Francis Marion The

Probably my favorite place to stay while in Charleston! It’s in the historic district and close to MUSC, it also has a Starbucks inside!

Not sure this is fair but I have to start by saying we were comped the suite because we won the Lowcountry Local First Golden Ticket and not till when we showed up did we know just how nice a suite we had. The Harbor View Suite. It was 1000 square feet of nice. 2 Bathrooms, separate bedroom, and kitchen. We were ecstatic. We had a cocktail party for some friends on night 1 and had plenty of room for 20 people. We had lots to bring up to the room and they were always right on top of things. We needed a vase for the flowers my wife brought. Got it. Then I showed with flowers for my wife and needed another vase. Got it. $ 22 a day to valet not bad and we used it the first night and parked elsewhere on night 2. They charged us for both and we said something and they quickly took off the bill and apologized profusely. The lobby is gorgeous! Fresh water, coffee, and plenty of sitting room. The location is phenomenal. Right in the center of all things Charleston. Upper Calhoun, Marion Square, nice walk to Market. Really can’t say enough. I checked the real cost and was surprised that it was not more expensive. The service, décor, and amenities were fantastic. Will recommend it highly to visitors to our area!

The Francis Marion is a grand historic Charleston hotel. Located right in the King Street shopping district, across the street from the Marion Square market and only a short walk from the Market and the Battery, the location is prime.
My cousin had her wedding at The Francis Marion two weeks ago, and we stayed here that Friday and Saturday night. Side note: they did a marvelous job with her wedding! The night we were there, The Francis Marion was also hosting a débutante ball and everything was upscale and beautiful.
My mom, dad, sister, and I all stayed in a room with two full beds. One star deducted because they did not have rooms with two queen beds. However, despite the small beds, the room was decorated tastefully and traditionally and offered plenty of space otherwise. The hotel was last renovated in the 90s and could perhaps use a few updates. Our bathroom was large enough to suit our needs, but some of the tile in the shower was chipped and the toilet was a bit dingy, clean but with scratched/​stained porcelain. Some of the couches in the grand lobby could also use replacement or at a minimum a good steam cleaning. Note: Breakfast and parking are not included, but both restaurants and a parking garage are located within the hotel.
The staff was pleasant and enjoyable with every encounter at every level. The overall ambiance of the historic hotel makes you feel a bit nostalgic and grand yourself. It was all very clean and comfortable, and I would not hesitate to stay there again, but maybe I expected a little more from The Francis Marion.

we stayed here since my aunt raved about the hotel. now it’s a nice hotel, it was awesome how they upgraded our room. most hotels if only staying a short amount of time especially during the week, should upgrade just in general. at least that’s my theory lol. anyway it’s a nice hotel but it’s just not exactly my taste, that’s just me though. I like modern, preferably Kimpton brand hotels (yes I know they aren’t in Charleston, just an example), but hey it’s always nice to try something new. our room was big since it was upgraded but yeah…
the bathroom door needs to be sanded down, it’s really not that difficult but I guess they haven’t done it. awesome upgraded room and comfortable bed but it’s annoying having to pull the door shut really hard to close it and then bust it open with your a**. really to get out you had to practically break out lol, or just not shut the door… I’m not a fan of having my hubs watch me pee so yeah… fun times with the door especially late at night and my hubs wakes up because it’s pretty loud pushing the door open after it had to be budged closed. again I’m a fan of modern hotels with doors that close properly… this is a quick fix really no idea why they haven’t done this.
the tv randomly shut off as we were watching a movie. no idea why lol. we both just started laughing… yeah hotels my aunt says to stay at… shoulda stayed at the Belmond one… def more my taste… but yea anyway so my hubs had to unplug the tv which I guess reset it and it went back on. annoying though right in the middle of a movie.
no pay movies… I’ve stayed at a few hotels that didn’t have this either but it really annoys me. we are that age where after a nice day out and dinner out, we wanna just hang out and watch a movie at the end of the night. I bet trainwreck would have been available too and I’ve been dying to see that… just would have been nice lol… but whatever we watched the outsiders on tv instead… still though I’ll always whine about any hotel not having this option lol.
overall outdated but nice hotel. fancy looking lobby. I wouldn’t stay here again but that’s just because the Belmond charleston palace seems much more like my taste (omg that grand staircase) but hey we came in November and wanted to save money. on top of my aunt raving about this place it made me go for this instead. It just really comes down to my taste not the hotel’s fault lol, even the annoying things I mentioned I wouldn’t say would stop us from staying here, it’s just I prefer cool modern brand newish hotels or at least recently renovated. though it was nice to stay somewhere different then we’d normally stay. it was clean, nice bathroom (minus the door issue) very comfy bed.
I think they just need to redo this place. Not sure why they haven’t. they can still keep their look and spruce it up. starting with the doors!

The hotel is absolutely beautiful and the staff is TOP NOTCH. From the welcome desk to the concierge to the service staff, they’re all awesome. All the catered meals (we were there for a conference) were DELICIOUS!!! The food was so good.
The rooms are a bit small, but that’s to be expected with an older hotel. Also the linens weren’t the MOST comfortable ever, but that’s not a deal breaker. The bed was super comfortable.
My only wish is that they would have had a mini-​fridge in the room… I was surprised they didn’t, to be honest.
I would definitely stay here again! Great views, great locations, overall great experience!

What a gorgeous hotel! Hubby and I were so impressed by the luxurious, old-​world feel of this place. Ornate beauty was everywhere we turned. Staff was friendly and helpful. Everything was clean and neat. Just a great place to spend a few nights’ vacation.
Having said that, and because I appreciate old things, I know some people do not. The rooms are pretty small. The bed takes up the majority of the space. Bathroom is super tiny and the toilet could use a renovation. Shower had old hardware and one of those rubber stoppers for the tub. But the furnishings were so nice and it was very comfy and cozy. I liked it very much. The only complaint — if you could call it that — was there were no plug-​ins near the bedside table. A lot of hotels nowadays have lamps with plug-​ins at their base, but I had to plug my phone in across the room. Granted, the «across the room» wasn’t that far away, but still.
Great location on King Street. I thought it was very convenient to shopping and restaurants. About a 20 minute walk to the waterfront if you are game. We would have no problems recommending this hotel to others.

We had a great experience in Charleston staying at this hotel. The staff was very friendly and we received a free upgrade on check in to a king suite. The room and facilities were great, with free coffee, water etc and the bed was extremely comfortable. We had a lovely view from our room and the location was perfect, central to everything and certainly no need for taxis /​ubers etc to get around. Altogether we thought it was great value for money and no complaints!