby along with coffee and tea, dry cleaning, self-serve laundry, a fitness room, a library, and a pool.
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| image from TripAdvisor |
Room
While we weren't given a room with a view, we did enjoy a large spacious room with a decent-sized bathroom. We had shampoos, soaps, and lotions available for use, and the beds were surprisingly comfortable.
Breakfast + Bar
Before we settled in for the night, we decided to have a little "night cap". As we approached the bar with an idea in hand of what I wanted (a non-alcoholic lime rickey! duh!), a group who had made friendly with the bartender began talking with us. And then, my drink was ordered and it wasn't at all what I had intended! (I only partially blame the bartender for just assuming. I suppose I could have spoken up?) Anyway, regardless, we had an enjoyable time in the lobby with our drinks. There was a lot of space to spread out. You choose to either sit with (talkative) people at the bar or venture off elsewhere, for instance to the library, and cuddle up with a good book in a bit of a more quiet atmosphere (more my style).
Needless to say, the alcohol helped us to relax after a busy day of "helping" the new parents adjust and we got to sleep in. Yay! When we finally awoke the next morning, we barely had to wake up before hopping in the elevator to use our free breakfast passes.
Unfortunately though, there was a line. Apparently, rather than buffet style, this Doubletree offered a restaurant style breakfast. This meant that you had to wait patiently in line, like you would at a restaurant, before being seated so that they could make sure there was a server available to take your order.
Once we finally got seated after about 10 minutes of waiting, we found even our server to be slow! Finally, she took our drink order and explained that we could order hot entrees (omelets, waffles, pancakes, french toast) from her, but we could get sides from the buffet (potatoes, bacon, sausage, ham, yogurt, oatmeal, cereal, bagels, toast). The service was a little slow and the food was pretty much on par with what you'd expect from other hotel chains. Decent but not fantastic.
Location
One of the best parts about the hotel was being in walking distances of the historic district of Savannah. I have to admit that I was getting a little burned out on baby-visiting, so I was completely a fan of looking in stores, grabbing some pralines from Riverstreet Sweets, looking at antiques and books, and just enjoying before making the drive to see my nephew one last time before heading home at the end of our Labor Day excursion. If you stay at this hotel, this should be the reason why. :)
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| Instead of the sights, we saw a baby! Aww… :) |
Overall Review
★★★★ (above average)
If you are going to stay at a hotel in Savannah, I recommend this one, the Hampton Inn, or the Holiday Inn in the historic district. I definitely did not enjoy staying on the outskirts of the city when we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites. But I should note that none of the hotels I've stayed at in Savannah have been truly groundbreaking or amazing. This one was slightly above average, but not enough to give it 4 stars. They always seemed to be out of coffee (and hot water) at the beverage station, and a room with a view would have really helped me to give the hotel a better score. They were really fast with valet parking though and the location, as I've said before, was fantastic. The hotel was clean and neat, the rooms were spacious, the lobby was classy, there was plenty of seating for drinks, and it was nice have breakfast in a restaurant (for free). Overall I didn't feel like my gold status really meant much to the hotel, but my family did enjoy the free chocolate chip cookies. (They were sooo good!) I would definitely consider staying here again next time I return to Savannah.
Your Turn
Would you consider the Doubletree for your next stay in Savannah? (Have you ever had their delicious cookies?!?)
