CHECKING INTO THE NEW ALIDA HOTEL IN SAVANNAH
Hello there! Today we’ll be checking into the new Alida Hotel in Savannah, Georgia.
If you saw my last post then you know that we have recently returned from a fabulous family trip to Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina.
Palmetto Bluff is located a short 45 minutes from the wonderful and historic town of Savannah, Georgia where my husband attended college. He wanted to show our son and grandchildren his old stomping grounds and the arena where he played college basketball. So we planned a 2 day stay in Savannah at the conclusion of our trip down south. Our son booked us rooms at the new (it opened in Nov. 2018) Alida Hotel, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel by Marriott. The hotel is located on on Savannah’s newly revitalized Riverfront.
Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post, but simply my honest opinion about our stay in this hotel, for which we paid as regular guests.
The Lobby
Stepping into the lobby of this 173-room boutique hotel, you are immediately struck by the scent. Yes, you heard me correctly, THE SCENT. The hotel had a signature scent tailor-made for the property and it wafts through the public rooms. I suffer from asthma & allergies and am sensitive to scents, so I did not find this attractive. However, it must have passed muster with Millenniums, to whom I think this hotel was designed to attract. Apparently the latest hotel trend is to appeal to a guests sense of smell, offering a “sensory appealing stay” so to speak.
The hotel is also dog friendly, as you can see from the photo above. I don’t travel with a pooch but apparently this is a popular perk, as we encountered many a pampered pet during our stay at the Alida. I just hope they dedicate specific rooms to dogs, and make others dog-free for those of us that travel sans snoopy.
The newly built hotel is constructed of brick, and much of it is exposed in the lobby interior. Looking at the design aesthetic, I wasn’t quite sure how to describe it until I read that the hotel wanted it to be an amalgamation of Southern Lowcountry traditional and timeless antebellum charm, with an industrial, architectural and contemporary spin. That’s a LOT of stuff, but I actually think they pulled it off rather brilliantly.
As they put it, “The Alida joins modern life with timeless charm on Savannah’s revitalized riverfront.” There’s several comfortable sitting area in the lobby, this one is adjacent to the lobby bar called “The Trade Room”.
The Trade Room
Here in The Trade Room you can pick up a morning coffee, then return in the evening for hand-crafted cocktails, local beer and light bites.
There is also a rooftop bar called Lost Square that overlooks the city. We did not venture up there during our stay.
The Keep
The lobby also houses a small gift shop call The Keep. Here they sell some unique and attractive items including a candle infused with the hotel’s signature scent. The friendly shop attendant told us that many of the items sold in the shop, as well as much of the decor in the hotel, were produced as a collaborative design effort with the famed Savannah College of Art & Design, also known as SCAD.
The Suites
Now let me take you upstairs and show you the room and suite we occupied. All of the 1 bedroom suites in the hotel are wrapped around a corner of the hotel. My son booked a suite in order to accommodate his family in one room. As we entered the room there was a long builtin desk along one wall with a marble top, beautiful hardwood floors with attractive area rugs, and a large floor to ceiling window with attractive window coverings. The light fixtures and coffee table had a mid-century modern vibe to them.
A very unique, back-to-back sofa filled the room, and would serve as beds for my two grandchildren.
Beyond the sofa was a small table and chairs next to a large, half-moon-shaped window, which added to both the view and illumination of the light filled room.
A separate bedroom housed a king size bed, a headboard with builtin reading lights, comfortable bedding, a pretty throw blanket/shawl, and a second large, 60″ TV.
A mirrored pocket door opens into the adjacent bathroom with a large, marble-topped pedestal sink. High quality towels were attractively rolled up in a basket below. They also had my obligatory magnifying mirror, the standard by which I judge all hotel bathrooms ;). And the glassed-in shower had a really great shower head with good water pressure.
The private water closet with a frosted glass door was also a nice touch.
The King Room
Now, let me show you around the King Room that Brad and I occupied 2 doors down from our son’s suite. The Alida Hotel claims that every room in the hotel is unique, with one-of-a-kind elements courtesy of the Savannah College of Art & Design. And while no two rooms are alike, our room was similar to our son’s in many ways. All the rooms are relatively small in size, ranging from 270 to 370 square-feet. But I must say they pack a big punch, and provided every amenity and comfort we needed.
