Hyatt Place Charleston/Historic District — Hotel in Charleston

LONG READ BUT WORTH IT

Chose this hotel because of the location and the closeness to all the local attractions. Also, was there to celebrate my 60th birthday. To say the staff is un attentive, rude and just unsympathetic is an understatement. We arrived on Saturday11/25 mid afternoon, we were greeted by the valet. They advised parking was 38 per day my husband gave them a 50 dollar bill and told them to keep the change. We finished the day by walking and dinner at a wonderful restaurant. The next day we had a full itinerary we text for the valet to bring the car as instructed. We were waiting for a very long time, we heard a loud boom. We all just looked at each other and said WOW that was loud. Within the next 10 minutes the valet pulls up in the new 2023 KIA Telluride and gets out as everything was fine. When we looked at the car we saw the entire passenger front destroyed. We were standing there in complete shock. We asked the Valet "What happened?" he replied we needed to talk to his manager and simply walked away from us with no explanation. The manager was already in the process of completing some paperwork. We went inside to inform the manager on duty of the hotel and were simply told" valet parking isn't affiliated with the hotel, we would need to deal with them". They didn't ask if we needed anything, if there was anything they could do to assist us. They had absolutely no regard for the situation. NONE! We spent the entire day attempting to notify our insurance company because the car was not able to be driven. The car sat out front of the hotel for hours waiting for a tow truck to take it to a KIA dealer in Charleston. Mind you we drove 5 hours from Salem,SC. So now the problem is how do we get home? We had to cancel all of the days activities to handle the situation. All the while siting in the lobby not 1 time did anyone approach us and see if there was anything they could do, apologize for the inconvenience absolutely nothing. They acted as if we didn't exist. The police did come and explain it was private property and all they could do was complete a report. The valet company PMC said there was nothing that they could do until at least Monday. We called left a voicemail and just received a generic email response today (11/29/23). I would like to mention that after the accident we watched the attendant continue to move cars back and forth. So now to find a rental car on a Sunday, that didn't happen. The officer did offer us a ride to pick up a rental if we could find one on a Sunday. We had to UBER on Monday morning to the nearest rental car company and pick up a VW to assure we could get around and get back home to Salem. Again, nothing from hotel staff, no concern at all. Upon, checking out I review our invoice and discover we were charged 38 per day for valet parking. I told the manager on duty they needed to remove the charges since they wrecked the car and we didn't have valet after that. I also, mentioned that we were told the hotel was not affiliated with the valet so why would they be charging me? She simply just looked at me with no response. I explained we gave the valet 50 when we initially arrived and they must have kept the money. She had the nerve to question me as if it were not the truth. My husband reiterated if the hotel isn't affiliated why were they billing us? So we are assuming the valets kept the 50 for themselves. There are so many things the hotel could have done to make this entire situation not as bad as it was but they did nothing. Our vacation was totally disrupted by the negligence and recklessness of a person that represents the Hyatt and we didn't even get an I'm sorry. When entrusting your valuables to an organization such as the Hyatt you would expect them to treat it with care and respect. I would also like to say that I called the corporate headquarters on 11/29/23 to file a complaint and they transferred me back to the hotel in Charleston. This situation is just unacceptable and will remain a big inconvenience. The estimate at this point is...

