37 Best Hotels in Charleston, South Carolina

Guest rooms in this 1874 stucco mansion, with porches on the second, third, and fourth floors, overlook a lovely courtyard with fountains and a hot tub. The nightly wine-and-cheese reception in the lobby is the reincarnation of a more genteel time. Four-poster or canopy beds, chair rails, and patterned wallpaper create a period feel, and many rooms have hardwood floors and oriental rugs.

Offering both a view of the Ravenel Bridge and a free welcome drink (a Moxy-wide amenity that feels especially appropriate in Charleston), the 131-room Moxy is a high-spirited stay close to popular restaurants. Meals aren't included, but there's a full-service restaurant on the premises, as well as a podcast studio for guests who want to be heard beyond city limits.

Part of the Relais & Châteaux group, this boutique property with well-appointed, expansive, and beautifully maintained rooms is a stately sanctuary amid the bustle of Charleston's City Market. Light streams into the Victorian front parlor with its rich velvets, 19th-century portraits, and Asian antiques. Rooms in the historic main building (versus those in the newer Piazza Building, which overlook a tranquil garden courtyard) have more atmosphere and a more residential feel. Service is unobtrusive, but not stuffy. The best rooms have fireplaces and verandas; all have four-poster beds. Top-tier suites are suitably over the top in terms of comfort. Packages with breakfast and/or dinner at the amazing on-site Peninsula Grill are a good value.

When The Ryder opened in 2021, repurposing the old King Charles Inn, it immediately endeared itself to locals thanks to its poolside bar, Little Palm. On steamy summer days, it's the place to kick back with a cocktail. A stay here puts you close to the action—and the City Market. Rooms sport natural and muted tones, and furniture with surprisingly few right angles, creating a relaxed aura. 

The corner rooms at this elegant luxury hotel, with balconies overlooking the city's church steeples, are among the best accommodations in the city. Opulent, Roaring '20s–inspired fixtures and furniture lend the bar and communal areas a pampered, upscale feel, as do daily butler service and the included in-room continental breakfast each morning.

Thanks to its gorgeous art-filled space, the Vendue feels as much like a contemporary art museum as it does a boutique hotel. Little evidence of this pair of 19th-century warehouses remains, but you will find white marble and hardwood floors, flowing chandeliers, and an eccentric (occasionally garish) collection of modern art and a rotating artist-in-residence program. On-site, there’s an inspired white tablecloth restaurant, Revival, and the ever-popular Rooftop, an adjoining double-terrace bar with soaring views of the city and harbor. Across the street, the hotel's annex, The Enclave, offers rooms away from the lobby's bustle. If you're willing to sacrifice windows, the interior rooms are a bargain for a luxury hotel in the heart of town.