Thompson Savannah

A Commissioned Tower on the Savannah River

Thompson Savannah sits where the Historic District meets Eastern Wharf, directly on the Savannah River's edge, in a purpose-built tower designed by Smallwood architects specifically to capture east-facing views over the river, the coastal islands, and the Atlantic beyond them. It is new construction in a city defined by restoration, and the hotel uses that difference deliberately: rather than retrofitting a 19th-century building, Studio 11 Design built 193 rooms and 21 suites around sightlines no historic property on the squares could offer. The result reads as a modern counterpoint to Savannah's restored inns rather than a competitor trying to look older than it is, and the tower is visible from River Street long before guests reach the lobby.

Why It Works

We chose Thompson Savannah because it gives the city's hotel landscape genuine range: a mid-century modern, southern-inflected interior by Studio 11 Design, a river-facing rooftop bar, and a dining program built around coastal Georgia rather than imported concepts. Bar Julian's panoramic position over the water gives the hotel a signature the historic district's courtyard hotels cannot replicate, and the second-floor pool and Sunroom lounge add a resort layer that most downtown Savannah properties skip entirely. It is the kind of hotel that broadens what a Savannah stay can look like, rather than repeating what is already well covered, and it gives the city's hotel scene a genuinely contemporary option.

Why This Location

Eastern Wharf is a newer riverfront district built alongside, not inside, Savannah's historic core, close enough to River Street and the cobblestone squares to walk them in minutes while keeping a direct, unobstructed river view the older district's density does not allow. It suits guests who want the Historic District's restaurants and shopping within reach without giving up a modern tower's views and amenities, a trade the city's older hotels cannot offer at any price, and the district's newer restaurants and shops add a second, less touristed corridor to explore on foot.

Fast Facts

• Price: €€€ (upscale)

• Vibe: modern, riverfront, design-forward

• Rooms: 193 rooms, 21 suites

• Best For: river views, design-minded travelers, rooftop cocktails

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: Bar Julian's river-facing rooftop

• Dining: Fleeting (coastal Southern), Stevedore Bakery, Bar Julian

• Amenities: second-floor pool, Sunroom lounge, fitness center, valet parking

• Attractions: Savannah River, Eastern Wharf, River Street, the Historic District squares

A Dining Program Built Around the Coast

Fleeting anchors the hotel's dining with seasonal coastal Southern cooking that draws on the Georgia coast's seafood and produce rather than a standard hotel-restaurant menu, while Stevedore Bakery handles the daytime pastry and coffee trade for guests and neighborhood visitors alike. Bar Julian, the rooftop venue, closes out the lineup with cocktails served against the same river panorama the tower was built to capture, making the hotel's food and drink program as much a reason to visit as the rooms themselves, and reservations at Fleeting are worth securing ahead for a window table.

A Pool Layer Savannah's Older Hotels Skip

The second-floor pool, reached through the lobby, and the adjoining Sunroom lounge give Thompson Savannah a daytime social space that the city's restored 19th-century hotels, built before pools were part of the program, generally cannot add without compromising their historic fabric. It is a practical advantage as much as an aesthetic one, giving guests a reason to stay on property between a morning on the squares and an evening at Bar Julian, and it makes the hotel a rare Savannah option for travelers who want a pool day built into the itinerary.

Before You Book

Thompson Savannah suits travelers who want Savannah's history within walking distance but prefer modern design, a river view, and resort-style amenities to a restored 19th-century room. Guests set on staying inside the original historic grid, surrounded by the squares on every side, should look to one of the district's older inns instead. For a Savannah stay that pairs the city's riverfront with contemporary design, this tower is the clearest option on the market.