The DeSoto Savannah — Hotel in Savannah

We booked the DeSoto for two nights as part of a weeklong vacation to Florida and Georgia. We stayed in four hotels through the week and the DeSoto was by far our biggest disappointment. We had high hopes when we saw the pictures on the website and read their description. We assumed this would be a restored historic hotel with the quaint feel of the history but with updated finishes and amenities. However, upon arrival it was quickly obvious that the photos did not portray it as we expected. The photos of the common area are bright and fresh but when we walked in during the brightest part of the day the lighting was dim making it dark and somewhat depressing. This didn't change throughout the day or night as the interior lights were never raised and there are not enough windows to provide sufficient natural light.

Unfortunately, our room was even worse. The hallway to our room was uncleaned with dirty carpets and right outside our door dirty plates from the previous occupants were still there. The engineered hardwood flooring in our room was broken in several places near the door to the balcony revealing the subfloor. The mirror in the bathroom was detached from the wall on one side making it slanted to the point the anchor was visible where it should have been bolted to the wall. The paint on the wall appeared discolored at places especially around the air vent due to a lack of cleaning. The bedding was mismatched so one had a thicker duvet with just sheets while the other had a thin duvet and an orange insulating blanket that made the white sheets appear pink. While taking a shower the plumbing would squeal followed by a complete loss of water pressure that was then restored to full power starting with cold water freezing occupant before the hot could catch up. The balcony was no more inviting as it was course concrete and just large enough for two people to stand but it did reveal the two decent qualities of the hotel which were the pool area and its location. It appears careful attention has been made to upgrade the rooftop pool and it presents a nice place to hang out. There was obviously no hallway or room cleaning service performed over the two days we were there. I know some hotels have gotten away from cleaning rooms automatically every day while guests are staying but our other hotels at least stated that and then offered the service free of charge, if desired.

While the location is nice and does make it easy to get around the historic district, this does not in and of itself warrant the exorbitant cost of staying there. Savannah is a very walkable city making the accessibility to that district a non-issue when comparing hotels. I found this out pretty quickly after arriving when I avoided paying the ridiculous over $40/day valet fee that is required to park onsite by parking in a garage several blocks away for $10/day and walking back.

All in all, the hotel served as a place to put our head down each night after visiting places in Savannah and it fit that purpose. However, the cost of staying there should warrant a much more high end experience. This felt more like a rundown hotel that is not being taken care of and relying on location to redeem the actual experience of being...

The lobby of this hotel was remodeled beautifully and rightfully so, judging by the number of large scale convention type events the DeSoto hosts. There were a lot of folks running around during my stay with name tags and clipboards. It is a lovely gathering spot and centrally located within walking distance of the historic city. Straight out the back door is a remarkable bookstore and lovely town square. When I booked on the website, I was led to believe two things: a working balcony and a consistent room rate. I encountered neither. The balconies are all bolted shut due to a recent insurance audit - I booked in March before the website reflected the lack of a functioning balcony. Bummer. Obviously, they sorely need some structurally attention. Secondly, I expected my room rate to be “locked in” for the duration of a four day weekly stay. Instead, I was charged wildly, with the Wednesday night stay being inexplicably the highest rate of all. I remain confused if I was charged a higher rate at booking for that coveted balcony. When presented with the bill at check out, I was encouraged to move on quickly. Far cry from my arrival when I was graciously allowed an early check in at no extra charge, which I much appreciated. And welcomed with true southern hospitality. In re-designing, please consider updating the lighting in the hallways. It is nearly non-existent and off putting to a solo traveler. The same can be said of the rooms. There is little bathroom lighting and no magnification. There are no robes but plenty of towels. There is mold in the shower perhaps due to poor design of the sliding glass stall, rather than lack of maintenance. A better bedside reading lamp would be appreciated. The bed is very comfortable and best of all, the HVAC operates fabulously on a high floor. I found the coffee offerings at the Buffalo Bayou to be insipid and I allowed for three tries and variations. Bitter tasting and off putting. Meager snack offerings, ill presented. There are many great coffee shops within walking distance. I chose not to dine in the restaurant due to the poor showing at breakfast. And breakfast is not included in your rate nor is there a free coffee station in the lobby, though you can make in your room. The pool area lacks maintenance with dirty drains and debris. And the rear facade of the hotel needs a construction update most of all. The garden plantings could benefit from some TLC. There was at the very least one dead palm tree. The gym is small and one room lacked functioning AC. There were beetles crawling on the floor. Thankfully, there are a couple of stretching implements and mats but obviously the gym concept is an afterthought. One piece of aerobic equipment was inoperable and there are not many. The tour operator in the lobby was congenial and welcoming, even if she did not offer the city’s best available rate for the ubiquitous trolley tour. Apparently, I signed up for a Guest Rewards program and received some credit towards a future stay or one at a member hotel, which I appreciate. If I were to return to this lovely city, I would probably seek out another hotel, but the location is...

I am going to start with, “Amazing!”

I was greeted at the door as I was exiting Uber. Norm, the person who greeted me and helped with the luggage, was friendly and helpful. Will was another guy I got to know, and he too was friendly and very helpful, especially with many questions we had about local dining and attractions.. They were both there in the evenings. I did not get to know the morning/day crew but they always greeted us on the way in and out.

Front Desk staff was welcoming and thorough. Always ready to help with questions and meet the needs.

Bartenders at the bar were absolutely great! By the way, Francis makes the best Bloody Mary on Sunday mornings you will ever have!

Restaurant staff were friendly and breakfasts were tasty and always fresh. I will assume the same goes for lunch or dinner, but we chose to have those meals offsite.

The coffee shop staff was great but the service was slow, probably due to the conference and multiple graduation celebrations, or weddings, going on at the same time.

Becky at the Concierge stand was most helpful every step of the way: she advised us with the tourists attractions and with local happenings, as well as some of the town’s history. If you don’t know what you want to do, talk to Becky!

Overall, the hotel is very clean and comfortable. The room was cozy. The balcony and the view helped the experience (spring the extra $$ if you are staying for more than a day - definitely worth the splurge). I would have liked to have some furniture on the balcony so we could have sat there and inhaled the city. The pool area was welcoming, but we only sat there once in the evening.

The workout room did not meet my expectations. It felt unclean. There is plenty of equipment if all you want is to do a tread master or some such. But if you aim to do body weight or yoga, you will need to use the empty space in the front. The floor was sticky. This is also where the water cooler and the bathroom are for those who are at the pool, so there is a bit of a traffic which will disturb your yoga practice, and the wet feet are probably what accounts for floor stickiness.

The walls are thin, and you will likely hear your neighbors. It did not bother me too much, but my friend could not sleep because of all the noise. We were unlucky enough to share the wall with younger visitors who were there for an event and partied all night. We were not bothered by the neighbors on the other side of the wall, but we could hear their TVs and muffled conversations.

The hotel is positioned in the historic area of the town but not as crowded with the tourists. It is central enough that we could walk to all the attractions we wanted to see. I will definitely stay at the DeSoto again and even though not everything was perfect, I wholeheartedly...