JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District — Hotel in Savannah

My husband and I recently stayed at this hotel for our 20th anniversary from February 5 to February 8. Walking into the hotel it was beautiful and felt luxurious. It was very upscale. First impressions were great. We walked into our room and it was beautiful. The bathroom was beautiful. The bed was gorgeous. The first disappointment was realizing that we were one of the only rooms on the second floor that did not have a balcony looking over the river. We just had a window, and sadly could not sit out there and watch the ships go by like everyone else around us. The second disappointment was the shower. While the shower was aesthetically pleasing, it was not practical. There was a tiny shelf for the hotel shampoo and conditioner, but there was nowhere to put stuff that you brought from home. There was no extra shelving, there was nowhere to safely prop your leg up to shave your legs, It just was not practical, and if you brought anything from home, you basically had to set it on the floor, which I think is disgusting. Also, the tiles in the shower are very slippery and get even more slippery when you use things like conditioner, etc. so that is something to be aware of. None of the reasons listed above is why I am writing this review and none of the reasons listed above would have prompted me to even leave a review at all. Those were just small annoyances.

The reason I went out of my way to leave a review is because we were on the second floor and our room was directly above a shopping area that had an art gallery in a clothing store and there was loud “club” type of music all day starting around 10 AM and not stopping until about 10:30 PM. I’m sure as a guest in the store or the art gallery it’s not that big of a deal but when you are staying in a hotel room directly above it and it’s all you hear all day long, it becomes quite monotonous and it started to make me feel like I was going crazy because it just did not stop. Had we not spent quite a bit of time in our actual room it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal but the first day we only spent half the day walking around Savannah and came back to the room and the second day we only left to eat. Our second day was a full day in the room, which meant a full day of hearing nonstop club music with loud bass. This was supposed to be a romantic quiet getaway to celebrate our 20th anniversary and because of where our room was placed in all of the music it essentially ruined the trip. It is an upscale hotel and the prices were not cheap so to say that we were disappointed in the loud constant music is an understatement.

I did not complain while we were there. My partner is the type of person that will smile, say thank you and will avoid conflict like the plague. After being married 20 years, I know that about him so I knew I was going to wait until I got home to say something and that is why I’m leaving this review because days later I am still upset that our stay was ruined by this loud music. We looked forward to spending our 20th anniversary in Savannah and it will go down as one of the most annoying hotel stays we’ve ever experienced. Besides the loud music, it probably would’ve been a perfect trip. The employees at the hotel were very nice. The breakfast at the little market was nice. The rooms were beautiful overall it would’ve been perfect, but having the loud mall music right below somebody’s room is pretty inconsiderate when you think of the prices that we pay to stay at an upscale hotel. The music wasn’t even songs. It was just monotonous beats enough to make somebody feel crazy. I hope somebody in management will read this and will take into consideration why people are coming to visit and how something so small can really impact your experience and do something about it. I do not even remember the last time I took the time to leave a review for any establishment, but this was worth going out of my way to leave a review. I am not the type of person that likes saying anything bad about a business but sometimes you just have...

