DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Historic District

I guess it may depend a lot on on the room, but I liked my room (372) quite a bit. Corner suite, with nice views on the touristy district with horse-​drawn carriages and cruisers-​in-​port. After all the marketing for Hanks Seafood, I was pissed to discover that it wasn’t in the same building (it’s across the street) and that it was closed for lunch. So I never got to try it.
The lobby is delightful. The location is good, if a bit crowded when cruise ships are in town and tourists underfoot. Didn’t get to try the breakfast but it look solid.

I would have given it 5 stars but I feel their customer service fell short in one area. My lover and I stayed here recently. After a great dinner out we retired to our room for a vigorous round of lovemaking. Relaxing in post coital bliss, we decided we needed champagne and a cheese medley. Upon calling room service we were informed they could not deliver such service at 2:30am. Merde!
My paramour set out on foot to satisfy my urges. Unfortunately, it seems that all of Charleston is living in the Stone Age. Sacre bleu! When I stay at the Waldorf in New York I can order a goat in a tutu at 3am and they will deliver, with a complimentary cheese medley I might add! Welcome to the modern age Charleston!

I think the reviews were a wee bit harsh. I was floor level with the windows facing the streets. It was quiet and I had no disturbances. The bed comfy, staff helpful. The bath room is way too small but that’s not a big deal either as I am only here one night.

It’s centrally located to all the restaurants you want to eat at so you can walk everywhere from here. The horse buggy’s are right out front if you want to do that as well. The outdoor/​indoor market is within a block if you want to do that. I skip that because I’ve done it so many times and it’s touristy. I stay at this place always in the offseason because it’s worth it. After they reach $ 200 a night I’m out.
The rooms are nice and it’s what you’d expect with an older hotel. It’s Charleston so if you’re wondering… should I do it??? There are tons of boutique hotels within a couple blocks that will be $ 350 and offer more. This hotel gives you local for a decent price but if you’re expecting wine and cheese, rooftop bar or intimate situations this isn’t the place.
I’ve stayed at most of the hotels in Charleston and choose this one when I’m on business. It gives me access for a decent price.
Bottom line… if you’re looking for a clean, safe hotel that offers you a good spot this is the one.

In summary, had issues with room, roaches, and unhelpful staff. Please excuse any typos, I am submitting through my cell phone keypad.
We checked in late in the evening (9 pm ish) after our 5 hour drive and despite calling in and requesting a room upgrade at 4 pm and given an optimistic response (we are Diamond members, which requires over 60 nights a year, and room upgrades are a typical part of our experience) no upgrades were available. Certainly being upgraded is not a right– it is subject to availability, and we sealed our fate with a check in at 9 pm at a hotel that was totally booked. My thoughts are that a staff member who knows that a guest is desiring an upgrade early on will progress toward that request.
The pictue is the roach. I was the only one who saw it– If she would have seen the roach climbing that wall she would have FREAKED and would have insisted on checking out, but at 11 pm we just couldn’t pack up and find another hotel.
The initial contact was made by our bellhop/​valet dude, who was engaging, helpful, and pleasant. The front desk staff (I dealt with two of them) appeared to be students like our valet, but failed to have the customer service training to allow them to be capable of showing empathy nor the ability to correct any issues.
My second contact with the front desk was at check in, and no alternatives or apologies were given for the lack of an upgrade. No instructions were given for connecting to wifi, and some Honors tiers receive the high speed internet, which was neither mentioned or offered. No offering or describing how to use our free breakfast perk.
The tv wasnt working initially, and the bellhop offered to figure it out for us. He called downstairs and was successful in getting an engineer to come to the room, who promptly reprogrammed the tv for us and got it working.
The two pictures are of our friendly visitor, Mr. Roach. I promptly smashed him, but am now lying awake wondering if I should cover my snacks, not reuse my coffee cup, or put my toothbrush away. Why don’t we check out you ask? At 11 pm, to pick up and leave and find a quality hotel is a difficult task.
My third contact with the front desk is when I went down to discuss our desire for a mini fridge to be brought up to our room. My request was acknowledged, and I was promised one would be forthcoming.
An hour and a half later, I went back downstairs for my fourth contact with the front desk. There had been a shift change, and this young lady had no idea what I was talking about with regards to my fridge request. I had gone to the bell hop and gotten a lugage cart and took it to the front desk do that I could go to where ever they kept the mini fridges, willing to lug it myself. She called the valet to go look in some room, but none to be found. She then informed me that if I had a suite, a fridge would be standard. That made me feel better, not. So what does Hilton do when a fridge goes on the fritz? I assume that a customer is told «none available, you are SOL». I asked her to see if we could leave after only one night (we booked for two nights) and her response to me was that there would be a 50% penalty on my remaining night. I had knowledge that they are oversold on our 2^nd night by 3 rooms, so I told her that she should be happy to see us go since Hilton overbooked the hotel and shouldn’t charge us. She said that she couldn’t make that decision (Hilton and Mr GM take note: not empowering your employees to take corrective action is never a good thing) and she said only the GM could make those decisions. I asked her which of the 8 displayed business cards was his, and his card was conspicuously missing from the tiered stacks proudly on display. Did she offer to have him contact me? No. Did I have to ask what his name was and when he would be in? Yes. Did she offer to write his name and number down for me? No.
In summary, I don’t ever just call down to the front desk. I take the time to get on the elevator and get face to face to resolve any issues on person. So Tuesday morning, I met with Reggie to discuss my three unresolved issues– roaches, fridges, and upgrades. I shall keep you posted.
My first recommedation to the GM will be to send the Charleston SC Doubletree Hotel employees to take some Ritz Carlton training, wherevone learns to exceed expectations and to create lasting positive impressions.

