The Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront, Autograph Collection

My wife and I have enjoyed the Bohemian Hotel since 2010. We’ve probably stayed here at least a half-​dozen times and really enjoy the location (right on the river) and boutique hotel experience. But our latest stay this March 2016 left A LOT to be desired. Mr. Kessler, whose name adorns the property, really needs to take a hands-​on approach for this particular property because the service has gone down the toilet.
For one, ordering room service at the Bohemian today has become tedious and frustrating. The room service button on the phone simply goes to the front desk now, where they tell you they’ll contact room service and have them call you back. What a hassle.
Sometimes they called us back after 10 minutes or so. And on one other occasion during our most-​recent stay, we received no call back. Finally, fed up, I called Vic’s on the River (a block down the road) for take-​out — which I’d recommend anyway since the food from Vic’s is a hundred times better. Nevertheless, when I returned with our take-​out, I asked my wife if room service ever called us back… and they never did.
Besides all that, this is the first time in all my travels I actually got bed-​bug bites staying at a hotel. A few days into our stay, I had red bites all up both my arms. How does this happen at a major hotel? My wife noticed that one of the towels she used to remove her makeup was neatly folded and returned under the bathroom counter the next morning — makeup stains and all. So maybe they don’t fully wash their sheets, blankets, and towels on a daily basis? Who knows.
One other regrettable change they recently made was replacing the chaise lounges they had in the small areas overlooking the river with some dinky dinner tables with 2 uncomfortable wooden chairs. I used to love sitting in their comfortable chaise lounges overlooking the river, with a good book, watching the container ships sail by.
Needless to say, this will probably be the last time we stay at the Bohemian, sadly, because this was at one time one of our favorite hotel destinations.

This review is associated with the Second Saturday Art Walk in downtown Savannah. The Bohemian Hotel was the first stop during the art walk, meeting in the Rocks on the River restaurant downstairs (show up promptly at 4pm). You’ll be ushered into a room in the back of the restaurant and given a complimentary class of wine (this was during the month of February, but I believe in the warmer months they gather upstairs at the Rocks on the Roof restaurant). If you attend the art walk, you’ll also get a coupon for the restaurant (ours was a free appetizer with entrée purchase, although we didn’t use it). The Bohemian Hotel and Rocks on the River restaurant offer a beautiful location, right on Bay Street, with views of the river. The room in the back is rather small, and can get very crowded during the art walk. Try to grab a map, but if they run out (as they did on our visit), you can easily pick one up at the next Gallery stop (Tiffani Taylor Gallery). I do recommend making sure you hit up this first stop during the art walk, you’ll be able to hear from several of the local artists and see work that will be displayed in various galleries throughout the night. And if you arrive late, you can always get your glass of wine to go and head to the next gallery. Hopefully I’ll be able to check out the Rocks on the River menu during my next visit.

My husband and I stayed at this hotel over Valentine’s Day weekend and had a wonderful stay. The river view room with a balcony had the best views and we really enjoyed watching the huge ships going by. The room décor was very cool and the staff was super friendly. We enjoyed the room service and the bar at the restaurant as well as on the roof top. I will defiantly stay here again.

We stayed for three nights and our room was ok, the bed comfortable, but we had to call to get our room cleaned twice. Everyone was super nice, always said a kind hello when passing us in the hotel. Rocks on the Roof… drinks were great, food ok. Rocks on the River, (the downstairs restaurant) was awful, overpriced & dissapointing. My husband ordered a steak for $ 38.00, A La Carte, it was a thin cut non flavorful piece of meat. We like fine dining and Rocks on the River is not fine dining in my opinion. We stay at Kessler properties when we can, this one was not our favorite.

Stayed Feb. 19^th and 20^th. Room 405 if I recall correctly. Arrived at night so it’s a little hard to find. My navigation app had trouble finding it too and the valet area is counter-​intuitive and not obviously marked. Valet is $ 30 a day (I believe) and they request a 20 min. warning to retrieve your car. Savannah parking can be difficult so, this was an expense I was willing to bear. Check-​in was a breeze and friendly.
The room: It was lovely. Not too large. Plush furnishings but when we arrived there were no lamps in the room and it was very dark. I notified the desk and they resupplied one of the two lamps fairly quickly and explained that there had been an accident with a lamp somewhere else in the hotel and they appropriated the lamps from our room. The second lamp never materialized but it was no big deal.
The historic view from the 4^th floor room was of the valet area which was also near the entrance so it could get noisy. Ask for an upper level or river view if you can.
The CD player never worked longer that 20 seconds. I informed the desk and it was never fixed. (they supply a CD for your pleasure but I couldn’t enjoy it)
The door would also not deadbolt which is a major security/​privacy issue for me. I also informed the desk of this and it was not remedied.
Overall: it’s a cute hotel but the service needs to match the price.

