The Hostess City levels up
A destination that counts 23 speakeasies in 2.2 square miles downtown (1,569 sq. mi. for the metro area)—barely outnumbering the 22 historic park squares—has to be known for its hospitality, right? Savannah delivers on its reputation as a Southern charmer and the Hostess City by building on the past while looking to the future.
On my first visit there, I loved the easy Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) and saw how the popular film destination is preparing for the next quarter century with an expanded Savannah Convention Center and a new Signia by Hilton Savannah coming out of the ground next door. Don’t you just love the sight of cranes in the air hoisting ballrooms into place?
Meet and Greet
Known as the “jewel box,” Savannah Convention Center may be like no other expo you have visited. It is light and bright with outdoor patios overlooking the river and lots of flexible seating in the generous pre-function spaces for those important hallway conversations. The renovation that was completed last year doubled the amount of room for a total of 200,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, a new 40,000 sq. ft. ballroom, a 367-seat auditorium and three new dining nooks that can be customized for the group. A glass retractable “garage door” accommodates rolling even a crop duster onto the trade show floor, something that will come in handy when the National Agricultural Aviation Association returns in November. The space opened with a youth volleyball tournament for 14,000, and they were returning the day I toured.
The new Signia, calendared for a mid-2028 opening with 444 guest rooms and 34,000 sq. ft. of its own event space (including a 13,000 sq. ft. ballroom), will be accessible to the convention center via a covered walkway. I have visited three other Signias (Atlanta, Orlando and San Jose) and they are modern luxury spaces that reflect the way businesspeople meet and stay today.
Not staying in the 403-room Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa that has served as the connected headquarters hotel since the two opened in 1999? A free water shuttle makes the 90-second trip across the river to the Historic District and the Georgia Queen riverboat for receptions. In fact, Visit Savannah assists with transportation for groups by land and sea.
Group options on that side of the river abound. I stayed at The Alida Hotel, a Marriott Tribute property dedicated to early preservationist Alida Harper Fowlkes. The brick building between City Market and River Street reflects the industrial coastline with creative touches designed in coordination with Savannah College of Art and Design. I loved the record players with curated music libraries.
JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District, part of the Kessler Collection, is actually three properties in one, spanning the waterfront with museum-grade geodes and fossils in the massive lobby opening up to District Live concert hall and outdoor entertainment space.
For a location that takes advantage of the natural beauty of one of the oldest cities in the country, Hotel Bardo Savannah’s pink pool awnings and palm trees are adjacent to the moss-draped live oaks in Forsyth Park.
To celebrate the city’s pivotal role in inventing the first hybrid vehicle (a sailing ship with a paddle wheel), Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum curates indoor and outdoor spaces in a preserved historic mansion.
Comfort Food
Elevated Low Country cuisine populates the city with the freshest seafood, southern favorites like shrimp and grits and fried green tomatoes. I indulged at Olde Pink House, a mansion turned bank turned restaurant with three floors of rentable dramatic history. Pair that with bubbly cocktail culture at Savoy Society and Municipal Grand.
This article appears in the March 2026 issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