We arrived at the Double Tree hotel at 11:00 on a Wednesday evening. We had a horrible experience with the hotel we had originally booked and left that place at 10:30 p.m. This was our 21^st wedding anniversary trip and we desperately wanted to stay in Charleston. We were there during Fashion Week and finding a hotel with rooms available was difficult. When we called to check for availability at the Double Tree we talked to Doug. He was so kind, helpful, courteous and accommodating. He held a room for us and promised the Double Tree would make sure we had a great anniversary trip. When we arrived Doug had left for the evening and Peter helped us. Peter seemed like he was waiting for our arrival, he was so welcoming and good to us. Lorenzo helped us with unloading our car and he was such a nice person. Maybe because our earlier experience was so horrible it made us appreciate the staff at the Double Tree more, but I think we would have thought they were exceptional no matter what. We stayed in a two-​story suite. It was clean and comfortable. On the evening of our anniversary we arrived back to our room after dinner and the Double Tree had delivered a complimentary chilled bottle of champagne. They promised to make sure we had a great anniversary trip and they delivered.

The location of the property is without a doubt the best, in the heart of the tourist action. Upon check in we pulled up outside the hotel and were told that we could only valet park at an additional fee. we had already paid a FEE when we booked, over $ 108 so I would have thought parking would be covered under that for 3 days. So add $ 32.50 a day for parking tipping the valet, and we are in for another $ 125. At the desk we were meet with an Issue about a cookie I simply asked if I could get a cookie for my daughter and wife as well, with an attitude I was given the other two cookies and left for the room. first impression was very nice size room, I like to have a sitting area and separate sleeping area, so good size! The view was of an alley and dumpsters. The water pressure is horrible and the bathroom tiny almost like an after thought like a small closet turned into a bathroom. Taking a shower the drain was so slow you were standing in water after about 1 min. The sheets were nice and clean, pillows comfortable and plentiful, The bed was like a hay wagon springy and lumpy. I was brushing my teeth on day 3 and a little roach starts crawling up the wall, I swatted the roach and it fell to the floor under the sink, where the carpet floor was filthy. I discreetly told the front desk and was told they could move me 2 doors down or come up and spray, so they sprayed and told me they would comp the parking, at least they were nice, as of now charging are still pending. I would give the total experience a single star but the location alone is worth another star so 2 stars. This place is full of potential with some simple updating and attention to detail and service it could be a 4 star place.

