Best Luxury Hotels in Historic District

Right in the heart of one of the USA’s most charming cities, quietly sitting centre stage, is the Palmetto Hotel, an understated boutique hotel that perfectly captures Charleston’s character. The 45-room hotel, including a 1,500 sqm penthouse, boasts warm Southern hospitality and thoughtfully designed interiors that are as beautiful as they are practical. Along with its chic guest rooms, guests can enjoy the lobby-bar, which showcases elegant finishings, custom design features and a truly considered cocktail menu with the best-ever Espresso Martini – as Ruchika, one of our trusted contributors, discovered on her recent stay. The hotel is in the historic district of the city with convenient access to many restaurants and bars. Bicycles can be hired from the hotel for those wishing to explore on two wheels, and valet parking is available for guests travelling by car.

This mid-century modernist construction overlooking Marion Square was once the L. Mendel Rivers Federal Building, first commissioned by President Kennedy back in the 1960s. It became The Dewberry in 2016, forming 154 ADA compliant bedrooms and suites. Each boasts custom-designed Stickley armoires with the hotel brand’s own botanical pattern, works by Charleston-based artists, a curated selection of books, lighting from the local Urban Electric Co. and bathrooms wrapped in Danby, Vermont marble. A lobby, spa, Living Room, Citrus rooftop bar and Henrietta’s brasserie restaurant, make up the public spaces.

The Charleston-based Bennett family are behind this grande dame of a hotel that reflects Charleston’s elegant and graceful nature. Hotel Bennett is refined and showcases intricate European-inspired architecture, and southern hospitality. There are 179 modern bedrooms and suites and guests who book the Kings Club can enjoy access to the private lounge and veranda along with many other complimentary enhancements during their stay. All guests have access to the rooftop pool where private cabanas can be rented and the fitness centre is open 24/7. Personalised treatments and relaxation can be enjoyed at the hotel’s spa and there are a variety of seasonal events hosted at the hotel. There is an excellent choice of dining options including the Fiat Lux rooftop bar and the Art Deco-inspired Camellias bar, the two-tiered Gabrielle restaurant focussing on the coast’s seafood and La Pâtisserie, paying homage to the city’s European connections. A ‘business casual’ dress-code policy does apply so we recommend checking this with the hotel at time of booking.

Dating back to the Gilded Age, this was once the private home of wealthy cotton merchant Francis Silas Rodgers and his 14-strong family (plus 24 servants). Built in the Second Empire style by architect Daniel G. Waynes, it has a rooftop cupola and spans 24,000-square-feet over four floors. Now a boutique hotel, it has 50 bedrooms, some of which have hot tubs for two and library nooks. Original features — including pocket doors with 19th century brass hardware, 14-foot ceilings, Tiffany windows, hand-carved moulding and marble fireplaces — are everywhere making it a veritable sweetie shop for fans of period residences. The stables have been repurposed as a luxe spa and the carriage house as a restaurant.

Art lovers will revel in the Grand Bohemian Gallery, a key feature of this trendy hotel. The elegant white four-storey property was completed in 2014, incorporating a light-filled lobby with a pink chandelier and a soaring ceiling. 50 bedrooms have an eclectic decor, with French vintage style headboards upholstered with a bold, mustard-coloured crushed velvet and colourful arty cushions, plus LUSH products in the marble bathrooms. Public spaces blend European glamour with a more rustic vibe (think exposed brick walls and wooden beams). While outside, there’s a snazzy rooftop bar and a cute ground-floor seating area for charming morning coffees.