For my parents’ 34th wedding anniversary, I booked a 3-night stay at the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District—supposedly one of the best hotels in the city. I prepaid $1,547.50 for an Executive Studio Suite nearly three weeks in advance, hoping to ensure a seamless and special experience. Unfortunately, it was anything but.
To begin with, I requested an early check-in at 3 PM—just an hour ahead of the standard time. This seemed like a reasonable request, especially for a prepaid, premium room. Yet my parents weren’t able to access their room until nearly 6 PM because it “wasn’t ready.”
To make matters worse, the room provided, though technically an Executive Studio Suite, was not the Atlantic Executive Studio Suite as advertised. That version includes a balcony, a marble walk-in tub, and floor-to-ceiling views of the Savannah Riverfront—none of which were present in the room they received. Despite booking well in advance and noting that this was for a special occasion, none of our requests were honored. Even basic amenities like an iron and ironing board—listed on the website and standard at virtually every hotel—were missing from the room.
The billing experience was even more disappointing. I expected a balance of $124.20 for resort fees ($36/day) and $162 for valet parking ($54/day). However, the hotel also added a $100/day incidental hold, bringing the total additional charges to $424.20—on top of the prepaid rate.
At check-in, my mom specifically requested that these charges be placed on her debit card. Yet both her card and mine were charged. The front desk initially denied the error and only reversed the charge from my account after my mom presented proof of the transaction.
Things escalated the following morning when my parents received a fraud alert from their bank regarding a new $777 charge. The hotel had attempted to place yet another hold, on top of the previous $424.20, without explanation. When asked, the front desk gave a vague answer, claiming it was likely an “overnight authorization” that would drop off. Both amounts remained pending until after checkout, and we never received a satisfactory explanation for the additional $777 hold.
To top it off, even after holding $1,201.20 on their card, my parents were told at checkout they still owed $286 for resort fees and parking. The valet was instructed not to release their car until the balance was paid—as if they were trying to skip out on the bill. This, despite the fact that they had generously tipped that same valet staff each time they retrieved their vehicle. They paid the balance in cash, which apparently caught the front desk off guard.
In total, over $3,000 was charged or held for a 3-night stay in Savannah, GA. It’s hard to believe this is standard practice for every guest.
I could speculate whether my parents' treatment had anything to do with them being one of the few Black couples at the hotel, or the fact that most of the staff were foreigners--but regardless, the experience was unacceptable.
Despite everything, my parents still made the most of their anniversary trip. But I won’t make the mistake of prepaying for a hotel again—and I certainly won’t be staying at another Marriott property, especially not this one. If this is considered one of the best hotels in Savannah, it’s no wonder U.S. tourism is seeing a decline.
