Hotel Bennett — Hotel in Charleston

Before arriving we called the hotel a week in advance to let them know we will be doing early check in and since we have two rooms to see if possible we could have conjoined rooms or rooms right beside/cross from each other. We also reminded them that we booked through Amex’s fine hotels and resorts which provides more perks. This preparation was done so once we arrive there will be no delays in our check in process or getting our room.

Upon arrival the bellman’s were very friendly and welcoming. Once we get to the front desk to check in the hotel they couldn’t honor our room upgrade which was ok, we understood. needless to say one room was not ready and we did not get our rooms as we requested a week prior but a few doors down on the same floor, which ok we understood. At this point we’re trying to be hopeful but I’m a bit disappointed in the service by the front desk or lack of service, especially for the price.

So we get to our rooms and again the bellman who brought up our bags was helpful and very friendly. Upon inspecting the room I was disappointed again. The room was not very clean. The floors in the foyer of our rooms looked like it could use a good dust mop and shark steaming. The floors in the bathroom and water room area looked as if it was not cleaned sufficiently. The carpet had a slight stench and smells as if it’s overdue for a deep carpet cleaning, there was hair all over the floor in the bathroom including the rug (I hate seeing hair on floors in bathrooms especially if it’s not yours). Tissues in the trash…Something else we spotted on the floor was a roach (see pic)!

So the Rooms and bathrooms were not cleaned well. My husband talked with the front desk about the room as well as the TV in our older children’s room not working ( the hotel of course was booked supposedly). We had someone come up and clean the hair, roach and all the other items of disgust.

Later I guess due to the TV volume and my husband in the shower I did not hear someone knocking until last minute and I was hesitant bc I was in my robe, so I got up to answer the door and by the time I reached the foyer someone with a key just entered the room and continued entering walking pass me because he needed to check the refrigerator to see if anything was taken from the previous visitors. I was terrified and shocked.

Now I’m thinking about privacy, boundaries, and safety as well as at this rate we’re paying, checking the fridge should have been done before we arrived in the room. So… that did not help us feel any better about this place. Another visit was made to the front desk.

My oldest son who is well over the drinking age was not treated very fairly at the rooftop bar. The older looking waitress treated him as he was a person off the streets and asked if he was staying at the hotel before he was even presented with a menu. Not sure how she would assume he’s not a hotel guess, because in order to get upstairs you must have a room key for elevator access. My son texted us to come up and join him because he felt uncomfortable. However before we arrived a younger waitress was kind enough to provide service to him and asked him if she could get him something and she was kind and helpful my husband and I actually enjoyed a drink only because she was so nice.

The interiors of the rooms are designed nicely. It has several key interior design elements including that southern living charm with the antique mirrors, built in bookcases, and the custom Cornice around the curtains. We’re from the south so the design is something I appreciated and enjoyed…..

However, the hotel missed the mark especially the service provided for the price. Overall, I will not be giving this hotel a second chance. However, I know my experience might not be someone else’s experience but for the price our experience was very subpar and...

We booked five nights at this category 5 Star hotel. By definition, a category 5 star means the hotel should offer a lot of luxurious amenities, top notch service, and a higher staff to guest ratio than other hotels. This was not our experience last week at Hotel Bennett. In fact, we had a lot of wanting or lack of service.

After checking in at the front desk, we were told rather nonchalantly that we would not have traditional, twice-daily housekeeping as part of this stay. The best we would be offered at this luxury hotel was the the ability to call once per day and request clean towels and removal of our garbage. On the way up to the room, I questioned our Bellman regarding this policy and he said they were trying to minimize contact between the guests and the housekeeping staff, due to COVID-19. I have to say I was flabbergasted, for the rate we were paying, to have so little maid service, especially in a state where all COVID-19 restrictions had been lifted the prior month. I just spoke to the only other category 5 Star hotel in Charleston; I was told while they had also suspended the evening turn down service, they were doing a comprehensive, daily room cleaning in all their occupied guest rooms.

