Posts Tagged ‘savannah lodging’


September 23rd, 2012

Majoring in Hipness at Thunderbird Inn, Savannah GA

Summer’s great, but we’ll admit it – we like Savannah best when our friends from the various colleges are here! And if you are a new or returning college student and don’t know the Thunderbird Inn, well, there’s a cool surprise in your near future.

You see, you’re gonna want to show off your cool new hometown (that would be Savannah) and your cool new college (which could be SCAD, Savannah State, Armstrong Atlantic, Savannah Tech or any of the other academic institutions we have trouble keeping up with.) Invite your friends to visit so you can show off your great taste in geography and academia. It’s what weekends were invented for!

Old Savannah Tours near Savannah hotel -- Thunderbird Inn downtown Savannah GA

Old Savannah Tours headed to River Street

But there’s a downside of having your best friend from high school sleeping on your dorm room floor. And there’s a limit to how many people per square inch can occupy your apartment (remember all those roommates you have?) The solution? The Thunderbird Inn, the hippest hotel in Savannah!

Why steer your friends to the Thunderbird? (more…)



July 31st, 2012

Shoebox Treasures: Savannah Photography

SAVANNAH GEORGIA (July 31, 2012) — Savannah makes great photographers. So grab your cheap point-and-shoot and head out to capture Savannah. You see, the first requirement for a great photo is a great subject – and Savannah’s got that covered.

Savannah photography Ellis Square fountain | Photo (c) Tim Nealon. Used with permission.

Savannah GA Downtown: Ellis Square fountain

In photo albums and shoe boxes across America, assuming you looked long and hard enough and concentrated on stuff that was stashed since 1962, you would find family vacation photos featuring the Thunderbird Inn’s iconic sign and happy groups gathered around the family station wagon in our parking lot. Those were shot on Instamatics, or something like them, perhaps with those revolving flash cubes that burned your hand if you touched them too soon after they went off. Or maybe our yesteryear photographers were using Polaroids, with the square photos magically taking shape before your eyes even as the chemical stench filled your nose.

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July 30th, 2012

Popular Retro Hotel Mascot, George Monk Sock Monkey, at Thunderbird Inn Savannah USA

Allow us to introduce George Monk, our retro hotel mascot and one of the hard-working staff members here at the Thunderbird Inn, the hippest hotel in Savannah, Georgia USA.

Retro Savannah hotel mascot George Monk at River Street Sweets Savannah GA | Photo (c) 2011 Thunderbird Inn / Tim Nealon

Hotel mascot, George Monk at River Street Sweets, Savannah GA downtown

George serves as the Thunderbird’s official ambassador. Sometimes he hangs around our office, assisting with hotel bookings and supervising the popping of fresh popcorn to welcome Thunderbird guests. He seldom misses our breakfasts, either, when we set out hot coffee and Krispy Kreme® donuts, and he frequently offers to help us put out the MoonPies® we put on each guest’s pillow at night. No wonder he’s always stuffed!



May 6th, 2012

Southern MoonPie® Sweet at Thunderbird Inn in Savannah GA USA

In Savannah Forrest Gump actor with MoonPie® chocolate mint southern treat | Photo (c) The Thunderbird Inn Savannah GA / Tim Nealon

Forrest Gump actor on Old Savannah Tour shuttle with MoonPie® chocolate mint treat.

Savannah has a lot of moon references in its past. Like Moon River, by famed lyricist and Savannah favorite son Johnny Mercer.  Or MoonPie® — “the original marshmallow sandwich” that became the famous Southern treat — is left on your pillow each night at the Thunderbird Inn.

Why MoonPies? Well, Southern hospitality demands we provide a treat for our guests, something a bit above and beyond what is required. After all, we’re the hippest hotel in Savannah ™, and we’ve got to earn our stripes with each guest! Most hotels that bother with a late-night snack for their guests opt for the conventional chocolate, but that wasn’t good enough for the Thunderbird Inn. It’s just not cool and quirky enough for the likes of us.

MoonPie, on the other hand, is as Southern as it gets. These iconic confections (fancy words meaning “famous treats”) originated in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Now, that’s well north of here (let’s face it, most places in the U.S. are) but it’s plenty Southern enough for us. And we give out the mini-versions, not the hefty pies that were originally invented as lunchbox treats for Tennessee coal miners. But it’s still big enough to tide you over to breakfast in our lobby. You can read more about the history of the MoonPie at the website www.moonpie.com (which you can check out with ease since the Thunderbird has free wi fi, unlike snootier places that charge for it.)