I did not stay at this hotel but we had dinner at their restaurant. The kitchen was backed up and we waited over an hour to get our food. We all ordered the filet cooked medium. When they came out all three steaks were charred and all three were Med-​well, I’d say closer to the well side. The server got the manager for us and when we showed him our steaks he argued that they were in fact medium. My friend pressed her fork into the steak to show him how dry it was and there was no juice coming out of it, as there should be in a medium steak. He still argued that they were cooked appropriately. Two of us did not eat more than a few bites of our steak. Even steak sauce didn’t help much. For nearly $ 40/​steak, you want something that at least taste good. The manager handled the situation very poorly. I understand it was a rough night for them but he should not have argued with us when it was clearly overcooked. He did offer to comp our side items and drinks, which for me may was no more than $ 15, I only had one drink and one side. If I had thought about it, I would have taken pictures to share in this review.
The server wasn’t great because my friends drink went empty and stayed that way for awhile. However, I chalk that up to the server going back to the kitchen to find out where our food was.
The bar upstairs is nice. We went there a few nights before. The view was wonderful and they have a great fireplace.
I wouldn’t go back because of the awful expensive dinner experience. But other people seemed to have much better experiences, we may have just caught a bad night with a poor manager.

Stayed here the weekend before Christmas. Was not sure what to expect, as I wasn’t the one to book it. It was the perfect, romantic getaway. I enjoyed the unique, «dark» décor. The paintings throughout the hotel were magnificent, especially the one in our room. Very eclectic taste. Rooftop bar was the hotspot. We enjoyed some tapas and cocktails before heading out to dinner. Give the ginger infused bourbon a try ;) Centrally located to everything you need to see in Savannah.

Had drinks on the rooftop after a late dinner. Really nice with firepits which keep you warm when the weather drops. We have to come back and enjoy the restaurant as well as stay here. If it’s as good as the Castle in Orlando, then we’re in for a treat!

This place is amazing. Every single staff member was extremely nice, they have lots of people working here as well. Our room was so nice, I love the décor. The shower was nice, the bed was nice, there is music playing in your room when you enter. Love it here and will continue to stay here every time we visit Savannah. A+++.

The hotel sets off on the side street as if its a brick office building, but as you drive up you see the door porters waiting to open the door for you as you walk into this beautiful bohemian styled lobby. One thing that stands out as you walk through the looby looking at the decoration there’s no traditional countertop for check in. As you pass the elevators you notice two desk on both sides of the lobby where you are greeted by an hotel associate. Each desk has two chairs in front of it to relax as you give them your name and information. I thought this was very different, very unique, hotels should really do away with the countertop this makes it more personalized. Somewhat relaxing.
The room that we reserved was absolutely beautiful, except for the chandelier over the bed and the two lights in the bathroom area over the sink. They were hideous. They were made out of seashells. In some weird way it seemed as if somebody dipped the lights in seashells and glue. They actually look somewhat scary. But the sitting area had a large chair for two people to cuddle up in and look out over the river through our large picture view window, you can’t get any more romantic than that. The walk in shower that was very nice. I would rate the room 9 out of 10. The restaurant was nice we ate right beside one of their many openings to watch everyone walk up the cobblestone Road. Not to leave out we also enjoy the boats on the river as they passed us for the Thanksgiving Christmas parade. They were about 30 some old boats with Christmas lights going back and forth up and down the river. Another added romantic treat.

A totally chill place to relax and have a glass of wine and a lite bite with family and friends!
Service was great along with excellent views. There is a nice amount of space to sit and stand. Decent by the glass wine selection. Lite bites are above average and of average price. There two nights in a row and have enjoyed both visits. Great river view! And lots of people!

What a gorgeous hotel with a perfect location… we stayed here for a few days over my birthday and Gloria helped us so much at check-​in and made our visit perfect. Gloria is a gem!
The rooms are gorgeous and the bathrooms are very modern. I really liked the nice touches throughout the room, especially the sitting bench in front of the window overlooking Bay Street. I also liked the dark hallways… not sure why, but I thought they were cool.
A wonderful location right on Bay so you are right in the mix. They also gave a wonderful upstairs bar overlooking Bay Street and the water to the rear. It’s a big space, but fills up quickly due to their location. The exercise room is a closet… literally a closet so don’t expect much of a workout… but boo hoo… you are in Savannah (a beautiful walking city) so you can miss a day or two…

Loved this hotel. Very friendly staff, good restaurant, cool rooftop bar. Huge bathrooms in room, very comfortable beds. Good location on the river. Love the way this hotel is decorated– beautiful paintings hang all over. Would definitely stay here again.