Our second issue was the Spa. Long before our check-in date, I received an email from the hotel touting their Spa. I looked at the offerings menu and chose a 50 minute massage with CBD oil for my husband. I had an email confirmation of his appointment three weeks in advance of our stay. Unfortunately, on the morning of, my husband received a call from the Spa canceling the appointment, with no possibility to reschedule. When I complained, he was offered a time slot that we couldn't do; there was no effort to work within our schedule.

We visited the roof top cocktail lounge only once. There were no cocktail servers to come to any of the lounge tables. Instead there were two bartenders behind the bar; with a long line of customers queued up waiting to place and receive their orders, most of which were not wearing masks. I am not sure how this could possibly be a safer option than masked servers coming to the guests' tables. In fact, in my community, most of the restaurant bars have signs prohibiting lines at the bar.

This hotel does not have daily newspapers for their guests and even, more surprising, there is no Business Center. I had to go to a FedEx office to print out some needed documents.

There were no welcome amenities like a drink offered at check-in or a personal letter from the management. Nothing was offered to try to make up for the dearth of housekeeping services.

On the positive side of things, the room itself was fine. The bed was comfortable, the bathroom was spacious, and every room has a Nespresso machine. Service at the property's front door was definitely in the five star category. The doormen were plentiful, friendly, responsive and helpful. Valet service was efficient and prompt, albeit expensive. And, for those willing to pay extra for it, the service in the King's Club was thoughtful and attentive.

I guess to sum up, I would say this hotel is not currently a reasonable value. I just saw a review from someone else who stayed here, but also often stays at the Hyatt Place on Kings Street. He felt like the experiences were similar, but that the Hotel Bennett costs three times more. I can really relate to this. It felt like a 3 star experience at 5...

I had an amazing weekend getaway at Hotel Bennett. I can’t remember their names. But the people in the King’s Club were extremely friendly and welcoming. My server when ordering room service was also amazing and he was extremely friendly. There was only one person who may come off as being rude to some people, although he wasn’t trying to be. He worked in the patisserie and took my order. I asked if he could make a Carmel macchiato and he said yes, but assumed I had never had one before. He said, “It won’t be like Starbucks” however, I have never had one from Starbucks before. How he said it came off as snarky, but it didn’t bother me. However, I know some people who would get upset if he had said that to them. 🤦🏼‍♀️😂 The ones I drink were from a cafe in Japan. But I decided to order an iced chai tea latte instead. The large is definitely smaller than I thought it would be. So I went to Starbucks afterwards to get myself a bigger chai tea latte. (Tastes exactly the same.)

They were busy and packed when I ordered and I could barely hear the people asking for my order. I’m sure they have people who come in asking for things thinking they’re like Starbucks, but that wasn’t the case for me. I don’t think he was trying to be rude, but his tone seemed a little rude to me.

I live locally and definitely plan on coming back to Hotel Bennett. Hopefully I can come with my husband next time. I enjoyed my weekend getaway by myself. I wish I had time to enjoy all of the accommodations, but 2 days just wasn’t enough time. I would have stayed longer if I didn’t have my children to look after this week. 😂 You can ask for items to-go if you don’t think you’ll finish anything. Even room service will pack things in boxes if you ask. I ordered 1 of every dessert except the royal cake, which they didn’t have. Things in the Kings Club are grab and go, and they’ll make you whatever alcoholic beverages you ask for. I’m not a big drinker, so I just wanted something fruity. They did not disappoint. I tried a cosmopolitan, fuzzy naval, rum punch, and a Bloody Mary and loved them all.

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and everyone who works here. I was very surprised at how nice and welcoming everyone was. Especially since I wasn’t dressed fancy like some people. I only wore leggings, t-shirts, and a plain jacket my entire stay. I just wanted to be comfortable and enjoy my time away from the house. I’ve been posting things about the hotel since I arrived and everyone on my friends lists on social media want to visit hotel Bennett now. Thank you so much for an amazing stay!! I cannot wait to come back. The food was amazing, and worth the prices. I wish the spa hadn’t been booked, but I’m fine with that since I have a spa day booked in a few weeks somewhere else. I 100% recommend this hotel to everyone. It was my very first 5 star resort experience and I couldn’t have been happier.

I wish I could have stayed longer, but I’m a full-time mom. ❤️ I’ll take more photos when I get...