So disappointing!
I travel for work and stay at Hiltons whenever I can. This is not by any means the worst hotel I’ve been to, but it is not up to Doubletree standards.
Let me start with things the hotel can do nothing about. The location is awesome! Right next to the market and walkable to pretty much anything in town.
Now the rest. The lobby is beautifully decorated and the staff is very friendly. The breakfast is meager, however. Also, the bar in the evening was in the same area as the morning breakfast. Like they literally moved all the stuff off the table and pulled up some stools. It was bizarre.
The room was nice enough and clean. I ended up in a suite which was two levels, kind of cool. But the shower was unacceptable. The water basically dribbled out of the showerhead, no pressure at all.
Until they do some renovations, specifically regarding the shower, I will not be back. There are so many other options.

Dissatisfied. As a Hilton honors elite, I expect a clean room and a room with a view. My room had a view of a roof and balcony extended to the large air conditioning unit, overcoming all sounds in my room.
When I ask for a different room due to the view and noise of the AC unit, the huffy staffer snappishly states «sir what would you like me to do about it.»
First you can move me to a quiet room, second you can take your attitude and stuff it. What a wonderful way to be greeted on a quiet getaway.
Will not return

Great building, great location (next to the market) however the hotel itself is nothing special.
here for the night with wife and kids before heading out on a cruise.
5 – 10 minute walk to the cruise pier.
2 minute walk to Toast for breakfast — highly recommended.
The suites have a 2^nd floor yet the HVAC control is on the main level. Thus a significant difference in temp was experienced between the two floors. The rooms themselves were average, small cramped shower area. 2 stars.
UPDATE: post cruise, our entire gang walked back with bags in tow, left them with the bell hop/​valet before walking to breakfast. For this, they get 5 stars!
Overall — meh. It will do for a night but anything more, I would reconsider…

Ah, room 373. Inconveniently located behind the gym on the 3^rd floor, & certainly not between room 371 and 375, where any normal person would expect it. That way you can wander around looking for it until you go back down to the front desk and ask where it is.
Once inside, after realizing it is not a coat closet, you can focus on taking the coat hangers out of your actual closet to get the roaches off the top of the window box that holds the curtains, which is seemingly designed to have just a tiny enough crack on all sides to give roaches a nice roach sanctuary.
But really, this room is smaller than my bedroom in a NYC apartment.
In the morning, you will be awoken as your room literally shakes over and over again over the course of the hours from 6−9am. Is there a fight happening next door? Should you call the cops? Seems to irregular and non-​vocal to be a fight… no, that’s just the gym weights being slammed against the wall shared by your headboard as they are re-​racked! Why the hotel would arrange the gym in a fashion to disturb a room every morning and night, is beyond me.
Bonus complaint: when the sheets were changed the duvet had a brown sticky spot on it. What even was it? How wouldn’t you notice it since it’s in the middle of the duvet?
Perhaps the other rooms in this hotel are nice. But it makes no sense to have this terrible, cramped corner of this building be made into this excuse of a room.

Stayed here 2 years ago for Memorial Weekend. This place was a zoo but nonetheless it was because it was centrally located to all the fun stuff and its historic value that it had.
Good olé Southern hospitality was felt. First, my boyf called ahead of time to let them know we were celebrating a special weekend and if they can accommodate us with anything special.
At check-​in we learned we were upgraded to a suite. What a huge suite! Not only that but the hotel offered complimentary champagne and chocolate strawberries. I loved that the boyf thought that ahead of time, but it was nice that hotel management honored his request on such a busy weekend.
The décor was rather old but then again if you are staying at a place called Historic, what do you expect. You have to valet because of the location of the hotel. However, the valet was fast and we had no problem. Room service were always available and when I come back would have the boyf book this place again.

Wonderful hotel! The location was amazing — super convenient!
Our room was more like a suite — it was two floors and had a great sitting area, mini kitchen, and huge bedroom. The bed was comfy, TVs were nice and had a bunch of channels, the showers/​bathroom were clean and water pressure was good. The staff were very friendly; the front desk was beyond accommodating. The lobby was really nice and was a great place to take a load off. The only downside was the price but I would expect that for the location and the size of the rooms.

