Visitors walking through the halls on any floor of Downtown Savannah’s new Recess Hotel & Club may notice a large room that resembles a gathering space. That’s the Rumpus Room.
Inside the space features games and a cocktail cart from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. that Left Lane Development Chief Operating Officer Pritpal Singh says is reminiscent of your favorite childhood ice cream truck. That gathering space is emblematic of the Recess’ hallmark attributes—wit, cleverness and perhaps most of all, fun.
The Recess opened in September bringing a signature 221-room “lifestyle” hotel to Savannah’s Johnson Square, the city’s first square and longtime hub for gathering. The new hotel, envisioned by the same group behind the acclaimed Hotel Bardo, aims to bring new experiences
to visitors and locals alike.
“We are breaking through the traditional ceremonies of a lifestyle hotel or any other hotel that you have seen,” Singh said. “We’re adding a lot to it so that we can give the guests, and the locals more importantly, a platform to have fun.”
The vision for the Recess began with Left Lane identifying a gap in Savannah’s hotel market between upper-upscale hotels and luxury hotels. There was a segment of guests not being served, and those guests were looking for more of a lifestyle experience, Singh said.
A primary distinguishing factor between the Recess’ reimagined lifestyle offering and luxury or upper-upscale hotels is the difference in mood. Where Bardo is quiet, serene and nestled in a residential neighborhood, the Recess’ mood is fun, slightly louder and may serve a clientele that does not believe in traditional hotel formalities, Singh said.
Take one of the first steps of any hotel arrival as example: check-in. Upon entrance, Recess guests have two options to begin their stay. They can choose the traditional desk check-in or opt for kiosks that can handle the process in 30 seconds or less.
The hotel also offers amenities open to the public and guests, namely the Le Flaneur restaurant and Lobby Lounge Bar accessible from Johnson Square. Those amenities are critical to the hotel's vision, where Singh said he hopes guests spend most of their time outside their rooms.
Le Flaneur is a French Brasserie serving three meals a day and also runs as a bar from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
The Lobby Lounge is accessed via the hotel's entrance fronting Johnson Square, and even draws inspiration the square itself. Throughout Savannah’s history Johnson Square has been host to lectures, business meetings, or civic engagement.
Singh envisions the Lobby Lounge as carrying that same spirit.
“We want our Lobby Lounge to be that hub activity and energy,” Singh said.
The next critical element of the Recess is its member club, which locals can join and guests have access to during their stay. The vision for Club Recess also grew out of response to Club Bardo at its namesake hotel.
Club Bardo is a traditional luxury hotel club with a private clubhouse, pool and fitness facilities. But overtime Left Lane’s executives heard from the community about a greater need for a larger club offering.
Enter Club Recess, which Singh described as a “public club offering for everyone.”
The new club has a goal of roughly 1,000 members with new amenities such as co-working space and expanded opportunities for fitness and wellness. The wellness facility offers the largest hotel gym in Savannah, a first-of-its-kind the city bathhouse, a spa and cold plunges among others amenities.
The Recess’ rooftop will also be a member-only space featuring the Kilter bar and a rooftop pool that at 12 stories is the highest in the city.
But it’s these club offerings that are a critical aspect of growing The Recess into the gathering space envisioned by Left Lane, Singh said. The availability to hotel guests and local members promotes connections between the two.
“Now the visitors or the hotel guests have an opportunity to mingle with somebody who is an insider, who know what Savannah is all about and can introduce them to the various offerings the city has,” Singh said.
While the Recess aims to bring a flurry of activity to Johnson Square, it is also returning the building it sits to its original roots. The 114-year-old Manger Building now home to the Recess was built as the Savannah Hotel.
Taking over the building required an extensive restoration that blended historic with new. In the lobby and rooms, furnishings are new and high-end, but some historic features were left in place.
Rooms feature vintage push-light switches and antique mirrors, and below one’s feet is original mosaic tile flooring left in place. Singh said the team originally had different plans for the flooring, but upon discovery chose to let the building “tell its own story.”
That blend of historic and new, first-class offerings and fun, brings something to the city it hasn’t quite seen before, Singh said.
“I think it’s fair to say the Recess Hotel & Club is the first of its kind” he said.
Evan Lasseter is the City of Savannah and Chatham County government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@savannahnow.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Why Savannah's new Recess Hotel is unlike any other hotel in the city