The room temperature was HOT. I had read previous reviews that mentioned this and I didn’t take it seriously. It was a real misstep on my part. I don’t hand out three star reviews lightly. I’ve wrestled with how to rate this hotel during my entire stay. So I made a pros and cons list to show why I think three stars is the right rating. Pros: Friendly staff - The morning staff was especially helpful and friendly. The evening staff barely looked up or acknowledged use when we were coming or going. The morning staff definitely carries the customer service for this location. Clean room - There was not any part of the room or bathroom that looked out of order with carpet vacuumed and windows/mirrors clean. The cleaning staff does a great job. Comfy bed - The mattress and pillows were very comfortable. I like a semi-firm bed and this place delivered to my satisfaction. Low noise level - I rate the noise level at below average. A few times we heard normal volume speaking as people were walking down the hall and some muffled voices from inside the room. The majority of the time was very average for a hotel. Convenient location - Almost all three stars are due to the location. Right on the free bus route meant we could walk to all the places on North King St in under 10 minutes and ride the bus down to the French Quarter and Battery for FREE! We were away from the high traffic areas but still centrally located to many shops and restaurants. This location was perfect. Cons: Hot Room - The thermostat never dropped below 73. No matter how many times we followed the instructions above the thermostat to lower the temperature it stayed between 73-76 degrees all three days were stayed. When I put my hand in front of the vents I could feel air blowing and it felt, well, mid 70’s. If you took a shower it would go up a degree or two because there is no vent in the bathroom. We had to keep the shades and blackout closed to maintain any sense of cool perception. I understand that for some people this is a perfect temperature and if that is you then this is the place for you! Also of note, a cold front came through the day we arrived so the high was never above the low 80’s and evenings were in the low 60’s. I can’t imagine if the temperature had remained in the usual late summer heat. The hot room was the difference between the three and four star rating. Mini fridge barely kept anything cold - It was good enough to keep our bottled water slightly cooler than room temperature. Nothing was cold when it stayed in there. I would not have kept any food in it for fear of bacteria growing. Dated and worn room - The room showed a lot of wear and tear. Carpet, furniture, wall paper, bathroom grout. All of it looked like it’s ready for an update. Something triggered allergies - As soon as we walked in we started sneezing. When we would leave the room our sinuses would clear right up. As soon as we entered the room we would sneeze again. I never found any visible mold or dust but something was happening that I just can’t explain. Weird smell in the hallway - Again, the property is dated and pets are welcome so some smells are explained. It wasn’t an overpowering smell but it was a slight head-tilt noting that something was definitely off. Neither pro nor con: Breakfast. I’m not a fan of the buffet style so I wouldn’t hold that against anyone. However there were plenty of options that were not buffet style with individual servings or covered. We enjoyed toast, cereal and oatmeal each day. The coffee was way too strong for my personal preference but there was plenty available all day. If you read this whole review please know that I struggled with this rating. This was my first stay with the Hyatt brand and I don’t have any previous stays to compare it to. I plan to be open to future stays and look forward to better...

STAYED HERE RECENTLY FOR 4 NIGHTS, HYATT LOYALIST, HONEST REVIEW

Just got back from the Hyatt Place, and wanted to leave my experience for others to consider.

The Good :

Location is great, right off on King, but far enough away where its quiet and you can sleep well Breakfast is one of the best I have had at a Hyatt Place / House. Full spread eggs, bacon, sausage, bagels, cereals, yogurts, fruits, etc. Truly great. Pour rooftop bar has great views

The Bad :

Service is non existent. Upon arrival, no greeting, no help with bags, not even a smile. We were traveling with a kid and lots of gear and some help from Valet or staff while we struggled and they stood there would have been nice. I saw other older folks struggling too. Was a weird sight to see at a hotel. Literal eye rolls from staff at times when we would ask for things. Others were nice, but in reality, service was on par with a Motel, not a Hyatt. Rooms were clean when we arrived, but they did not clean once in 4 days. We had to push on day 4 for cleaning so we could get towels and bathroom tissue. I have Hyatt status so our room was supposed to be cleaned daily. First day no show, second we were still getting ready and asked to come back, third no show, fourth we pushed for it. Pain in the a to have to worry about on vacation. Room blinds were torn and the bath shower liner had a lot of mold in it. Tub did not drain well so enjoy showering in 12 inches of water. Valet was an absolute nightmare. Valet is done by a separate company and tells you to call front desk to get car. Front desk doesn't communicate with them so you call and come down and it is still 20 minutes until your car is ready causing us to be late to numerous occasions. Every time we needed our car it took 20 minutes in the sweltering Southern Heat, not fun. They literally lost my keys on day 1, and that took about an hour to resolve while they called the previous worker to find out where he put them. They never helped with bags, or hustled to get our cars. When checking out to catch our flight, the Valet guy could clearly see we were in a rush and purposefully walked instead of hustled, literally threw my wife the keys, and had her get the car from across the lot. No help with bags when my wife stood there and he watched her load up 7 bags. Like, what??? They were over worked and under staffed and it would be better to just self park but we had a kid with gear so Valet was what we went with. Totally frustrating the whole time. Weird workers. Some of the workers were just weird / unprofessional. Besides chit chatting and joking and laughing while you wait to be helped one worker specifically threw my wife for a loop. When she went down to get coffee one time before breakfast opened, he told her they didn't have any yet and asked her if she wanted some of his from his cup he had in front of him. She replied no thanks and then he poured half of it into a cup and put it in front of her and told her to try it. She was really confused half awake and put the cup to her lips and pretended to sip. I think he was genuinely trying to be nice but this is the kind of under trained unprofessional staff you are dealing with on the daily. Overall just a weird situation and the staff here need serious help in customer service.

Overall, this is a 2 star hotel in service and experience in a 3 star hotel building. There is no way Hyatt should allow this type of behavior at one of their hotels. This is by far the worst Hyatt I have stayed in and I have stayed in dozens and many Place / House brands. Staying there made our trip more stressful, less enjoyable, and overall just put a damper on our visit to Charleston. Do not expect more than a roof over your head, hot water, and a nice breakfast here because...