The Starlight Motor Inn — Hotel in North Charleston

Delightful stay in North Charleston. The entire property appears very well maintained for both the hotel and cottages. All areas are clean, free of debris, neat and orderly. Updates and upgrades are done well. Shows how this hotel probably looked when it first opened. Friendly staff and quick responses to text messages and emails. Late check-out was easily accommodated with early warning. Instructions were clear, concise and timely. As a golden oldie myself, the attention to detail for this era is the perfect mix of “vintage feel” and modern conveniences. Parking is ample and marked to accommodate current car standards. The cottages are a little village unto themselves. Area might even be a great wedding or reunion location. The trees are lit with wired lighting and giving a cozy atmosphere to the cottage village. Parking in the cottage area is a pea-gravel. Review for Hemingway Cottage only. Two bedrooms, two full baths. Cottage is beautifully renovated, keeping its historic charm while integrating modern updates. Parking was available directly next to the unit. Galley kitchen has everything you need for a short or long stay. Marble or granite countertop, gas oven with vent. Counter dining seating for 4. Pull down faucet with full size sink. Full size fridge and freezer, 2 coffee makers, toaster, microwave, dishwasher and pots/pans/dishes/utensils available for use. There is an apartment sized washer and dryer available. The unit was supplied with essentials such as dishwashing soap, sponge, garbage bags, dishwasher pods, coffee pods and cream/sugar. Living room was comfortable and conducive to visiting and entertainment. Seating is soft and comfortable. Big screen TV available in the living area, but set up to enjoy conversations as much as the TV. TV allowed you to utilize pay services including Netflix, Brit Box, Prime Video and Disney+. Wi-Fi was also available and provided prior to arrival. As a real estate agent, I can assure any visitor that the updates made to the cottages were done with care and detail. The mix of new and old styles was done very well. Vintage type wallpaper is in the main bedroom which boasts a king sized bed with individual lighting at each night stand. The bed was firm, rather than soft and pillowy, but I actually slept very well. Linens were adequate for warmth and comfort as well as aesthetically pleasing. Towels, washcloths and hand towels were stocked for a short stay and accommodating the maximum of 4 people. Ceiling fan and light were driven by switches rather than pull cords. Heating and air is centralized and is definitely an appreciated convenience. Visit in winter showed that the living room and kitchen area was colder with the blinds up than down. Windows are historically correct so that’s single pane windows. Windows do open so you can enjoy the fresh air. This cottage did not have an open area for entertainment, but there are other cottages with outdoor entertainment areas. Bedrooms were warmer than the living room/kitchen area. There were charming and vintage looking curtains for the windows which assisted with holding the heat inside. Bathrooms are fully renovated with new tile, but giving that charming cottage look and feel. Soap, shampoo and conditioner were provided for the light traveler. Commodes worked well with that fine detail of having a brush and a plunger for those unexpected moments that come with good food, just in case. This was a GREAT stay for us. Definitely planning to stay here again. We stayed the weekend of January 11-12, 2025. Owners have done a really beautiful job with the updates. You will not be disappointed making your...

If I could give half stars, I'd give it 4.5, but alas I'm rounding down. Overall we had a positive experience here, but let's start from the beginning. On a whim and just a few days in advance, my partner decided to ease the FL to NC car ride home with a 1 night sojourn in Charleston, a city we used to visit much more frequently. She already had Starlight in mind, as she saw it on an episode of Southern Charmed, selling it to me as newly renovated, mid century themed, with a nice pool, and significantly cheaper for the night we needed it then all other options, free parking (which saves $30 minimum) with the only down side being it "isnt in the best of areas". I respond, "How bad can it be? I mean, what is it, in North Charleston?".

