Southeastern US Road Trip
Andaz Savannah
Embassy Suites Charleston Historic District
Anderson Ocean Club and Spa
Country Inn & Suites Asheville Outlet Mall
Our road trip was planned with the idea of using as many of our free-night certificates as possible. I only had one Hyatt certificate as I earn new ones in December and I’d already spent the 2019 certificate at the Hyatt Place Denver Airport in early 2020. But I have plenty of Chase Ultimate Rewards points so I transferred enough to my Hyatt account and we booked the Andaz Savannah using one night on points and one night with the free certificate earned from renewing my Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card.
The hotel has a great location in the heart of the historic district. This also means there’s no free parking. The hotel offers valet service but there’s a garage practically next door so for us the valet service wasn’t worth the extra money ($37/day). I will say that despite the fact that we didn’t use the valet service, the valets were always super-nice, opening doors for everyone and ensuring our stay was a good one. They also helped us load our luggage on to a cart before parking the car.
The front desk is located just inside the lobby and the associates were always very friendly. She thanked me for being a Discoverist and we were given a room on the fifth floor. She pointed out that the mini-bars were empty but if we needed any of the complimentary items usually found there (water, soft drinks) that we could just ask at the front desk. She also told us of our welcome amenity of a free beer or champagne (or soft drink for me) and we took advantage of that. Though I wasn’t sure I’d need it, she gave me a complimentary 2 PM checkout time as well.
Our trip was in May 2021 when social distancing rules were loosening but were not yet gone. All staff wore masks and the vast majority wore them properly. All guests were to wear masks in the common areas such as the lobby and hallways. I found that during happy hours when guests would spill out from the restaurant/bar into the lobby those rules weren’t always enforced.
The elevator did have signs limiting the number of people allowed but only once or twice did we have to let one elevator go and wait for another. We also took the stairs down on one occasion.
Exiting the elevator there are a few rooms to the right but most rooms require a left turn and then a second left turn which leads down the long hallway. I like that the carpet design is a little funky though I commented to my friend that if I were drunk and trying to walk straight down the hallway I might end up staggering my way down.
Guest Room
Our room was in a standard layout with the bathroom on the left upon entering and then the room opened up with our two queen beds on the left, across from the TV and storage area. There’s a motion-activated light beneath each bed which makes those midnight trips to the bathroom less hazardous.
The beds were comfortable but featured what I call European bedding: a duvet (with a removeable cover) but no top sheet. This can be a problem for me in rooms where the thermostat does not allow for very cool temperatures at night but fortunately I was able to turn it down to 67F and stay comfortable all night.
There was a single nightstand between the two beds and only a single lamp, though it was quite bright. On the nightstand there are two electric plugs as well as two USB ports available to charge your phone and/or tablet.
Between one bed and the window was a table with two chairs. This worked well as a luggage stand for me.
Across from the beds was the cabinet upon which sat the TV and Keurig machine. Inside the cabinet was the empty mini-fridge, the safe, a couple of drawers and another storage area that contained the ice bucket. Beside the cabinet was a padded bench which my friend was able to use for her luggage rack.
Across from the bench was the closet which included an ironing board and an iron.
The bathroom was large enough for one person to feel there’s plenty of room though it would be a tight squeeze for two folks at once. The sink was across from the door and the toilet was just to the left upon entry. The shower stall – which did not have a curtain or door – was to the right. Due to the positioning of the shower head there was no issue with water splashing out of the stall. I appreciated the little shelf in the back corner that was low enough to make shaving my legs much easier.
The first several times in the bathroom I thought it seemed rather dark. Only later did I realize that there’s actually a light embedded around the edges of the mirror. The switch for it is by the others near the door but it can be set to be motion-activated. Since it was set it manual mode when we arrived, it never tripped automatically until we happened to touch it later in our stay. That was a nice surprise.
I do have a few observations which might also be categorized as minor complaints. There was quite a lot of counter space in the bathroom, which was great, but the sink itself was awfully small. I did like that the spigot was to the side. While I’d seen that positioning in photos, I don’t think I’ve ever used a sink like that and I grew to like it. Another issue I found annoying was the low water pressure in the shower. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I like the water to be blasting down and this wasn’t anywhere close to that.
My third observation is something that I found in several hotels during this trip: there’s nowhere to hang a wet washcloth in the shower area. There are a couple of hooks on the wall beside the sink and a towel rack beneath the sink but once you’ve used your washcloth in the shower, there’s nowhere to put it.
Toiletries were ZERO/o (I suppose that’s pronounced Zero Percent?) and they worked just fine.
Common Areas
Restaurant
The lobby restaurant is called 22 Square. It’s one of the few places in the area open for breakfast and is priced like a hotel restaurant. We ate here for breakfast one morning but were out in the suburbs for breakfast the other morning.
Conference Rooms
Behind the bar area are several conference rooms. The bathrooms for the ground floor are in the hallway between the conference center and the bar.
Pool
There’s a small outdoor pool on the second floor. There is a lot of deck space around it with many different seating options including a fire pit. The outdoor bar was closed but I can see that in warmer weather this would be a popular spot in the late afternoons and evenings.
Gym
The small gym is also on the second floor and has windows overlooking the pool. There are several cardio machines, medicine balls, some hand weights and one universal machine. Cups of water are available along with cool towels.
In the end
This hotel has a great location, friendly staff and large, clean rooms. As someone who came to Savannah to be out doing touristy things, this hotel worked perfectly for me and my friend. We’d be happy to stay here again.
Have you stayed at the Andaz Savannah? What were your impressions?
2B Traveling 
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