Our room had an upholstered window seat with storage below. Because we were only staying for 2 nights we didn’t unpack, so we used the window seat as a convenient spot to house our suitcases. Also, each room in the hotel has at least one, 60-inch, 4K flat-screen television and complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi. The bed turned out to be comfortable with high quality sheets and good pillows.
Our granddaughter admired the view of the lovely pool below from the cozy window seat .
Adjacent to the window seat was a closet with bathrobes and a garment steamer instead of an iron. The steamer was a first for me. It eliminated the need to have an ironing board in a room with limited space. I did use the steamer and it worked well enough but I’d prefer an iron.
To the right of the closet was more hanging space and an honor bar stocked with artisanal local treats.
Every floor in the 5 story Alida Hotel has a unique water station from which you can get both still and sparkling water on tap. Thus they provide plastic bottles in each room for use at the water stations. Also at these water stations guests will find freezer drawers filled with zipper bags of ice, that can then be placed in the ice buckets provided in each room. Our son said he has seen this ice-drawer concept in other new hotels lately. It eliminates the need for expensive and noisy ice machines, and it allows for ice to be available to guests on every floor of the hotel. Now that’s a great new concept!
The bathroom in our King Room was similar to the one in the suite except it did not have a separate water closet.
The enclosed shower was identical to the one in the suite except that the tile was different. I did like the choice of the subway tile which fit the style and era of the rest of the design aesthetic in the room.
They offer a nice selection of generously sized, Red Flower, custom-scented bath products. So here’s another interesting little factoid I’ve learned about “sensory experiences” at hotels. Hotels have figured out that if you enjoy the special scented products in your hotel bathroom, and you take home the the leftovers, it will remind you of your good experience at the hotel and make you want to return. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT? But they didn’t offer a shower cap. HUM, do Millennium women wash their hair every day?? Just wondering. Am I showing my age here and just not in their demographic? It’s an every-other-day practice for me, especially when I’m on vacation and pressed for time. But I do pack a shower cap for just this reason.
The Pool
The Alida Hotel has a very nice outdoor pool area lined with a number of private, enclosed cabanas that looked inviting.
Because our stay was short and we spent our days sightseeing, we only had time to enjoy the pool one evening before dinner. The heated pool was illuminated and changed colors every few minutes, which was entertaining. It was also a shallow pool, never over 4 feet, so it was safe for our grandkids who really enjoyed it.
Since our visit took place in late February it was chilly, so the adults appreciated the warmth of the several fire pits that blazed around the pool. The lobby bar also serves drinks & snacks at the pool if you so desire.
Rhett Restaurant
In the lower level of the hotel lies Rhett, a diner-esque style restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
We enjoyed a yummy breakfast there one morning where my granddaughter ordered pancakes. Instead of the usual dollar pancakes they served her one big fluffy pancake cut into 1/4ths which I thought was unique. Their southern style biscuits looked good and were enjoyed by my husband.
Southern Hospitality
Savannah is known for its Southern hospitality, and the warmth of the hospitality we felt from everyone we encountered at the Alida Hotel was no exception. From the friendly valets at the door, to the front desk clerks, to the concierge that helped us with tours, to the waitress in the Rhett restaurant, everyone was cordial, friendly and wanting to help. Our room was spotlessly clean and very comfortable. The hotel was well located within walking distance of downtown and the popular waterfront. The one & only negative for me was that darned scented lobby, which made we want to avoid the public rooms. But I imagine most people would find that a good thing. If, NO, when I return to Savannah, I am sure I will stay in this hotel again.
You may enjoy reading about my stay at this other Savannah Inn:
THE HAMILTON TURNER INN
Stay tuned and in an upcoming post I’ll show you around the beautiful and historic city of Savannah, Georgia and take you to the amazing and very famous Mrs. Wilkes’ Boarding House for lunch.
So there you have it: CHECKING INTO THE NEW ALIDA HOTEL IN SAVANNAH
Thanks so much for dropping in!
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Unless otherwise noted, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission.