The MoonPie is about as Southern a food as you can get, short of grits. And grits would make a mess on the pillows.

ABOUT THUNDERBIRD INN

Declaring itself The hippest hotel in Savannah™, the delightfully quirky, Thunderbird Inn (42 rooms) is where the historic downtown Savannah location and hip motel eccentricities meet up. Featured in New York Times, Southern Living, Best10.com, TravelMuse.com, Dog Friendly magazine, the downtown inn-motel recaptures the southern retro spirit of the Swinging Sixties. The youthful General Manager, Mark Thomas, has directed the much-touted marketing toward a bold, free-spirited and young again approach, making the most of the popular resurgence of retro in the United States. Discounted Savannah lodging was never so much fun! Ask about discount local coupons, Staff Picks, MoonPie® on your pillow, and dog friendly / pet-friendly vacation accommodations. 611 West Oglethorpe Avenue, Savannah, GA USA 31401. Toll Free Reservations (866) 324-2661; International +1/912-232-2661; Fax 912-233-5551. Twitter: @TBirdInn; E-mail info@thethunderbirdinn.com; Web: TheThunderbirdInn.com

Copyright (c) 2012 The Thunderbird Inn / Betty Darby



March 17th, 2012

Modern Amenities and Yesteryear Treats at the Thunderbird Inn in Downtown Savannah GA

SAVANNAH GA (March 19, 2012) — What if you could get the best of the present and the past in a hip hotel room you could actually afford?

Funny you should ask, because that’s exactly what you can get at the Thunderbird Inn, the hippest hotel in Savannah. Three special rooms – the deluxe king – have now been outfitted with perks that offer the best of modern entertainment, along with some retro treats that helped define “deluxe” back in the Swinging Sixties.

Let’s review the new (and new-old) treats:

Magic Fingers! Yes, the real Magic Fingers! Time was, they were the cutting-edge amenity for circa-1960s motels. You dropped a quarter in a bedside slot, and the bed vibrated in a relaxing massage. Call it kitschy or call it kinky, it was a cultural icon. Anyway, the Thunderbird’s new Magic Fingers are better than the old version because you don’t even need a quarter to make them work.

Vintage typewriters! Yes, texting had a grandmother, and her name was typing. To go with these venerable communication devices, the Thunderbird Inn will throw in a stamped envelope so you, too, can send snail mail.

Wii game consoles, with games available from the front desk.

Streaming Netflix®, where the thousands of movies and TV shows include both contemporary fare and vintage Sixties offerings, like the original “Star Trek” series.

• Radio alarm clocks equipped with iPod® docking stations, so you can go retro while keeping your ears firmly planted in the present.

The Thunderbird Inn also offers free Wi-Fi to all of its guests (sorry, we just couldn’t stomach the idea of re-creating the screech of the dial-up modems of the recent past.) But wait – there’s more! A tiny little mint isn’t cool enough for the Thunderbird Inn. When we turn down your bed at night, we put a MoonPie® on your pillow. Welcome to Southern hospitality!

See what we mean about the best of the present and the past?

Savannah Americana nostalgia | Thunderbird Inn has nostalgic Magic Fingers

Nostalgic 'Magic Fingers' in Savannah, GA -- FREE in Deluxe King Suites

Magic Finger, Wii, and Wi-Fi are only a few of the reasons to stay at The Thunderbird Inn, the hippest hotel in Savannah ™.   Stay tuned, and ask us anything on Twitter @TbirdInn and Facebook.

About The Thunderbird Inn

Located in downtown Savannah, Georgia USA, the popular Thunderbird Inn is the poster child for southern retro travel in America. Offering a delicious, newly refreshed slice of Americana lodging, the classic roadside motel was originally built in 1964. It now features 42 well-designed and stylishly appointed hotel rooms, featuring new colors that blends authentic historic Savannah colors and Thunderbird’s original paint palette. In keeping with the fun hotel’s southern retro vibe, nightly a MoonPie®  is on your pillow and Krispy Kreme® donuts are the highlight of an on-the-go breakfast 365/7.

(c) 2012 The Thunderbird Inn. Savannah, GA.  Toll Free 1/866-324-2661



March 6th, 2012

Be Part of Springtime’s Music Festivals In Savannah!

