Kimpton Brice Hotel

It’s a name you might more readily associate with hotels on the West Coast, or in the Northeast. And there’s always a question when a hotel brand steps out of its comfort zone. But the Brice is proof that Savannah, Georgia and the Kimpton brand are a match made in heaven: one’s a lovely tree-fringed emblem of southern charm, the other is known for its cheerful, artfully designed hotels with an uncommonly welcoming atmosphere. Southern hospitality with a modern twist? Yes, please, and thank you.

The Brice, located in the city’s historic district in a stately landmark building that dates from the 1860s, has undergone several phases: over the years, it’s served as a stable, a cotton warehouse, a machine shop, a grocer, even a Coca-Cola bottling plant. It’s been a hotel since 1982, though it’s safe to say that its earlier incarnations never featured nightly happy hours, pet-friendly accommodations, complimentary bicycles, and ‘Forgot It, We’ve Got It’ amenities from iPhone chargers to contact lens solution. That’s Kimpton for you. The hotel’s 145 guest rooms and suites are colorful and plush, packed with sensory pleasures from boldly patterned rugs and polka dot drapery to Arco-inspired lamps, smooth Italian linens, and sleek modern versions of the classic four-poster bed. Across categories, in-room amenities include 40-inch flat-screen TVs, pillow-top mattresses, bath products by Atelier Bloem, yoga mats, organic honor bars, and seersucker bathrobes. Suites have separate living rooms and soaking tubs.

There’s a pretty outdoor pool, smartly reserved for adults only in the early morning hours before 10 a.m. The hosted evening wine hour, a signature feature at Kimpton hotels, feels particularly civilized in this setting, and serves as a natural segue into Aperitivo Hour or dinner at the hotel’s Pacci Italian Kitchen + Bar. Wednesday night means a special ‘supper club’-style prix fixe menu, and weekends feature the boozy Punch Drunk Brunch. If the weather’s nice — and this is Savannah, the weather is probably going to be nice — enjoy a nightcap (let’s get real, make it a bourbon on the rocks) on the leafy garden patio.