For my parents’ 34th wedding anniversary, I booked a 3-night stay at the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District—supposedly one of the best hotels in the city. I prepaid $1,547.50 for an Executive Studio Suite nearly three weeks in advance, hoping to ensure a seamless and special experience. Unfortunately, it was anything but.||||To begin with, I requested an early check-in at 3 PM—just an hour ahead of the standard time. This seemed like a reasonable request, especially for a prepaid, premium room. Yet my parents weren’t able to access their room until nearly 6 PM because it “wasn’t ready.”||||To make matters worse, the room provided, though technically an Executive Studio Suite, was not the Atlantic Executive Studio Suite as advertised. That version includes a balcony, a marble walk-in tub, and floor-to-ceiling views of the Savannah Riverfront—none of which were present in the room they received. Despite booking well in advance and noting that this was for a special occasion, none of our requests were honored. Even basic amenities like an iron and ironing board—listed on the website and standard at virtually every hotel—were missing from the room.||||The billing experience was even more disappointing. I expected a balance of $124.20 for resort fees ($36/day) and $162 for valet parking ($54/day). However, the hotel also added a $100/day incidental hold, bringing the total additional charges to $424.20—on top of the prepaid rate.||||At check-in, my mom specifically requested that these charges be placed on her debit card. Yet both her card and mine were charged. The front desk initially denied the error and only reversed the charge from my account after my mom presented proof of the transaction.||||Things escalated the following morning when my parents received a fraud alert from their bank regarding a new $777 charge. The hotel had attempted to place yet another hold, on top of the previous $424.20, without explanation. When asked, the front desk gave a vague answer, claiming it was likely an “overnight authorization” that would drop off. Both amounts remained pending until after checkout, and we never received a satisfactory explanation for the additional $777 hold.||||To top it off, even after holding $1,201.20 on their card, my parents were told at checkout they still owed $286 for resort fees and parking. The valet was instructed not to release their car until the balance was paid—as if they were trying to skip out on the bill. This, despite the fact that they had generously tipped that same valet staff each time they retrieved their vehicle. They paid the balance in cash, which apparently caught the front desk off guard.||||In total, over $3,000 was charged or held for a 3-night stay in Savannah, GA. It’s hard to believe this is standard practice for every guest.||||I could speculate whether my parents' treatment had anything to do with them being one of the few Black couples at the hotel, or the fact that most of the staff were foreigners--but regardless, the experience was unacceptable.||||Despite everything, my parents still made the most of their anniversary trip. But I won’t make the mistake of prepaying for a hotel again—and I certainly won’t be staying at another Marriott property, especially not this one. If this is considered one of the best hotels in Savannah, it’s no wonder U.S. tourism is...

For my parents’ 34th wedding anniversary, I booked a 3-night stay at the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District—supposedly one of the best hotels in the city. I prepaid $1,547.50 for an Executive Studio Suite nearly three weeks in advance, hoping to ensure a seamless and special experience. Unfortunately, it was anything but.

To begin with, I requested an early check-in at 3 PM—just an hour ahead of the standard time. This seemed like a reasonable request, especially for a prepaid, premium room. Yet my parents weren’t able to access their room until nearly 6 PM because it “wasn’t ready.”

To make matters worse, the room provided, though technically an Executive Studio Suite, was not the Atlantic Executive Studio Suite as advertised. That version includes a balcony, a marble walk-in tub, and floor-to-ceiling views of the Savannah Riverfront—none of which were present in the room they received. Despite booking well in advance and noting that this was for a special occasion, none of our requests were honored. Even basic amenities like an iron and ironing board—listed on the website and standard at virtually every hotel—were missing from the room.

The billing experience was even more disappointing. I expected a balance of $124.20 for resort fees ($36/day) and $162 for valet parking ($54/day). However, the hotel also added a $100/day incidental hold, bringing the total additional charges to $424.20—on top of the prepaid rate.

At check-in, my mom specifically requested that these charges be placed on her debit card. Yet both her card and mine were charged. The front desk initially denied the error and only reversed the charge from my account after my mom presented proof of the transaction.

Things escalated the following morning when my parents received a fraud alert from their bank regarding a new $777 charge. The hotel had attempted to place yet another hold, on top of the previous $424.20, without explanation. When asked, the front desk gave a vague answer, claiming it was likely an “overnight authorization” that would drop off. Both amounts remained pending until after checkout, and we never received a satisfactory explanation for the additional $777 hold.

To top it off, even after holding $1,201.20 on their card, my parents were told at checkout they still owed $286 for resort fees and parking. The valet was instructed not to release their car until the balance was paid—as if they were trying to skip out on the bill. This, despite the fact that they had generously tipped that same valet staff each time they retrieved their vehicle. They paid the balance in cash, which apparently caught the front desk off guard.

In total, over $3,000 was charged or held for a 3-night stay in Savannah, GA. It’s hard to believe this is standard practice for every guest.

I could speculate whether my parents' treatment had anything to do with them being one of the few Black couples at the hotel, or the fact that most of the staff were foreigners--but regardless, the experience was unacceptable.

Despite everything, my parents still made the most of their anniversary trip. But I won’t make the mistake of prepaying for a hotel again—and I certainly won’t be staying at another Marriott property, especially not this one. If this is considered one of the best hotels in Savannah, it’s no wonder U.S. tourism is...