The Palmetto Hotel

Character and identity

A 45-room newcomer on East Bay, opened in March 2023, fronting the French Quarter in a five-storey brick-and-stucco build that slots neatly into Charleston's historic streetscape. The design language is Lowcountry luxe with a wink: Venetian plaster, Chippendale-style sofas, sweetgrass-basket sconces, hand-painted eyes peering from vintage china, palm-frond motifs and grass-cloth ceilings. All rooms are kings with French doors onto Juliette balconies overlooking cobblestone alleys. There's no restaurant or spa, but the lobby functions as a social living room, with arrival cocktails (a strawberry Pimm's twist), sweet tea and cornbread set out by day.

Who's it for

Bottom line

What defines a stay here is the lobby-as-living-room social register and the location: French Quarter on one side, waterfront a block east, and a dozen of Charleston's best restaurants and rooftops within a few minutes' walk. Book it if you want a design-forward urban base rather than a self-contained resort. Spring for the penthouse if the budget allows, or book a standard king and spend the savings on dinner next door.