DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Charleston Airport

The restaurant sent my meal to the room quickly, and it was delicious. My room was comfortable and quiet, too. I made two trips to Charleston and stayed here both times in the past week. The front desk staff welcomed me warmly each visit, and the employees were all very friendly.

Cleanliness was excellent in the room, bathroom, and common areas, and the staff were friendly. The coffee counter was a nice finish to the stay: the Starbucks barista was very welcoming, and there’s a Starbucks setup where many hotels would have a bar. Checkout was quick and informal. Nobody was at the desk, so I left my key. I arrived just before midnight for a one-night work trip and got a plastic key at the front desk without any trouble. The staff were very helpful, and the warm DoubleTree cookie lived up to the hype. I took the elevator to the fourth floor. My room was a bit of a walk from it, but not unreasonable. A booking mistake put me in an accessible room, which made things a little different. Inside the door was a foyer light, then a very spacious accessible bathroom on the left. Farther in, the closet had a luggage rack, safe, ironing board, a nice iron, and lots of hangers. There were two beds and several lights: between the beds, on the desk, behind an upholstered chair, and near the desk area. A wall switch by the beds didn’t seem to control anything. The room also had a full-length mirror, chest of drawers with a large TV, desk and office chair, plus a small cabinet with a refrigerator, microwave, Cuisinart coffee maker for filter packs rather than pods, ice bucket, and glassware. Outlets worked but were limited. There were regular AC outlets between the beds, two more AC outlets and two USB ports on the clock radio, and AC outlets on the desk lamp. More AC outlets were by the closet and in the bathroom. There were only two USB ports total, so bring adapters. The real eyesore was the office chair. Its faux leather was torn open with foam showing, and it looked like something for a dumpster, not a guest room. The stay was clean and comfortable, with friendly staff, good coffee, and that warm cookie, but the badly damaged chair needs replacing.

The lobby is lovely and relaxing, especially in the evening, but it wasn’t enough to keep me there. I left early the next morning instead of finishing my three-night stay. Getting checked in was a mess. Even with a confirmed booking, they didn’t have the room type I’d reserved and made no effort to fix it. The front desk acted like it was just too bad. They also claimed my credit card authorization form wasn’t on file, then asked if I wanted to come behind the desk to look at their computer. Five minutes later, they found it. No apology. The property felt worn out and overdue for renovation. My room smelled of old cigarette smoke, and air freshener couldn’t hide it. The elevator took ages to get to the fourth floor, if it did at all. The pillows were flat and lumpy at once, and comfortable sleep wasn’t an option. They also charged $16 to park in an open, unsecured lot, so I was paying extra while worrying about my car. Poor service, tired facilities, and questionable value made for a frustrating stay. I wouldn’t return even if it were free.

It was fine otherwise, but the shower took about 20 minutes to get even close to hot. The building is right off I-26, so I wouldn’t choose it for a quiet stay. Front desk staff didn’t acknowledge me when I came in or walked right past the desk. Parking costs about $15 a day even though the lot was around half empty.