How do you top Plant Riverside? Richard Kessler did with Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville

Adam Van Brimmer, Savannah Morning News
·2 min read
The Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville is the latest hotel property from Savannah's Richard Kessler.
The Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville is the latest hotel property from Savannah's Richard Kessler.
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GREENVILLE, S.C. - To 99% of hoteliers, Plant Riverside would rank as an end-all, be-all property.

Not Richard Kessler.

The Effingham County native and one-time business partner of Cecil Day, of Days Inn fame, has opened a destination 200 miles from Savannah that rivals Plant Riverside. The Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville is as aesthetically stunning as the River Street property without the kitsch - no chrome-plated, disco-lighted dinosaur skeletons hang suspended from the lobby ceiling.

And as much as I'm fascinated by the Savannah waterfront, the Greenville lodge's view is akin to something found inside a national park.

The Grand Bohemian, which opened in August, sits above the Reedy River falls in downtown Greenville. Known as Falls Park, the urban greenspace stretches for close to a mile, with the bounder-strewn falls, a curved-suspension bridge and an outdoor amphitheater as the centerpieces.

A look back: Savannah’s Plant Riverside District officially opens

The Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville sits on the banks of the Reedy River.
The Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville sits on the banks of the Reedy River.

From the lodge's porch, guests can watch and listen to the falls. The foot of the suspension bridge is just steps from the entrance. As real estate locations go, the lodge sits at the edge of heaven.

As for the décor, Kessler focused on Native American art and heritage. He's an admitted collector of beautiful things, and the paintings, statuary and hundreds of arrowheads - displayed in cases along two walls just off the lobby - are as captivating as the outside landscape.

Hundreds of arrowheads are on display in the Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville.
Hundreds of arrowheads are on display in the Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville.

The lodge further affirms Kessler's love for geodes - several of the mineral rocks are on display, although not nearly as many as Plant Riverside features.

Geodes are on display at the Grand Bohemian Lodge in Greenville, South Carolina.
Geodes are on display at the Grand Bohemian Lodge in Greenville, South Carolina.
Geodes are on display at the Grand Bohemian Lodge in Greenville, South Carolina, including at the front entrance.
Geodes are on display at the Grand Bohemian Lodge in Greenville, South Carolina, including at the front entrance.

Several Savannahians visited the Grand Bohemian Lodge over the weekend. They were easy to spot in their Savannah Ghost Pirates green - the team played the first game in franchise history against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Saturday night.

The Ghost Pirates play eight more games at the Rabbits between now and the end of the regular season in April. If you're looking for an excuse for a getaway, the Ghost Pirates and the Grand Bohemian Lodge are it.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville Richard Kessler rivals Plant Riverside