This hotel doesn’t even deserve 1 star. As a frequent traveler I’ve stayed in many hotels and this was one of the most disgusting establishments I’ve ever had to stay in. First off, as other reviewers have mentioned, this hotel has a HUGE COCKROACH problem and infestation. This building needs to be cleared out, cleaned and bombed by an exterminator. Hello board of health, this needs to be addressed! And they are charging over $ 330 per night! Ha!
Let me begin by saying my stay in Charelston was for work and the company booked our hotel rooms so therefore I was not paying for this stay out of my own pocket, thankfully. Although, what is important is that the work days were extremely early and long and included client dinners afterwards each night, therefore getting a good nights sleep was imperative.
When I came across the first batch of roaches they were babies, which I found very disconcerting and proceeded to go down to the front desk to complain. The guy at the front desk seemed unsurprised and bored with the complaint. He offered to spray my room the next am when I was out at work and I gave permission to do so. When I came back to the hotel the next night I confirmed with the front desk that my room had in fact been sprayed. When I got to my room and started to get ready for bed, low and behold there are bigger mid-​size cockroaches just chilling in the bathroom, on the sink counter where my toiletries were located, hanging out in the trash, racing around the carpet, ya know just a good old roach party going down in my room. I took photos (of course, although my phone camera just doesn’t do it justice) and immediately rushed downstairs to the front desk where I demanded to switch rooms. Once again, I was greeted with an almost bored and unaffected, not surprised employee who informed me that there were in fact no rooms available and that they were completely booked. Unbelievably, I exclaimed to him that he was basically telling me I would have to «sleep» with the roaches for tonight. He confirmed this and told me they could switch my room the following day. I was disgusted, angry, exhausted and freaked out all at the same time. I obviously didn’t get much sleep that night and was completely exhausted the next day at work which was a 14hr work day. When I returned the following night after the long day, they did in fact switch my room to another one on the same floor located right around the corner from the roach room! So laughable it was, they said that was what they had available after I shared my obvious displeasure in the turn of events. They didn’t really care. Obviously. And guess what?! The new room had cockroaches too! Wow, what a surprise!
Beware of staying in this hotel, especially on the third floor. Also worth mentioning: there were several black hairs I saw in both rooms, one on the pillow, several in the bathroom and shower. I have dark blond hair in case you’re wondering. Such a terrible experience, and I will never stay in a double tree ever again.

Location gets 5 stars. However I’ll NEVER stay at this hotel again. Please read on if you care about your accommodations, your money and how you are treated.
Layout of room and design off lower interior are. Ok, yeah, you get a cookie at check in. Big deal. That’s with every double tree. The big thing is location… you can’t beat it. The dining area is ok, and servers are very nice.
Issues:
–they act like scammers regarding their rates and other fees. They tell you at the reservation stage a rate, what’s included, then suddenly during your stay that story changes and they claim it’s a AAA rate though you never actually provided or were asked for AAA proof??? When you argue that they charged you crazy lodging fees and dining fees for what WAS free aka comped breakfast, they are rude at the front desk. VERY rude. Especially the guy Jason. He hung up on our party and become very defensive when the bill was questioned. They say that a person greatly defensive when posed a question is already admitting guilt. this hotel staff is shady.
–in room there is an ac unit in each room. It’s temperamental at best. One night woke up to 72 ° another 76° another 64°. Had maintenance here twice and one time was told. It was because they don’t change filters or clean vents enough.
–No water in rooms. They don’t offer at check in but when you realize this you call then they say you need to ask the desk for water when there. They don’t offer to bring to you. They tell you to come down to get it. I find that funny not because I feel entitled or am lazy but in hospitality services typically they’d offer giving you the options to come yourself!
–leaking faucets. Omg, how can they not fix this little random stuff? A new washer is all they need. I’ve had to listen to leaking faucets for days.
–I was on fifth floor, an honors member suite. It looked clean and tidy but I saw 3 bugs in 3 days in the hotel too close for my comfort. Two in my room and one in hotel hallway on another floor. They looked like roaches. It was enough to cause me to not sleep well. I did check bed but I still felt gross. I also had volleyed say they saw them in elevator and on 3^rd and fourth floor.
-$ 40 hotel tax per night? In addition to all the typical hotel taxes you would pay for lodging state etc? Strangely high.
–No shuttle service, no room service after like 7pm. No store on site for guests but when you go out to find store everything closes at Sun
you are stuck until the next day. You’d think they offer a cookie, ha ha!
–scent of water mildew as you enter rooms. what’s the deal? If they had water damage they’ve hidden it well. but the smell is coming from SOMEWHERE and I’m on fifth floor!
–alarm clock cubes… No led display that’s lit. We all had same issue. So it wasn’t just mine. So odd. Can’t see any info on the screen and you needed to unplug or that alarm hours off all hours. Also one of our room telephones had zero service. They said it was MY NOT HAVING THE LIGHT SWITCH ON. I’m like, no, it’s you not having working telephones.
Never had a stay like this in twenty years with a Hilton hotel. This place… Never again!