Oh so very Savannah! This was the last stop for us on our mini-​moon, and after a slight booking glitch at our condo in Tybee, we were more than ok to snag a last minute room at the Bohemian, so we could adventure around Savannah for a day.
I drove past it once, as the building really blends in with the historic scene of the city. After a U-​turn (I’m the queen of U-​turns y’all) there we were: The valet was on top of it and a bell hop (are they still called bell hops?) helped us with our luggage up to our room. And to take the customer service to the next level… we had quite a bit of beer with us that we didn’t finish at the beach, so he offered to go get us ice, and knowing the little ice bucket wasn’t going to cut it (ok, we had a lot of beer left) he actually filled a waste basket full for us. A++!!!
The layout of this hotel is a little strange, but in a good/​cool way. The lobby is on the 4^th floor (but street level) and it’s filled with dark wood, leather and some very cool lighting. The hallways feel dark and mysterious… and I was secretly hoping Jim Williams would jump out to greet us.
The room was clean, and what you would expect from a Bohemian hotel. Very cool walk in shower with a sitting area, and private commode area with it’s own glass door (just watch out for the bottom of the doors… they are sharp and I cut my foot. (I’m a little clumsy in the morning before coffee thou…)
We had a riverfront view, and you see HUGE cargo ships, that look so unreal in the seemingly tiny river…
I see reviews here for the rooftop bar, which we did hit up when we were they, but I left the review on the bar’s own Unilocal page:
(Great views, if you are staying here, check it out.)
All in all, it was a great stay, just cost an arm and a leg, but that could have been due to last min booking/​peak season.

Only reviewing for their rooftop service. We ordered two drinks. The Bloody Mary was delicious. My cobbler cocktail was not. We ordered a small appetizer, pretzel bites that took longer to be served, than to make, they sat in the window for a good 10 mins before being brought to us. When we tasted them, they were dry and topped with a heavy amount of mustard and some kind of cheese on bottom. We turned them away and the bartender laughed at us. He laughed in my face and just walked away. We visited Wednesday the 8^th around 10pm. It was a young gentleman working. For such a nice place, their customer service needs work. Pretty view though.

This place is exquisite. My favorite part is the roof top bar, where you experience breath-​taking views of the city, including the bridge. The only reason I did not rate this a five star is because the band was kind of a buzz kill. They were not upbeat at all, and seemed to be singing 80’s sad songs. It didn’t match the crowd or the atmosphere. It brought the overall mood of the place down. The drinks are a little pricey on the rooftop as well, but it’s worth it for the view. Our server was very attentive and fun, and was very accommodating. I wouldn’t visit Savannah without at least stopping here.

If I could give this place less than one star I would. When we checked in to this five star priced hotel, the desk clerk, Alexander, assured us we had been given a «great room.» When we returned to our eighth floor room after dinner that night we learned it was anything but. No one bothered to warn us that a full band was playing directly above us in a night club jammed with no less than 300 people. The pounding music and partying went on until 1 am. When we complained the desk staff was incredulous that we didn’t appreciate our «great room.» The manager Jeremy offered us an insultingly small discount and free breakfast for our inconvenience but made no commitment that his staff would warn the next unwitting guests. We won’t be returning. There are some great hotels in Savannah. The Bohemian isn’t one of them.
Update: Eight months later. We were just telling a friend about our horrible experience at the Bohemian and warning her not to stay there. I noticed that my review got a «PR» response from management expressing «concern» and saying they were «looking into it.» For the record, I never heard back. Except for their public statement on Unilocal there was zero follow up. Trust me, unless you’re happy with a drunken out of control brawl, this hotel is not for you.

Nice hotel, just not quite as cool as it thinks it is. Although at random intervals you will see Forest Gump sitting in lobby waiting for a tour bus.
Everyone on the staff was excellent. Very friendly, courteous, helpful. The restaurant wait staff was really great especially at breakfast.
The room is very nice but just a bit overdone like every other Bohemian I’ve stayed at. The bathroom is very nice and the bed was comfortable. I don’t know who made the call on the crustacean light fixtures but someone should have stopped them. I kept waiting for some damn sea creature to crawl out of the one above the bed. The room was also really humid even with the AC running colder than ideal.
We had drinks at the roof top which was a pretty cool area. We ate several meals at the restaurant and they were all good but not amazing.
The main downside is you pretty much have to valet your car and they park it off site. So on top of valets driving your car, something I’m not a fan of, it takes about 20 minutes to get the car brought around. It’s also $ 30 a day which seems quite high for the area. Maybe it was bad timing but every time we tried to park in the nearby public garage it was full.

