Perry Lane Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Savannah ★★★★★

A Quiet Lane Behind Chippewa Square, Rebuilt for Art

Perry Street runs east from Chippewa Square, one block south of the crowds, and for most of its length it stays residential. Number 256 is the exception. Perry Lane Hotel occupies a purpose built block that reads as several buildings rather than one, borrowing brick, iron and glass from the warehouse district closer to the river so that it settles into the Historic District instead of announcing itself. Inside, the hotel commits to an expansive art collection hung in corridors and stairwells as much as in the public rooms, so that moving between floors becomes part of the stay.

Why It Works

Savannah offers grand historic houses on one side and large riverfront hotels on the other. Perry Lane sits in neither camp, and that is the point. It is new construction, so the rooms are generously sized and the rooftop pool actually works. At the same time it refuses the anonymity of a big downtown property: the art programme, the Muse boutique, the curated afternoon tea and the hat bar experience give the ground floor a reason to exist beyond check in.

Why This Location

Chippewa Square is two minutes away on foot, the Cathedral Basilica of St John the Baptist about four, and Forsyth Park roughly ten minutes south along the shaded streets. That places the hotel inside the grid of squares rather than on its edge, so the walk to dinner passes under live oaks rather than along a main road. River Street and the Plant Riverside District are further out, downhill on the way there and uphill on the way back. Parking is private and on site, which counts in a city where the squares swallow the kerb.

Fast Facts

• Price: Luxury

• Vibe: Contemporary, art led, quietly social

• Rooms: 167 in total, including 12 suites

• Best For: Couples on a long weekend, design minded travellers, guests arriving with a dog

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: Peregrin, the rooftop bar that shares its terrace with the pool and looks straight across the rooftops of the Historic District

• Dining: The Emporium Kitchen and Wine Market for all day eating and a working wine market, The Wayward for cocktails at street level, Peregrin on the roof

• Amenities: Rooftop pool, spa services, fitness centre, private on site parking, Muse boutique, afternoon tea, dogs welcome

• Attractions: Chippewa Square, Cathedral Basilica of St John the Baptist and Forsyth Park, all reached on foot in ten minutes or less

The Rooms, and the Case for a Suite

The 167 rooms read as residential rather than corporate, in a muted palette that lets the artwork carry the colour. Twelve suites sit above the standard categories and they are the ones to book for several nights, when the extra sitting area earns its keep during the hours Savannah spends indoors avoiding the heat. Families are accommodated and so are dogs. Ask for a higher floor on the Perry Street side, where the outlook is rooftops and tree canopy.

Three Addresses Under One Roof

The Emporium Kitchen and Wine Market anchors the ground floor, part restaurant and part wine shop, and it is where the hotel eats in the morning. The Wayward is the street level bar, darker and later. Peregrin is the roof, and it draws people who are not staying here, which makes it busiest at sunset and pleasantly empty mid afternoon. Between the three you can spend a full day on the property without repeating yourself.

Before You Book

Check in falls in the late afternoon and check out late in the morning, so an arrival flight the same day works without a wasted night. A destination amenity fee applies and is worth factoring into the total. The hotel is new build rather than restored townhouse, which is precisely why it suits travellers who want the Historic District on their doorstep, a lift to their floor and a pool on the roof.