NYC-based development and hospitality firm Left Lane transformed Savannah’s Mansion on Forsyth Park into its current iteration, Hotel Bardo—an urban resort with a club-like atmosphere attracting both visitors and locals. CTC&G chatted with Vanessa Tilley, Vice President of Brand & Marketing for Left Lane about why this hotel has received so much buzz and what makes its visionary brand so unique.
What is Left Lane’s ethos?
We specialize in the transformation of historic properties with a mission to create experiences that are transformative for our guests and the communities where we choose to be. We do this by acquiring and transforming hotels that share the common thread of textured histories and progressive cultural landscapes.
How has Left Lane changed the hotel experience?
We like to say we’re in the business of placemaking, crafting spaces and creating moments for guests and locals alike that yield meaningful impact. Our efforts are intended to deliver a clear, concise and absolutely vital message to our guest: “We designed and built this place for you.”
Hotel Bardo was the first hospitality venture for Left Lane. Why Savannah?
Savannah checked every box we looked for. It’s a tertiary city with a rich cultural identity, a deeply rooted local community and a growing influx of travelers and transplants from New York and other major metros who have chosen to make it their residence.
Why did you choose this particular property?
The property itself was hard to pass up. The mansion offered the architectural bones and layered history that Left Lane looks for, and the two-acre footprint gave us room to build more of an urban resort than a traditional hotel. We saw an opportunity to create a gathering place that would matter to this city, not just pass through it.
What changes did you make to the historic building?
For Hotel Bardo, Left Lane opted to keep a majority of the painted and worn details intact in the 1888 mansion—originally built as a private residence before being converted to a hotel in 2005—from moldings to door hardware to the wood floors. This celebration of the unresolved design evokes a feeling that the resort was built over time. In addition to keeping some pre-existing structures, we enhanced the property by adding a courtyard, stunning pool, shopping amenities and wellness spa and fitness facility known as Saltgrass.
How many rooms are in the resort?
The two-acre resort includes 149 guest rooms and 50 suites, a fitness and wellness center, kids club, coastal Italian restaurant, an epic pool deck and Club Bardo.
The hotel has become a part of the community. Explain the Club Bardo concept.
Club Bardo is a members and social club inspired by the grand tradition of the early 20th-century salon where locals and guests connect and share stories. Members of the sophisticated and stylish club have access to a private lounge above the resort’s marquee restaurant, preferred room rates, priority reservations, access to the pool and fitness facilities as well as perks like special events, personal training and small group fitness.
Club Bardo anchors the social life of the property with a rotating calendar of programming that brings together members, guests and the broader Savannah community—from intimate salon-style gatherings to larger cultural events that reflect the city’s creative energy. The property is also home to a cooking school that weaves together Savannah’s culinary heritage and the coastal Italian ethos of the restaurant Saint Bibiana. That layering of programming, membership and education is what gives the property its texture and staying power as a true cultural destination.
Club Bardo was always central to our vision for this property, and Savannah felt like the ideal proving ground for that model.
Describe the restaurant at Hotel Bardo, which is open to guests and the public.
Saint Bibiana, the property’s coastal Italian restaurant is an integral part of the guest experience. It is run by Hotel Bardo’s on-property Executive Chef, Jim Anile. As we continue to expand, we will have dining at each hotel; however, they will vary in terms of overall concept and cuisine to best serve that market.
You have another hotel opening in Savannah. Tell us about that project?
Recess Hotel & Club is set to open fall 2026 and will transform Savannah’s Manger Building, located at 7 E. Congress Street, into the flagship property for Left Lane’s newest brand. Recess will be a new kind of luxury lifestyle hotel and clubhouse—for members, locals and guests—complete with co-working spaces, a rooftop pool and bar, circuit-based spa and fitness facility, two-story event space, classic French brasserie and more.
The Manger Building has a storied history as one of Savannah’s most treasured hotels. Originally built as Hotel Savannah in 1912, the property became the Manger Hotel in 1954 until it was converted to an office building in 1977. Left Lane will restore the building to its original purpose with a 221-room hotel.
Left Lane has new projects on the boards for other cities, including Providence, RI, Pittsburg, PA, Phoenix, AZ, and a ground-up hotel in Bozeman, MT. What is the common thread?
What we’re building now is a portfolio of properties that each stand alone as cultural landmarks while sharing the same DNA: historic buildings, deeply local identities and experiences that go well beyond a hotel stay.