We spent one night here, and found this hotel to be charming, although a bit pricey. I guess the great location can demand that, though.
We found the staff to be very guest-​attentive and very service-​oriented. The room was very comfortable and spacious, although I’ve got to admit having a room with the toilet just a foot from the outside wall is a rather unusual layout, especially when you have a view of the riverfront, and people walking along it have a view of you. Oh well, if you’re not bashful, it’s not a problem.
The only fault I could find with the hotel is the rooftop bar, where it is very difficult to find seating, especially for four. The entire bar area is very noisy, and as someone else noted, the music does not really flow well – it’s almost like the DJ is switching from ’80’s to R&B to C&W to Grunge (not really that bad, but you get the idea).
The location is truly great – get off the elevator at the 1^st level, and you’re at the riverfront, or get off at the Lobby Level (4^th floor), and you’re right on West Bay St. one block from Bull.
The art throughout the hotel is very interesting, although it won’t appeal to everyone. Reservations can be made through Marriott, FWIW.

Wir waren nur zwei Nächte in Savannah (Inn At Ellis Square), aber dort traf man uns jeden Abend an: auf der coolen Dachterrasse des Bohemien Riverfront Hotels.
Hier gilt: frühes Kommen sichert gute Plätze! Aber selbst wenn draussen alles besetzt ist, kann man im Innenbereich der Bar/​des Restaurants Platz nehmen und sich bei einem ersten Drink die Wartezeit vertreiben, bereit, jederzeit aufzuspringen, wenn sich der eine oder andere draussen sattgesehen hat und seinen Platz frei gibt.
Hier heißt es übrigens: gerade sitzen, denn statt chilliger Korbmöbel setzt das Bohemien Riverfront auf Bistro-​Möblierung; muss auch, denn sonst könnte man nicht über die Mauer schauen.
Wer die Aussenkante entert, hat uneingeschränkte Sicht auf den träge dahinfliessenden Savannah River, im Hintergrund die dicken Pötte im Industriehafen. Das Bild wird durchkreuzt von einer für Amerika so typischen Brücken-​Stahlkonstruktion.
Natürlich ist diese Location nicht nur ein toller Platz für ein Käffchen am Nachmittag, High Noon ist auf jeden Fall am Abend: sunset-​time at it’s best!
Bei einem leckeren Snack (gibt’s hier auch) und mit einem kühlen Bier in der Hand verfolgen wir fasziniert, wie der Himmel mal kurz die gesamte Palette an Rottönen abliefert und sich die gelbe Sonne in einen feuerroten Ball verwandelt, um erst hinter der Brücke und dann hinter der Erdkrümmung zu verschwinden.
Life could definitely be worse! Vollste Punktzahl!

We really wanted to love this place but it just didn’t happen. Based on the reviews and the price we were looking forward to a luxuriousness long weekend but were disappointed.
We were traveling with another couple and we both arrived to the hotel late morning. It’s complacently expected that arriving that early that rooms wouldn’t be ready. The other couple had upgraded to a suite and we had a standard king room on the river front. What was disappointing about check in was that while our room was ready by 2:30 the other couple’s wasn’t until about 4:30. This was really unfortunate for two reasons.1. one the other couple was ill and really needed to lie down and 2. there is precious little seating in the lobby so we couldn’t all sit together and wait for the suite.
Now let’s talk service, while friendly it certainly isn’t exceptional as one would expect for a hotel of level. Not only did housekeeping fail us with check in they continued to fail the three days that we were there. They consistently got to the suite so late in the day that we were already back from sightseeing for the day and looking for a little rest before heading out to dinner and the suite wasn’t made up yet. On top of that when we phoned down to the desk and asked that have housekeeping come make up the room, housekeeping never got the message.
The views from the riverside are fantastic and it’s really cool to watch the huge barges go by. The standard rooms are pretty typical hotel rooms with comfortable beds and good TVs. They are not exceptional by any means though. The bathrooms again are nice but nothing really special. FYI no tub just a shower. The layout in the suite is strange and though on the river side did not have a balcony. All in all we were happier that we had the balcony than the bit of extra square footage that the suite provided without the balcony.