Savannah Family Hotels: Where to Stay with Kids

The family trip to Savannah has a specific shopping list: a pool the kids can actually swim in, enough space that nobody sleeps on a floor, parking that doesn't require a second mortgage, and a location close enough to the squares that the walk back never turns into a mutiny. The good news is that Savannah does family-friendly well at every price tier — the trick is matching the hotel to the trip.

Here's the field guide, by trip type. Everything below is drawn from our full Savannah where-to-stay guide, which covers these properties in more depth.

Downtown with a Pool

The Historic District's boutique hotels skew romantic, but two deliver the pool-and-playability combination families need.

The Kimpton Brice, tucked near Washington Square, is the family favorite downtown: a lush secret-garden courtyard with a pool, a genuinely pet-friendly policy (the dog counts as family), and a location where the squares function as playground pit stops between sightseeing. The DeSoto has anchored the center of the district since 1890 and adds a rooftop pool to the deal — central enough that you can walk everywhere, with a real lobby and a proper address for the grandparents to admire.

The Ferry-and-Pool Play: The Westin

The Westin Savannah Harbor (1 Resort Dr, Hutchinson Island) is the sleeper pick for families. You sleep across the river with river-view rooms pointed straight at the Historic District skyline, and the commute is the fun part: the free Savannah Belles ferry makes the river crossing to Hutchinson Island, and for kids, the boat ride to dinner is the best part of the day. The fare-free dot shuttles handle the in-town hops on the other side. The pool rounds it out — ferry, pool, view, repeat. From the far bank you're looking straight at River Street, which is exactly where the cotton-candy money goes.

Suites and Kitchenettes

Space is the quiet luxury on a family trip. The Olde Harbour Inn on the riverfront side is the suite-and-kitchenette play: separate rooms for the kids, a kitchenette for the breakfast-that-doesn't-require-a-restaurant, and a location that keeps the riverfront walkable after bedtime-adjacent dinners.

The Airport Play: Pooler Value

Flying in? The Pooler corridor near the airport is where family value lives, and the drive downtown is short.

Embassy Suites by Hilton Savannah Airport is the family flyer's friend: an all-suite layout (every room is a two-room suite), free cooked-to-order breakfast that beats a pastry-in-a-bag, and an airport shuttle for the luggage-heavy arrival. The Drury Plaza Hotel Savannah Pooler is the value standout: an indoor/outdoor pool and whirlpool, free hot breakfast, and the evening Kickback with snacks and drinks that effectively refunds your dinner budget on night one.

The West Side: Extended Stays and Road-Trip Bases

If the trip is longer, or you're driving in down I-95, the west side earns its keep. The Home2 Suites by Hilton Richmond Hill offers extended-stay suites with in-room kitchens — actual cooking, not a mini-fridge apology. The Best Western Plus Richmond Hill Inn is the family treat with an indoor heated pool, and the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Savannah N - Port Wentworth covers the Express Start breakfast-and-go mornings.

The Beach Play: Tybee Island

Some families want the beach to BE the trip. The Hotel Tybee is the classic family oceanfront resort on South Beach: over 130 years of history, two outdoor pools, a poolside tiki bar, and a walkway that goes straight onto the sand — no road-crossing logistics with a toddler and a cooler. The DeSoto Beach Hotel is the direct-beach simplicity option, and our Tybee Island hotels guide covers the full beach-stay picture.

Family Logistics, Honestly

Park once and walk — the Historic District is genuinely stroller-navigable except for the cobblestones on the riverfront blocks, where smaller wheels struggle (the squares are smoother). Budget for parking at most downtown hotels, check whether the pool is seasonal before you book, and let the kids burn the last of the energy in Forsyth Park before the drive or flight home. For the days between hotel pools, our things to do in Savannah guide covers the kid-tested side of the city — and for the parents, the coffee shop guide is non-negotiable. More lodging options live in the hotels and inns directory.