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Thompson Savannah
First things first, if you’re considering a weekend in Savannah, do it. I would recommend steering clear of the sweltering July/August heat, but even in some exceptionally hot +humid days, my wife and I loved our long weekend away. Savannah is a walkers paradise with beautiful squares, historic architecture, and a plethora of dining options that will satiate every foodie’s desire. When searching for a place to stay, you’ll find there is no shortage of points hotels you could choose and nearly all of them are far more centrally located than the Thompson, but I would undoubtedly stay here again. Let’s dig into this fantastic new hotel whose location brings a bit of quiet in a lively historic river town.
Thompson Savannah Stay Details
- When: July 2022
- Where: Savannah, GA
- Rate: 20k per night, final night was 23k
- Status: World of Hyatt Globalist
- Free $42 parking when using points
- Free Breakfast for 2
- Upgrade
- 4pm late checkout
- Upgrade
- Standard room to Corner King Suite
- Pets – yes without a fee
Choosing and Booking the Thompson Savannah
There are a few Hyatt options in Savannah and we chose the most expensive of the group, but the value was more than the points really reveal. For starters, we would be traveling with our dog, Maggie, and Thompsons have no pet fee. The Thompson is also brand spanking new and away from the all the action, but within 10 to 15 minutes walk of the bustling riverfront.
- Thompson Savannah – category 5
- Andaz – category 4
- Hyatt Regency – category 3
- Hyatt Place – category 2
I also heavily considering the following options
- The Perry Lane – A Marriott Luxury Collection hotel that is regarded as one of the top hotels in town with a great rooftop bar/lounge
- The Kimpton Brice – A pet friendly hotel closer to the action but at the end of the riverfront
- Forsyth Mansion – A Marriott Autograph Collection hotel that is super eclectic but opposite Forsyth and large park
Ultimately it came down to the Kimpton and Thompson since both are pet friendly without fee. Ultimately we chose the Thompson because the point rate was more attractive
Location
Depending on how you view it, the location of the Thompson Savannah is either a positive or negative. It’s roughly a 10 minute walk from the main river front. For us, it provided a welcomed retreat from the heavily touristed riverfront and city center. It won’t stay this way for long as the riverfront will extend to the hotel and the amount of construction and development surrounding the Thompson will be finished in a few years.
If you’re wondering about construction noise, we didn’t hear any and while we were enjoyed a live music show in the park with food trucks
Check In
Swift and super friendly. Globalist status was recognized and explained as well as dog treats being offered to Maggie. The lobby is to the back of this picture, but the flow of the lobby melds seamlessly into the bar and lounge area. It feels super fresh and hip. It not only feels like a Thompson, but also reminded me of The Shay in Culver City, a Hyatt Unbound Collection property.
The Suite
The King Corner Suite is roughly 550 sq feet and features a separate seating area, large bathroom with glass enclosed shower/tub, 55in flat screen tvs, and tons of light.
There is a mini bar featuring large sized liquor bottles + a small fridge filled with drinks. There was just enough space to add a single beverage and our dog’s insulin.
The bathroom was fantastic offering great shower pressure, and throughout our stay I saw housekeeping actively changing and cleaning the communal bath products. This is a first in my many stays at properties touting communal products where I saw them being actively cleaned. Not to say they aren’t at other properties, but I saw them doing it here.
King bed. Plush sheets. Lots of Light…when it’s not raining cats and dogs. Each side of the bed had plugs to keep things charged up, or if you’re like me, a sleep fan app running to provide you with white noise.
Dining Options
We had food at 4 of the 5 dining options at the hotel. We didn’t dine at the pool only because it was either scorching hot, or was packed with people celebrating.
Fleeting
We had breakfast here each morning and I’d definitely recommend the roasted veggies. We weren’t given a budget for breakfast, but spent roughly $60 to $80 each morning and weren’t charged anything upon check out.
Bar Julian
We were starving after arrival and popped up to the roof to enjoy the view and have a snack before dinner at Husk. Delicious drinks, but I prefer the food downstairs in the lobby to this if you’re looking for anything that would fill you up. Julian offers nibbles.
The Lobby Bar
A different cocktail menu and delicious fries. We popped in here for pre-dinner drinks and it had a lovely vibe. I’d guess once the area develops more, both the lobby bar and Bar Julian are going to be packed.
The Coffee Shop
Great dirty chais and baked goods. Stop in here for a quick snack if your rate/status doesn’t come with breakfast
The Pool / 2nd floor lounge
Next to the pool is a small, second floor lounge that had a walk out balcony and great views of the river with a fully stocked bar as well. The pool shot is from our room…I always feel weird photographing people in the gym and at pools.
The Gym
I popped in a couple of times during our stay and it had several people using equipment. My apologies for not grabbing a picture, but it’s a moderate sized gym.
Overall
I wouldn’t hesitate staying here again. I liked being a bit away from all the action, but in 10 to 15 minutes on foot, you’re smack dab in the middle of it. If you’re traveling with a pet, I found it much easier to find relief areas here than if we were staying in the busier parts of the city. For us…I’d definitely return in a heartbeat.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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