Savannah Music Festival lodging Savannah downtown at Thunderbird Inn

Downtown Savannah lodging for Spring music festivals

Savannah really heats up in the spring, and as the hippest hotel in town, The Thunderbird Inn is right in the center of it.

Lots of March’s activity in Savannah centers on music. There’s the Savannah Stopover Music Festival with more than 70 up and coming (or already there) bands from March 7 to 10, but that’s just for starters.   The Thunderbird Inn downtown has special rates $89/weekday. Rate code to request is S_Over.

The big boy on the music block is the Savannah Music Festival, which arrives March 22, 2012, and runs through April 7. It offers three weeks of world-class music in 23 different genres. Put on your dancing shoes at a zydeco dance party, savor the best in bluegrass, check out masters of jazz – all at venues within easy striking distance of the Thunderbird Inn.  Request special lodging rates for festival goers —  $89/weekday, $129 weekend dates.  The rate code to request is SMF.

At The Thunderbird, we live and breathe the Sixties. Since music was so central to that decade, it stands to reason we attract a lot of music fans. And, with our vintage rates, you’ll still have money left over to buy tickets and T-shirts!

Of course music isn’t the only thing happening in Savannah’s springtime. The Ships of the Sea Museum, just around the corner on the boulevard (41 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., to be precise) will be unveiling its beautiful new garden this month, the perfect complement to an intriguing museum collection housed in a gracious historic mansion. The museum advises probably in April  2012, but no specific date is set yet.

Be part of spring in Savannah! Make your reservations today at The Thunderbird Inn, the hippest hotel in Savannah ™.   To stay in tune follow us on Twitter @TbirdInn and Facebook.

(c) 2012 The Thunderbird Inn. Savannah, GA.  Toll Free 1/866-324-2661



February 18th, 2012

Retro Savannah: Enjoy History Of A More Recent Vintage!

Art "The Beagles" at Hon Gallery | Photo (c) Thunderbird Inn / Tim Nealon

Labradoodle goes to Hon Gallery. Notice "The Beagles" art? A nod the Swinging Sixties on our retro, dog-friendly Savannah visit to Hon Gallery in City Market. Photo (c) Thunderbird Inn / Tim Nealon.

Savannah is a city known for her history – but who says history has to be ancient to be history? In 2010, the Thunderbird Inn – “The hippest hotel in Savannah” ™  – made the National Register of Historic Places, representing the classic roadside motel of the 1960s. Gas was cheap, cars were big and Americans were mobile. The nuclear family of those Cold War years parked its station wagon outside classic motels like the Thunderbird and enjoyed the traditional American vacation.

The Thunderbird was built in 1964, which lands it in the middle of one of the most creative, memorable and, yes, historic decades of the past century. The Civil Rights Movement, the space race, the Beatles, the mini-skirt, the Pill … oh, it was quite a decade! (more…)



November 12th, 2011

Americana, Bold and Old in Savannah, Part of “What’s New”, says retro Thunderbird Inn

Savannah, Georgia, is an old town with a new spirit! Thunderbird Inn is thrilled to be a celebrant of what’s new about the old, and champion of retro Savannah!

In November 2011, a guest wrote, “Feel new in the old” in a TripAdvisor review, talking about Thunderbird Inn in downtown Savannah, Georgia.   The inn boasts new interior paint (inspired by authentic historic Savannah colors and Thunderbird’s original paint), and a/c and heat units with popular remote controls, plus hot popcorn on arrival.  Those updates are not all that is inspiring guests.

Vintage Savannah Neon sign at Thunderbird Inn in downtown Savannah GA

Retro Savannah Sign

WE BELIEVE OLD IS NEW AGAIN!

Not only a nostalgic thought, “old is new again” is on-trend.   (more…)



October 6th, 2011

Cool Travelers Stay at Savannah’s Hippest Hotel!

We love our cool, quirky guests who stay at Thunderbird Inn in Savannah, Georgia!

It is nice when we can forge relationships and see Savannah travel guests at our vintage inn time and time again.  We love to give great service at our vintage highway motel in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.  Come give our highway motel in downtown Savannah the opportunity to serve you!



October 6th, 2011

Welcoming Georgia Organics Convention in Savannah – March 2011

“Grow local. Eat local. Sleep local.” on Thunderbird Inn in Savannah GA popular marquee.  The vintage inn’s sign is the largest neon sign in Savannah and Chatham County, Georgia.