Hotel Bardo SAVANNAH Left Lane transforms a 19th-century Gothic mansion into an urban resort and neighbourhood clubhouse in the heart of Forsyth Park. Words: Ayesha Khan Photography: © Andrew Frazier (unless otherwise stated)
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t’s not every day that a new brand promises to disrupt the market, hybridising the hotel and members’ club in a way that hasn’t been seen Stateside. Conceptualised by New
York-based real estate development firm Left Lane, Bardo does just that. “Bardo is a Tibetan term that means transition or inbetween states,” explains Left Lane’s Chief Brand Officer Jess Berkin. “We want our resorts to be spaces where time is suspended and you can fully immerse yourself in the moment – whatever that moment may be,” she adds, touting Bardo’s ‘always rare’ tagline that promises to combine the comforting consistency of large-scale brands with the spontaneity and whimsy of independents. The nascent brand was born in the booming Southern town of Savannah, Georgia, famed for its arts scene, as well as an emerging culinary destination. With big-city folk flocking to the promising tertiary city for this very reason, Left Lane identified a gap in Savannah’s luxury hotel market. To bring the first Bardo outpost to life, the developer turned to adaptive re-use and the inherent sustainability that comes with it, a process that has since become a core pillar for the brand. “When you say you want it to be part
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