Fantastic hotel, great location, extremely clean establishment, and the best of the best southern hospitality. If anything is not right, the staff steps up to fix it promptly. Highly recommend for business, family, romantic, etc. Best stay I have had in a very very long time. Kudos to a well run hotel. A little bit more money than courtyard and WELL worth every extra penny.

A mixed bag. Definitely a 5 for location. You can use their valet (you pretty much have to use their valet to get parking) and walk everywhere in the French Quarter.
The service is marginal — not great, not bad (maybe a 3). We had a one bedroom suite. It was nice to have the extra space with a little kitchenette area. I recommend staying off the first floor. There is a lot of activity outside at night. It can be noisy.
The fitness center was OK. Nothing fancy, but adequate.
One thing that really bugged me was the lack of attention to the amenities in the room. The iron was missing, someone had left a toy in one of the drawers, and the safe was locked. A quality check of the rooms would be a key to improving the experience.

Stayed at this location in July of 2014 for a bachelor party. Hotel is in a nice location and pretty central to downtown. The front desk people were very nice. The highlight of our stay here was the delicious warm cookies that we received upon arrival. These where damn good cookies! We actually ended up buying a tin late one night after getting back.
The room was nice enough and clean. Whenever I travel I take a flashlight and do a thorough inspection of the mattress, headboard, etc. Until you do this you have no idea how dirty most hotels are. This place was definitely clean and I felt very comfortable sleeping on the mattress after finding absolutely nothing (zero sign of bed bugs).
The crowd at this hotel seemed to be the young/​party type. For a bachelor party, this place was great, but not sure this would be my top choice for a family. Can’t hold this against the hotel, but loud drunk people were disturbing some of the rooms.

I used some of my Hilton points and I’ve now stayed in this property twice. As parking in downtown Charleston can be a challenge, I’ve also taken advantage of their rather spendy Fantastic location that is right next to the City Market and with great access to the downtown area.
The first time, I had a bi-​level suite with a sitting room and wet bar downstairs and the bedroom area with bathroom upstairs. Very cozy, very quaint, and unexpected. If you’re not a stairs person, this might be a challenge. The second time, a standard suite with a sitting area with a separate bedroom area with closeable/​lockable doors.
In both cases, the rooms were relatively quiet from noise due to neighbors though at one point some inconsiderate folks were shouting in the hallway.
Valet parking is recommended. It’s $ 25/​day but you have unlimited in and out privileges and they also don’t seem to have an issue if you keep your car there for a few hours after the usual check-​out time.
The free breakfast was nothing special. You’ll be better off heading to one of the nearby restaurants for shrimp and grits, or biscuits and eggs.
Summary: Great location, good property, great staff.

Fantastic location. Nice rooms. Overpriced. Parking rip off.
It is next door to the slave market, where there are plenty of restaurants and bars. You can walk to King street where there are more restaurants and bars (and shopping if your girlfriend wants to do that). The hotel is nice, but it usually costs over $ 250/​night on weekends during the spring and summer. It’s not worth that much, but it’s a good $ 150/​night kind of place.
Beware the room service is expensive. It is not like regular room service. They have a partnership with Hank’s restaurant next door, so the food will come from there. You will spend at least $ 40 on dinner, no matter what you end up getting unless it’s a burger or an appetizer.
Internet access is super slow. If you are not a gold or diamond HH member you have to pay for it. Don’t unless you have no other choice. Think of slow dial up. It’s that bad.
Parking is valet only and it costs $ 22/​night. The valets park in the city garage around the corner. You can park there yourself for 15 bucks (or so I’m told).
Ask for room 305. It is larger than the regular ones and costs the same price. It has a huge window overlooking the courtyard.