So I'll start with the positives; the room was nicely renovated and very clean. The shower was very good, better then the shower in our suite in the Andez a few nights prior. Bed, firmly top 50 percentile. Pillows well above average. TV was quality, big, and centered to bed. White noise machine included with room. Pool was cute and pool area clean. Pool clubhouse was cool, but closed. The bar, which was closed on Sunday (when we were there) but you can still go up there to see it or sit, was crazy cool. Super faithful 1950s design, I'd even say it's worth the drive out there to have a drink if you're staying in Charleston proper and they're open. They could have filmed a scene of Mad Men in there with zero modifications.

Now for the sticking point; location. For those who dont know, theres Charleston, which conjures up images of garden parties in seersucker with a mint julep in hand, than there's North Charleston, a different town entirely which has more in common with Baltimore than the prepster mecca it shares a name with, and resides in proximity to. Bless my partners heart, she did not know this. As I work in public safety, and have my CCW, drug addicted, schizophrenic homeless people roaming freely don't really scare me, so I didn't protest as we approached, but she wondered out loud what she got us in to. That said, my car wasn't broken in to, they had security on site (nice guy, i saw him around making his presence known), and an Uber to and from Meeting st was $10 and $15 respectively. A gated parking lot would have eased my mind, as a dude pulled up around midnight while I was outside smoking and offered drugs in exchange for an, uh, how do I put this....an "adult encounter" with me and my partner. I declined. The only other thing that made me grumpy was a request for an hour late check out (check out is 11) was countered with an offer of $40 til 1400. I again declined. Maybe my grumpiness was unwarranted, but having status with many of the big boy chains means that request is usually met with a smile and "Of course you can Mr. Elite Platinum!", and I just wasn't used to hearing what amounted to "No". So there you have it, good bad and ugly. Star deducted for location, bar being closed, and entire check in process being handled without a single face to face with a human (no one was working the desk at all and I'm old school, I like interactions with human beings). Would I stay again? I'm not sure. Should you stay? I can't answer that for you. But if you do, check out Rebel Taco right around the corner. Food and drinks are super dope, just...

Changing my review to one star given the disturbing/upsetting update I have. After posting my review late that night (June 19th) the next day while I was taking a meeting and packing up my stuff to leave I heard a playful knock at the door. I ignored, and given the door has no peep hole and as a female traveler in an unsafe area-- didn't want to open the curtains to the wall that's all windows. I heard the playful knock again and ignored figured the man had the wrong room (and the person did not introduce themselves as housekeeping or management nor did they have any article of clothing to show they worked on the property). Some time passed, then I hear the door unlock and the man enters my room. I immediately shut the door with my weight. The man goes "sorry! I just wanted to talk about your review I saw and see if your room needed cleaning.".

I genuinely have no words. But I can try to spell it out here. Approaching a customer regarding their review 12 hours after posting, and searching for their name (mind you this account has no last name for privacy/safety reasons) their room number, and door code to "talk" to them regarding their NEGATIVE review on your establishment is poor customer service in itself (maybe email next time) but OPENING AND ATTEMPTING TO ENTER THEiR ROOM TO TALK is highly aggressive and wildly inappropriate. Hell, even housekeeping doesn't do it like that. We left shortly after that paid for the long weekend but ended up in another hotel because of just how unsafe and uneasy this situation left us. I like to support small businesses, especially those that have taken the time, energy, and resources to restore and give life back into areas. I highly suggest a private security team to monitor the property and sensitivity/hospitality training to employees and using this situation to grow and learn.

**(Original Review) : We booked this for the holiday weekend and we are leaving after one night. Unfortunately, the neighborhood is not safe. Homeless people and those who were clearly intoxicated were roaming the property but at least cops were constantly around. Additionally, there is nothing around and not walkable. I know this is not the fault of the hotel but my warning to future travelers.

The rooms were nice, however had problems with the door locking... and with the unsafe neighborhood (and fully virtual check in) we had to leave. Additionally the mirror is lit perfectly for makeup but would not turn off... thus a bright light to keep us awake. I was really sad about all of this, I had...