Courtyard by Marriott Savannah Downtown/Historic District in Savannah, GA

I stayed a single night at the Courtyard, one of downtown Savannah’s many mediocre chain hotels. As its name suggests, the hotel is located downtown and near the historic area of Savannah. I would say a fair location description is downtown, as most of the surroundings are urban and not historic. Still, anywhere you want to go within the historic district is no more than 15 minutes walking distance (at a leisurely pace). So, overall, the location is pretty good. The hotel was built in the late 1990s or early 2000s, although it’s been extensively renovated recently. Aesthetically, the exterior is attractive with brick and cast stone. They've made an architectural attempt to complement the surrounding buildings. The renovation was pretty good, as the new design is much better than earlier Courtyard design iterations. The overall design/décor was more reminiscent of a full-service hotel than a limited-service Courtyard. Whether they can maintain the product that they have is a different question. I encountered signs of wear and tear, including carpets, scuffed walls, a broken cover on the air conditioning unit, and mold or mildew in the walk-in showers. Also in the shower, there was also an extensive amount of hair from a previous guest. Additionally, one of two elevators was broken and out of service for the duration of my stay. So, there’s only one functional elevator for a 5-story hotel with 156 rooms. The second elevator is broken. And to make matters worse, the one functional elevator has an expired elevator license. Also, the HVAC system is awful. Even after reaching the desired temperature, the air conditioning never shuts off. It just runs nonstop. The outdoor pool and fitness areas are attractive, although I’m not sure the pool gets much sun due to building obstructions. The gym is well-equipped with modern equipment. The most significant issues I encountered were service and F&B. The overall service was somewhere between nonexistent and incompetent. Operationally, the hotel is terrible. Upon arrival, the three valet parking attendants never offered any assistance with bags, but of course they had a big sign at their desk asking for tips. Talk about unprofessional and obnoxious. Inside, the front desk clerk was working by herself. This occurred throughout the stay—the front desk clerk was always alone. I never saw a second front desk clerk, even during peak check-out and check-in times when a long line formed at the front desk. I never saw anyone who looked like a supervisor or manager emerge from the back office to assist the overworked front desk. Ahead of my arrival, I requested and confirmed only 100 percent feather pillows, but of course that request wasn’t fulfilled, despite the confirmation. I received a room with polyester or down alternative pillows. If they can’t fulfill such a basic request, they probably can’t do anything above that. Inside my room, the shampoo and conditioner dispensers in the walk-in shower were empty. When I used the Marriott mobile application to request additional toiletries, including lotion and a dental kit, I was told to come down to the front desk because there was no staff to deliver the items. At the front desk, the clerk told me they no longer provide lotion. How does a hotel not provide a mini-bottle of lotion if a guest requests it? And, more importantly, how does a 156-room Courtyard not have staff working at 4 pm to deliver items? I could understand if it was the middle of the night and only the night auditor was working. But at 4 pm, there should be sufficient staff to operate the hotel properly. At check-in, the front desk clerk offered me a choice of points or breakfast. Courtyard is a Marriott brand that doesn’t provide platinum and higher Bonvoy elites their standard breakfast benefit. Instead, you typically get a $10 per person, per day F&B credit. The front desk clerk said because of my ambassador status, I could get breakfast. So, of course, I chose breakfast. The following day, I wasn’t hungry and asked the front desk clerk if I could just convert the breakfast into the $10 F&B credit. This was a different front desk clerk. She denied that I had a breakfast credit as if I would make that up. After I pushed back, she gave me a $10 F&B voucher that I went to redeem in the bistro. All I wanted was a coffee. When I went to the bistro, I encountered Christy, the F&B manager, and an unknown black female employee getting into a confrontational discussion because the food was coming out of the kitchen and they had no idea whose food it was. Meanwhile, many customers sat at tables with no food or coffee. It looked like a complete disaster. I ordered a cup of coffee after interrupting their discussion, which should have occurred away from guests. I handed over my voucher but was told it couldn’t be redeemed because I had to purchase at least $10.00 for the $10 F&B voucher to apply. Christy said she would give me the coffee for free. While that was kind, that was absurd. That’s not how the voucher works. If I want to buy a $5 drink and lose the remaining $5, then that’s on me. But they can’t refuse to accept the voucher because you haven’t spent over $10.00. Otherwise, the $10 voucher merely becomes a $10.00 discount. The F&B manager should know better. I went to the bistro at 5 pm the previous night for a drink. For whatever reason, they don’t open the bar earlier. Why would you not have the bar fully open at 3 pm so guests who check-in can spend money at your hotel having a drink and not go to an off-property bar or restaurant? It’s complete malpractice. Anyway, I show up at 5 pm and the bistro is closed. No staff. By 5:15 or 5:20 pm, one staff member finally shows up and gets the bistro opened. I ask for a glass of chardonnay. He says they don’t have chardonnay. They only had one white wine, a half-empty bottle of sauvignon blanc. That’s it. Nothing else. How does a hotel bar not have chardonnay or a full range of wines and other drinks? More incompetence and more malpractice. So, I walked about 5 minutes to Toasted Barrel Savannah at the Springhill Suites, another Marriott hotel. Toasted is a great little bar with a full range of drinks and a good food menu. In other words, it’s everything the Courtyard bistro isn’t. The Courtyard's owner or management should be embarrassed by their F&B operation. All things considered, the location of the Courtyard is good. The rates are reasonable, although the overall value just isn’t there. You might as well stay at the Cambria, the Springhill, or any of the other half-dozen similarly priced and similarly positioned hotels within walking distance. The owner or management of the Courtyard isn’t making a serious effort. Just think of how much money they could make if they had a competent F&B operation that captured guests’ money instead of losing money because 99% of guests go off-property to eat and drink. Absent a significant service improvement, I wouldn’t return to the Courtyard.

Do not stay here unless you have no other options. Location is good, but the hotel is SO loud. You will not sleep. It is also SO dirty that you will not sleep. If you have a certain expectation of Marriott you will be very disappointed. It is run down, loud, poor customer service, dirty, but conveniently located. The location is the only reason it is still in business. I can’t believe we paid for that experience!

As a retired business traveler and a Bonvoy Platinum member, I can say the staff was excellent. Emondre helped us with our luggage and parking as soon as we pulled in. The hotel was clean and everyone was pleasant. The location was a convenient walking distance to everywhere in the historic district.

We have stayed at this hotel at least four times over the past years. The staff provided excellent service. Must admit, the hotel is showing its age and rooms need to be refreshed. Location is perfect for enjoying old Savannah and within walking distance of a number of great restaurants and sites.

Such a positive experience. The hotel is located in a very good place in Savannah (close to much), but the highlight was the staff and especially, Ebony. She made the difference and personally elevated the whole experience. In short, if I come back to Savannah - I will come here. Sure - I'm at Ambassador level, but I think that had nothing to do with it. One of the experiences I will always remember!!