Mansion on Forsyth Park

An attractive hotel, but the staff do not understand high-end service. I stayed at Hotel Bardo Savannah for four days. The property itself is attractive and clearly markets and prices itself as a high-end hotel, but the service falls a long way short of that standard. What struck me most was not simply that several things went wrong, but the consistent indifference when they did. There was rarely an apology, no apparent concern that a guest had been inconvenienced, and at no point during my four-day stay did anyone ask me how my stay was going or whether everything was satisfactory. The problems began at check-in. There was only one person on reception, and I waited about 15 minutes while a complicated multi-room booking ahead of me was dealt with amid fairly loud confusion. Delays happen, of course, but in a genuinely high-end hotel one would expect some acknowledgement of the wait, an apology, or simply some effort to make the arriving guest feel looked after. There was none. Check-out was worse. At 10.00 a.m. on the morning of departure, I found myself locked out of my room even though check-out was not until 11.00 a.m. Reception could not reactivate the key and eventually had to send someone with a master key to let me back in. Again, there was no apology. When I suggested that, since they were having difficulty getting me back into my own room, perhaps I could simply check out while they dealt with the problem, I was told that I first had to get back into the room. There seemed to be no recognition that the hotel's mistake was already wasting my time. The bar had much the same problem. The staff were perfectly capable of being friendly and clearly enjoyed talking to one another and to guests, but often seemed more interested in their conversations than in providing attentive service. It could be surprisingly difficult to get their attention. On two separate occasions, while making my cocktail, the bartender stopped what they were doing for around 30 seconds to continue a conversation, gesturing and chatting before returning to the drink and then seeming to have lost track of what they were doing. Again, the issue was less friendliness than a lack of understanding that, in a hotel at this price point, service should be attentive, efficient and focused on the guest. Poolside service was similarly indifferent. A few minutes before 7.00 p.m., I asked a server who was delivering a drink to another guest whether I could order something. I was simply told that last orders for poolside service had already gone. Perhaps technically they had, but what was missing was any instinct to help: no offer to check, no attempt to see whether an order could still be put through, and no alternative suggested. At a genuinely high-end hotel, one expects staff at least to try. The pool area itself was at times chaotic. Children had effectively taken over not only the pool but the surrounding lounger area, including using lounger cushions to build play castles. It was extremely noisy and hardly relaxing. When the children eventually left, nobody appeared to restore the area. Cushions and loungers remained scattered around, while dirty plates, half-eaten food, used glasses and wet towels left by long-departed guests were lying everywhere. It looked a shambles. Once again, what was striking was the absence of anyone taking ownership of the situation or appearing particularly concerned about the standard being presented to guests. The final example came with the valet service on departure. I parked briefly outside while bringing my suitcases down. The valet asked for my keys in case the car needed to be moved, which was entirely reasonable. However, when I returned only a few minutes later, the car was locked, the valet had disappeared, and nobody seemed to know where my keys were. It took about 15 minutes to recover them, making me late returning my rental car. Yet again, there was no meaningful apology or sense that this was regarded as unacceptable. Any hotel can have an occasional service failure. What distinguishes a genuinely high-end hotel is how staff notice problems, take responsibility for them, apologise, and try to put them right. That culture simply did not seem to exist here. Over four days, nobody once asked how my stay was, and repeated inconveniences were met more with indifference than concern. Hotel Bardo looks like a luxury hotel and charges like one, but on my experience the service culture and staff training are nowhere near the level its positioning and prices would lead a guest to expect.

Lovely stay - ten stars in all areas. Excellent pool bar service, extremely comfortable, great valley service, thanks to Bobby! Alec gave us a history rundown which was fascinating. Will be back!

We had a great experience at our stay at the hotel bardo. Bobby was so accommodating and wonderful

While bardo is in itself an experience Bobby made my trip an easy relaxing stay and I am a repeat customer due to his and his teams customer service! As a frequent traveler this step of the process can be painful he ensures an easy transition and stay every time

Great experience! Bobby was wonderful!