The Brice, A Kimpton Hotel

Last weekend I took a quick trip down to Savannah to visit some friends. The Westin was sold out, so I decided it was a great time to The Brice, a Kimpton Hotel.  The Brice is in historic Savannah, Georgia and offers much of the southern charm you’d expect from a boutique hotel in the deep south.

 

The Brice is just far enough from the center of the historic district that you’re not overrun by tourists. You can easily walk from the hotel to the historic sites yet there’s noticeably less traffic and congestion near the hotel.  Upon arrival I was greeted by a bellman wearing seersucker shorts – I love seersucker.

The hotel is built in what used to be a Coca-Cola Bottling Plant that opened in 1902! In 1903 the plant was bought by In 1983 the building was transformed into the Mulberry Inn and was eventually sold to Kimpton. After a major remodel The Brice, a Kimpton Hotel, opened on May 20th, 2014 (just over 1 month ago!)

I was shocked when I found out that the hotel had been open such a short time. It ran like a well established hotel and there weren’t any sings of “opening day” glitches that I later saw mentioned on TripAdvisor.  The hotel is a bit expensive – weekdays seem to be running around $179 – 219 and weekends around $250 – $279 a night.  There are some discounts available on the hotels website so check those out!  I’m sure there will be better deals in low seasons.

The hotel is three levels and features a unique interior courtyard. The rooms are situated around the courtyard, some rooms are in interior hallways and some are on exterior hallways.  My room was on an exterior hallway.  I didn’t really mind it, but it was a bit odd to have people peer in the windows as they walked by.  Luckily I had a suite and so the bedroom was not near those windows.

I was welcomed with a bottle of Prosecco and a chocolate dessert.  It was a very lovely touch!

The room was modern and elegant. The style actually reflected my own personal style in many ways. I was upgraded to a Queen Queen Suite (that’s not a typo, it’s actually called a Queen Queen Suite.) The living room area was large and had a very comfortable couch.   There was a hallway that led to the bedroom. In the hallway was a sink, mirror and closet.  The shower and toilet were around the corner in the bedroom itself.  The shower and toilet area was tiny, but there was great water pressure and lots of generously sized towels.

The Brice features CO Bigelow toiletries and the scent was really nice – not overwhelming at all.  I liked the products a lot, the only downside is I have no idea what scent it was so I couldn’t find it online to order – it looks like it maybe exclusive for Kimpton.

The bedroom was comfortable and featured two queen beds, a large work desk with chair and perhaps the coolest thing – there was an iHome stereo that had the iPhone 5 attachment! I didn’t have to search for a plug near the bed so I could plugin my phone!

My room faced the main street and I was worried it would be noisy from traffic, but I didn’t hear the traffic at all.  The only really negative is that there are train tracks very close to the hotel and if the train happens to go by and sounds it horn, you could be startled out of bed, as I was. It only happened one time though, so I was able to get  a great night sleep.

The hotel features an italian restaurant called Pacci. We had dinner at Pacci and brought the bottle of Prosecco from the room with us. The restaurant put it on ice and happily served it to us. One of the house specialties is a Coca-Cola braised short rib – an homage to the former occupant of the space. We ordered a flatbread to share and it was a great start to the meal.  The pasta is made fresh in-house and was delicious.   The service was great – again, for a one month old establishment, I was incredibly impressed.  I would absolutely eat there again.

 

I loved the hotel and will be back again, for sure! The location is great, the hotel is clean and modern, the staff’s got that great southern charm (make sure you say hi to Howie at the front desk if you visit! He’s a gem.)  I would highly recommend The Brice, A Kimpton Hotel for your next visit to Savannah!