JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District

Character and identity

Set inside a converted power plant on Savannah's riverfront, this 419-room JW Marriott (operated by the Kessler Collection) is enormous in scale and unapologetically theatrical. Life-size dinosaur skeletons and backlit fossils line the cavernous, glass-ceilinged lobby, riffing on the building's industrial past with a Jurassic overlay that somehow lands. Rooms lean into the bones of the plant with raw wood and metal detailing, and river views from the upper floors. A sprawling food and beverage programme runs from all-day cafes to a southern barbecue beer garden, African-inflected cocktail bar, fine dining, and a rooftop. Service blends corporate polish with genuine southern warmth.

Who's it for

Bottom line

What defines this place is ambition: a vast, museum-like reinvention of the riverfront with a serious F&B programme that pulls in locals as much as guests. Book it if you want energy, walkability, and a sense of occasion in the architecture. Splurge on a river-facing two-level suite if you're staying more than two nights, and aim for warmer months when the rooftop and beer garden come into their own.