John Rutledge House Inn — Hotel in Charleston

We stayed at the John Rutledge House for a few days. I really wish I could give a better review but for $450 a night we expected way more than what this property offered. First I will say that Margo and Jim the concierge were helpful and friendly. Although Margo did steer us in a very wrong direction for dinner one night at Eli's table. It was really bad. Not sure if there is a kick back for recommending this place, but it was empty every night. The flowers in the property were very pretty. Our room was large and the bed was comfortable but the furniture in our room and in the common areas were old and stained. The bathroom was nice but the glass door was covered with soap scum at the bottom. Historic does not have to mean dirty. The way they serve breakfast is odd but no big deal so we thought. Our breakfast was served ice cold each day. The oatmeal was bland and had no accompaniment like raisins or brown sugar. French toast was served ice-cold, shrimp and grits was probably the worst I had and it too served ice-cold as was the sausage and bacon. The sheets on our bed were paper thin and I could see the Tempur-Pedic name of the mattress through the bottom sheets. My sheet had a hole in it. When I lay down to go to sleep I noticed that the table in between our beds was literally covered with dust. We noticed on the day before we were to leave that the food rating for the property was only a C as it is displayed in the vestibule. A C rating means Needs Significant Improvement. We checked the South Carolina food Service website to see if this was possibly an old rating and we noticed that at the beginning of April they had a B rating and two days before we arrived it dropped to a C rating status. That was extremely disconcerting. My friend and I travel extensively and have stayed in a few bed and breakfasts and this is one of the most disappointing stays I have ever had especially for the...

We enjoyed some of the amenities at the inn including option to have breakfast in the room, afternoon tea/drinks, and the birthday surprise gift. But, for the amount of money I spent (over $800 for 2 nights), it really fell short. First, the breakfast was incredible bland, basic, and not great tasting. Our biscuits were hard as a rock, clearly not fresh. Second, in the first night there, we were told that the AC had been turned off in the previous days due to the hurricane, and to wait for it to reach the desired temperature, and well it never did, we slept in 78 degrees, and had to move rooms the second night (found out the AC compressor was broken and it was never checked before they offered that room). We were told that we should have contacted the concierge, well, we did in the first evening and were told to wait for it to come down, and then at midnight, when we realized it was not coming down, we did not feel like moving all of our stuff so late in the night. Third, the afternoon tea time food had only desserts in the second day, wish they had a savory option. Furthermore, when we moved to the second room, its bathroom especially, and the shower had hair all over it, and we called cleaning service to come clean it, and still left half of the hair throughout the shower area. I watched her just spray something on the shower and let running water go throughout. The cleanliness of both rooms was not what it should be for a small BnB at this price point. Also, one of the concierge's Jim was very obnoxious and just drained all of our energy. Lastly, I thought we were going to receive a partial refund for the trouble of having to sleep in a hot room and move to a different room, but it was never offered. I would not recommend this place for the price point, look elsewhere at other charming inns. Very...

If I had to choose one word to describe my stay at the John Rutledge House Inn, it would still be phenomenal — even after stays in New York, London, Budapest, and many other world-class destinations, nothing has topped the warmth, elegance, and exceptional service I received here.||From the moment I stepped into this stunning Georgian-style home, built before the American Revolution, I was greeted with genuine joy and care... especially from Nicole, who went above and beyond to make sure my stay was nothing short of perfect. Every member of the team radiated professionalism and kindness, and it made a lasting impression on me.|||Maria, the chef, prepared the best poached eggs I’ve ever had. Nicole, made sure every gluten-free detail, from breakfast to Tea Time, was beautifully taken care of, which meant so much. The nightcap service — offering brandy, port, or sherry in the evening — added a beautiful, old-world charm to my evenings.||My room was spotless and dust-free, and the turndown service and housekeeping were consistently top-tier. This is the kind of care that’s hard to find — the kind that makes you feel truly looked after.||The location is also ideal: just a few short blocks to the waterfront and perfectly positioned to explore Charleston’s historic district entirely on foot.||Even after visiting world-renowned destinations, the John Rutledge House Inn remains the gold standard. It has honestly ruined me for other hotels — and I can’t...