Planters Inn — Hotel in Charleston

This review is based on price to what-you-get/expect ratio. Given all the accolades and awards of this "top hotel" I was expecting so so so much more. I do not expect to be able to get early check in but when I was told they would call if the room becomes available I expected a call. Left luggage with bellhop and told it would be taken to room when it becomes available. Walked around the city market for 3hrs, no call. Finally, checked in just after 3pm and they made it seem room had been ready for awhile. No complaints from me, just wanted to lie down after walking 3hrs. Only one slow elevator that would fit 4 adults w/ one piece of luggage each. Get to King Rm on 3rd floor and it smelled old, damp, and very mildewy. No luggage in room either. Called to complain of unbearable wetness odor. Another sign that room was available for early check in was response from front desk, "Oh with this rain and the room being unoccupied, just give it some time with the AC/fan on and should be okay in a bit." "Uh no. Come up here and smell for yourself. It will take days to get better. By the way, you said luggage was up in my room when I checked in. Where is it?" Arguing with me, as if I didn't already look in the closets, "Did you look everywhere first!?" "Of course I looked before telling you it's not here." The lady comes up and she agrees room was foul smelling and by that time I discovered small area of mold on ceiling, again, 3rd floor. To her credit, she apologized and moved me right away. Second sign that there were some rooms available before check in time, as she moved me right away by knowing which rooms were available and asking if I wanted to stay on 3rd floor. Get to my other room. Much better in terms of mustiness. Need a drink. Go get ice bucket. Opened it up and smelled like ash tray. The inside of bag too! I assume previous guest used it to store cigs?! Go back downstairs and complained and they got me new one. However, 3 front desk employees were there, one I was assuming was shift manager, but none apologized or even looked up to acknowledge me standing there waiting for new ice bucket. Finally, to the room. Nice enough. Overall bathroom nice. Big shower. Nice thick glass doors. But again, for the price point, I don't want to see poorly done plaster paint job behind toilet. Dust on edges. I don't want to deal w bathroom rug put directly in front of door so you can't open n close door wo moving said rug first. No fan in bathroom so after showers the floors are slick! Be careful! This is an old building, circa 1844, i get it. Again it goes back to the $:value/expectations ratio. Dehumidifier in hallways?? Low country after all. But the one on my floor wasn't emptied for close to 36hrs! What's the point?! I never saw the evening cookies or coffee. Either ran out or they didn't do. Fruit was just apples. Coffee and tea were good. Macarons were packaged, nothing exciting. The courtyard is beautiful but small. The coconut cake delivered to room for $15 includes tip is a must (twice 😁). The positive is that it is right next to city market n other shopping. But after that, what do u do. On day of check out, here's the service: "How was your stay?" "Meh, it was okay." Like he didn't even hear what I said, "okay, have a safe trip back." Really?! Not, " sorry it was just okay, can you explain why so we can fix this for your next trip or for our other guests?" For me, the price point did not meet expectations and hotel did not live up to "top hotel" designations. For the service, hotel, room, ameneties, I could get that at much lesser...

