A visit to the Richard Kessler hotel Mansion on Forsyth Park was my final stop before leaving Savannah, Georgia on an early May road trip heading north to Charleston, South Carolina. The full service hotel with spa is located beside Forsyth Park, historic Savannah’s largest city park at 30-acres.
Forsyth Park fountain.
As Savannah grew over the 18th and 19th centuries, the city squares plan for green space surrounded by residential and commercial property was dropped in favor of one large park for the area more than one mile from the Savannah River. Forsyth Park was originally a 10-acre park donated to the city by William Hodgson in the 1840s and then expanded with an additional 20-acre land donation. In 1851, the park was named after former Georgia Governor John Forsyth (1780-1841).
Mansion on Forsyth Park was renovated, expanded and opened in 2005 by hotelier and art collector Richard Kessler. The seven Kessler Collection hotels in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas were the original members of Marriott’s Autograph Collection of boutique hotels when the brand launched in 2010.
The original mansion (this photo) is from 1888 and now houses the 700 Drayton Restaurant and Casimir’s Lounge. The hotel portion of the building (first photo) is a newer construction in the same exterior style.
Mansion on Forsyth Park is a four-diamond AAA hotel and regularly listed on Conde Nast’s annual Hotel Gold List. The hotel houses hundreds of pieces of art in an eclectic fashion display.
Lobby in Mansion on Forsyth Park
There is an art gallery in the hotel and many pieces of art around the hotel is for sale.
Bosendorfer Lounge is the room adjacent to the lobby entrance. This is one photo example of the interior design with styles blended from different times and geographic spaces around the globe.
One of the permanent hotel displays near the conference room wing is ‘A Century of Hats’. This is one display window of several in the exhibit.
A drapery covered outdoor patio directly outside the front entrance lobby has a small outdoor pool area.
Mansion on Forsyth Park Room 102
The rooms have a similar design to the rooms at the newer Kessler hotel Bohemian Savannah Riverfront. The Bohemian Savannah is the hip hotel in the riverfront party and drinking district of Savannah, while Mansion harkens back to an older time in historic Savannah in a mostly residential area.
Mansion on Forsyth Park room 102 King bed is a ground floor room. The hotel has 125 rooms on four floors.
Mansion on Forsyth Park room 102 with view of Forsyth Park across the street.
The feature piece of the room is the bathroom. Ground floor rooms have bathroom shutters. Higher floor rooms are more open with curtain dividers.
The bathroom design has an historic vibe with modern features like walk in shower and glass doors for both the shower and toilet.
One Savannah resident commented to me that the Bohemian is cool blue and the Mansion is over the top gold.
The Spa downstairs from ground level is a space I walked by. It felt like a spa environment with plenty of art pieces in the halls.
700 Drayton Restaurant and Casimir’s Lounge
Hotel restaurants generally do not excite me as part of the hotel experience. Mansion on Forsyth Park has 700 Drayton and Casimir’s Lounge in the 1888 original mansion property and this is definitely a piece of the hotel property you want to visit. The spaces in the mansion turret provide unique places for hanging out in the mansion rooms, restaurant and bar.
Entrance to 700 Drayton is the turret room.
Upstairs holds small dining rooms and Casimir’s Lounge.
Casimir’s Lounge in historic 1888 Mansion on Forsyth Park.
There is a small outdoor patio off Casimir’s Lounge with a nice hotel and park view.
My impression was a guest can stay at the Mansion one day or five days and still find something new to observe at the hotel every time you walk the halls and rooms. There were many cozy spaces and nooks to hole up and bountiful art to study.
One of the small dining rooms at 700 Drayton Restaurant.
Stairway of the older 1888 Mansion house with Casimir’s Lounge and 700 Drayton Restaurant.
Old houses have spirit and I felt something good about being in the dining rooms and bars of the 1888 building portion of Savannah’s Mansion on Forsyth Park.
Mansion on Forsyth Park, Autograph Collection is a Marriott Rewards category 8 hotel award at 40,000 points per night. Sample room rates are $220 to $300 per night in July 2014 for midweek stays and about $100 per night more for weekends.
Lady with parasol fountain at Mansion on Forsyth Park, Savannah, Georgia.
Marriott website: Mansion on Forsyth Park, Savannah, Georgia
Hotel website: Mansion on Forsyth Park
Related Loyalty Traveler Post: Hotel Review: Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront, Marriott Autograph Collection (May 14, 2014)
*****
Ric Garrido of Monterey, California is writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler.
Loyalty Traveler shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests.
Follow Loyalty Traveler on Twitter and Facebook and RSS feed.
2 Comments
Comments are closed.