55 Best Hotels in Charleston, South Carolina

Conveniently located to both the International African American Museum and Gaillard Center, the Hilton Club Liberty Place offers a selection of suites and studios. Meals aren't included in the price, but you can purchase continental breakfast. Better yet, walk to any number of local restaurants and cafés sited just minutes from this business-appropriate hotel's polished front door.

A sunny swimming pool and breezy patios overlooking the Ashley River are among the main attractions at this modern hotel that's a convenient stop for boaters docked at the nearby marinas. Guest rooms include docks for your electronic devices and 42-inch flat-screen HD TVs. There's also a fitness center and a 24-hour convenience store.

Centrally located along the Upper King corridor, this hotel balances location, modern amenities, and relative affordability. The brick-and-wood lobby includes wide windows for people watching during the full breakfast each morning or the evening social on weekdays. There's a heated outdoor pool in a courtyard.

Just a five-minute drive over the scenic Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge from downtown Charleston, this is the perfect outpost for those who plan to explore the city for hours on end but want a quiet, modern, and economical spot to lay their heads. The snap-to-it staff is most helpful and professional, and the decor is contemporary, including sleek public spaces and meeting rooms galore. An on-site restaurant includes breakfast service but is not complimentary.

Despite its size, this pair of hotels (there's a Hyatt Place in the same complex) manages to feel tucked away amid the buzz of Upper King Street. Amenities like a heated indoor pool and 24-hour fitness center allow for a seamless transition from the convenience of a modern hotel into the heart of the city. A popular rooftop bar, Pour Taproom, boasts excellent views from the top floor.

Repeat guests are the norm thanks to the central setting—and $20 self-parking—at this newly renovated, family-owned inn with a peaceful vibe. Take your complimentary "hunt breakfast" or the nightly wine and cheese in the lovely courtyard adorned with greenery and a fountain. 

This glorious 1843 Greek revival mansion—yellow with white columns—feels like a private gem; the front desk, parking lot, and other amenities are at the Indigo Inn, across the $20/day self-park lot. The main house has royally large rooms; several, including the Canton Room—which opens to the second-story veranda—have sitting rooms. A third-floor apartment has a fully equipped kitchen and views of the city. The carriage house, or "dependency," which looks out to a courtyard, has four cozy rooms of its own.

The New Orleans–esque exterior of this National Historic Landmark (the former residence of politician and slaveholder John Rutledge) has wrought-iron architectural details, and inside, parquet floors sit beneath 14-foot ceilings adorned with plaster moldings. Families gravitate to the privacy and quiet of the two carriage houses overlooking the shaded brick courtyard. Breakfast—continental as well as at least one hot item—can be taken in the ballroom, the elegant but simple courtyard, or your room.

The three delightful courtyards at this centrally located circa-1853 inn are great places to enjoy your continental breakfast, afternoon sherry, or evening wine and cheese in the open air courtyard. Numerous windows give some of the guest rooms—filled with antique reproductions and Oriental rugs on the original hardwood floors—great views of busy King Street. Despite the historic touches, rooms still feel modern. Working fireplaces add romance to a selection of rooms, and the two-room suites give families ample space.

Marriott aimed for the feel of a boutique hotel with their renovation of this upscale stalwart in the heart of town. The welcoming lobby, furnished with a modern take on traditional decor, has an atmospheric fireplace to keep you toasty on cooler days. Vivian Howard has two restaurants here—the upscale Lenoir and Hot & Handy, a grab-and-go spot for coffee and delectable biscuits. Guests rave about the inviting rooftop pool and comfortable beds, but the downside is that many rooms offer views only of neighboring buildings.

Combining a Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites, this spot draws large groups away from the crowded peninsula to its modern complex set tucked into a pine forest just off I-26. Suites feature full-size fridges, views of the woods, and handsome, modern decor. The large outdoor pool and cabanas are a perk for families and summertime visitors, and a nature trail winds from the parking lot through the adjacent wetlands.

The hustle and bustle of one of the city's busiest corners vanishes as soon as the uniformed bellman opens the lobby door to reveal wood-paneled walls, antique furnishings, and chandeliers hung from high ceilings; it resembles a European grand hotel from the 19th century, and you'll feel like you're visiting royalty. Rooms are lavishly decorated (almost to the point of overkill) with French-style chaises and marble baths. One of Charleston's most prestigious fine-dining spots, Grill 225, famed for its steaks, is on the ground floor. All guests are served a continental breakfast, and those on the concierge level also enjoy afternoon tea and a beer, Champagne, and hors d'oeuvres reception in an exquisitely dressed parlor. Join sharp-looking Charlestonians on the rooftop Pavilion Bar (gents, be sure to wear a collared shirt).

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.

Tucked just off King Street in the heart of the College of Charleston district, this upscale 24-room inn offers spacious rooms with king beds and in-room laundry, plus suites with full kitchens. From the muted natural tones of the lobby to Instagram-worthy linens and wallpaper in rooms, The Pinch embodies the beautiful South of the city's favorite magazine, Garden & Gun. The ground floor features two restaurants—the Quinte Oyster Bar and Lowland, a 2024 opening from James Beard award–winning chef Jason Stanhope, formerly of FIG. 

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. 

About 350 fully equipped one- to six-bedroom villas, cottages, townhomes, and homes are available on Seabrook, one of the most private of the area's island resorts. Seabrook is endowed with true Lowcountry beauty, and wildlife sightings are common: look for white-tailed deer, alligators, and even bobcats. Going to the beach is as popular as playing golf or tennis. The Beach Club and Island House are centers for dining and leisure activities. Because each unit is individually owned, Wi-Fi access varies accordingly, and rentals are made via Vacasa. The smallest units are often priced as cheaply as a hotel room, making the island a secluded, quiet value for relaxed family time. The pool complex is oceanside and is across the street from the clubhouse.

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.

The grandest inn in town features Second Empire antiques and reproductions, elaborate woodwork, and original stained-glass windows, as well as sweeping views from the rooftop cupola. In the colder months, the staff draws the velvet drapes and lights the gas fireplaces of the baronial, high-ceilinged guest rooms. Italian linens and down pillows add to the opulence. The complimentary evening wine and delectable hors d'oeuvres are served in the sunny, glass-enclosed parlor. The hot breakfast is made in the inn's laudable restaurant, Circa 1886, which shares the former carriage house with a spa, where treatments include couples massages.

If you're looking for amenities in a get-away-from-it-all escape, the island's only resort has both. These 250 time-share units can be rented out with a two-day minimum stay. Summers are solidly booked, especially the weekends. Although none of the accommodations sit on the beach, most are just a short walk away, and there are three swimming pools within the resort (four, including the indoor pool). The family-oriented recreation staff knows how to keep kids amused with everything from painting classes to organized nocturnal turtle-watches. There are also Lowcountry shrimp boils and nature walks, but the primary activity here is enjoying the island's golf complex. (There’s even a mini-golf course on-site.) A tram transports you to the resort's beachfront cabana, which is delightful and stocks plenty of chaises.