I made my reservation online and booked a Grand King based on the photos shown on the hotel’s website. The room, unfortunately, did not match those photos. The staff is excellent. Mike, the bellman who greeted us upon arrival, was extremely personable and very helpful. The room was extremely warm and humid when we entered upon arrival. It had a musty smell and the carpet felt damp. We called the front desk and they sent Mike the bellman up to us. He brought us a dehumidifier, which was certainly helpful and did reduce the humidity, but we had to keep it running all day to keep the humidity down. And it was LOUD even on the lowest setting. Hardly at 5 star experience. And the water container filled up to the top within 24 hours each day, which is an incredible amount of water for such a small space. I was the one who had to empty the water into the shower after carrying the very full container across the room. The air conditioning never reached the setting on the thermostat. It was always at least 2 degrees warmer than the set temperature. I did report this to the front desk and was told someone would take a look at it but it remained the same for the duration of our visit. There were also small spots/stains on the bedding. And 2 of the pillowcases has some sort of black marks on them. The two robes in the closet were mismatched, which I found very odd for a 5 star hotel. And I also now realized slippers were missing, after reading the room description once again. We stopped into Benne’s for breakfast and were anticipating having croissants. It was around 10am when we arrived and they were out of croissants. Disappointing. I popped in to grab a turkey club sandwich one day and, because I am allergic to avocado, asked if they could make me one without it. The answer was no, as all sandwiches are brought in pre-made from an outside vendor. Disappointing once again. I had to walk down the street to the Market Street Deli to get a sandwich. I have to be honest. I had dreamed of staying at the Planters Inn for years. My stay was less than I had hoped. For a Relais & Chateau property, the price of the room, the five star rating and the reputation of the Planters Inn, my expectations were appropriately high. The room I booked based on the photos shown online for the room type (Grand King), did not match. Our room was smaller, with one less window and a very cramped sitting area which was made even smaller by the addition of the dehumidifier that was necessarily added to the room in an attempt to keep the humidity and musty odor at bay. The bench shown in the photos was also absent. There was also no refrigerator in the room which surprised me. Will I return to Planters Inn? No. In an effort to be fair, I reached out to the hotel directly through their post-visit survey and shared exactly what I shared here before publishing this review. Their response was: "First and foremost, I truly appreciate the time you took to share with us how you felt about your experiences at the Planters Inn. Your feedback is extremely important and helpful. On behalf of myself and the entire staff, I apologize for these lapses in service. We strive for excellence in all aspects of the hotel. Clearly, many things fell short, leading to a less than perfect experience. I have shared your comments with my team. Thank you again for sharing your how you felt about your stay. If I may assist you in any way, you can reach me by phone at xxx." No other compensation...

I 100% recommend staying here—honestly, I looked at every hotel, VRBO, and Airbnb in downtown Charleston, and I swear this place is the best. I’ve seen a lot of charming spots, but Planters Inn takes the cake—and the antique furniture, silk drapes, multiple (probably handpainted) lamps, and four-poster bed make it feel like I stepped into a fancy history book. I think this hotel was built in the 1800s—back when hotels had HUGE guest rooms, before everyone started downsizing everything except their snacks.

Our room was decorated as elegantly as a rich grandma’s mansion - beautiful antique furniture, a cozy fireplace, and a rug that I didn't even trip over once. The bed was so comfy I debated never leaving, and no matter how enormous the room was, the AC was a champion that pumped out ice-cold air whenever I demanded it. There were also multiple books about Charleston’s history and local sights if you wanna do some last minute trip planning.

I think they use local artists when decorating the rooms, because our room had this beautiful handmade basket, and I saw the same one at the market across the street (but like 3x smaller) for $400. I guess Planters Inn has a decent basket-budget!. The room also had the expected modern perks like a flat-screen TV and a Nespresso machine, because, while I appreciate authenticity, I also appreciate caffeine.

The bathrooms were recently remodeled (hallelujah!), with powerful showers and soaps that smell so good I wanted to bottle them up and take them home. The staff? Top-notch. When I decided last-minute to extend my stay because I had a late flight the day of my departure, they happily let me book an extra half-day for half price—because nothing says luxury like sleeping late and still having a room until I had to leave for the airport.

And let’s not forget the pièce de résistance—every evening at 6 p.m. they serve homemade chocolate chip cookies that are so good, I debated just staying for cookies and pretending I was on a cookie tour of Charleston.

This hotel’s location? Perfect. No car needed—everything’s within walking distance. Too hot? No worries—there are bicycle rickshaw guys right outside, ready to turn your walk into an adventure.

I was so excited when I walked in to my room that I forgot to take photos for the review. But you get the gist. Plus there's a million photos that other people posted so use those, along with your brilliant imagination :)

P.S. - I booked the Charleston Premier King room, in case...