Planter’s Inn

Love this hotel & the staff is amazing. Especially Amanda! Thank you so much for making our first stay in Charleston a great one. We will be back!

What a fantastic hotel! I’ve been lucky enough to stay in a lot of amazing hotels in the last couple decades, including other Relais & Chateaux properties. The Planter’s Inn ranks very highly among those top hotels. The wonderful staff – from the valets to the front desk staff to the housekeeping ladies – made my wife and I feel at home during our three nights here. They were kind, courteous, and it felt like they genuinely wanted to go the extra mile to be friendly. This is in stark contrast to the stuffiness (almost a begrudging helpfulness) that I’ve experienced at some other fine establishments.
The room was as incredible as a room could be. A large space with a single small window overlooking the street outside. Well insulated, it stayed comfortably warm and despite being just above a highly traveled road, we didn’t hear much noise from the outside world. The king bed was the perfect firmness for us and the rest of the furnishings were equally comfortable. It is in the huge bathroom, however, that I have my only gripe about the Planter’s Inn – and boy is it a minor gripe. The sink drain was slow. There, I said it, the only thing wrong with our stay was a slow sink, and I’m sure if I had complained about it, they would have sent someone up to fix it. All in all, our stay here was exquisite and I wouldn’t hesitate to come back the next time we’re in Charleston. We even brought a couple of bears home with us.

One of my favorite hotels. The décor is beautiful. The rooms are beautifully decorated. There is definitely an air of southern hospitality. Our room #403 was on the top floor with a wrap around balcony. It overlooked the market and the church steeples could be seen. With a 4 poster bed, elaborate fireplace, a soaking tub and beautiful glass enclosed shower, you couldn’t have asked for more after a long day of travel. They not only have bath robes, slippers, lovely toiletries but a frig stocked with complimentary Planters Inn water. This room was one of their nicest rooms but I have stayed in other rooms here and they were all wonderful. This is a quiet, charming hotel in downtown Charleston. This is perfect for a romantic weekend or honeymoon.

This is an excellent hotel. As soon as we pulled up to the door, the valet was there ready to assist with luggage and to valet the car. The valet radioed the front desk to our arrival and our check in paper work was ready by the time we got to the front desk. The staff was very courteous and efficient. The front desk manager asked about our dinner plans for the weekend and then made a reservation for us at The Peninsula. Andre, the valet, was now ready with our luggage to show us to our room. From getting out of the car to getting into our room was a matter of minutes. The entire stay was great. The room was spacious and clean, the staff was very attentive and friendly. The Peninsula bar and the restaurant were also great. Again, the bartenders and servers were great at their jobs and friendly as well. I will definitely stay here again.

Great staff, location, rooms, linens and beds, with a clean historic, yet updated décor. Wish we had a longer stay! We will be back!
Andrea at the front desk was lovely and very helpful!

Just incredible hospitality. Period. Beautiful hotel. Clean rooms and courtyard was so nice. Fresh coffee all day everyday. Was like I was being waited on 24/​7, serious southern hospitality! Hotel is right on Main Street, walking distance to everything! Pull up to front entrance of building. Bell hops will greet you to take luggage and park your car! (I didn’t know where to park and ended up in employee parking– oops.)

Outstanding customer service! Our favorite place to stay in Charleston. Thank You Jake.

went here late April ’15 for Mariana’s BD and our 1 year anniversary. Room was beautiful and staff was extremely helpful. Centrally located in the heart of the historic district and within walking distance of everything we wanted to see in the downtown area

Great location to most of the sites in the downtown area. The room service was not good. requested hot water and tea bags delivered to the room. water was not hot. No decaf coffee available in the lobby in the morning. Tried to use hot water instead no one seems to be checking to make sure it was replenished. Asked the person at front desk to have some tea in the lobby during the day after 20 mins no one showed up.
Attention to detail is lacking for the prices charged for a room.

Took me awhile to sit down and write a review for this Relais & Chateaux property.
Shout out to the Manager who is FIVE stars. What a nice lovely gentleman who went above and beyond. He is an asset to this hotel and deserves whatever accolades can be bestowed upon him.
Shout in to the Owners who get negative stars for pulling the pet friendly policy the prior owners offered. In this day and age, there are those of us upscale travelers who enjoy traveling avec chien. Why in the world would you be so anti pets? It simply doesn’t make sense. The Carlyle in NYC welcomes them, for Heaven’s sake, as do many other upscale hotels around the country.
I did not like my room one bit. It was most definitely not like staying in a standard Relais & Chateaux. I could go on and on about it but I won’t. My initial bell man was also a joke. Again, not in line with the Relais & Chateaux ambiance.
Items that were in line with what Relais & Chateaux stands for, however, aside from the Manager, included the overnight desk clerk. This lovely lady had great energy and kindly found me some soy milk early in the morning with a pleasant, welcoming Southern charm. The afternoon tea/​coffee and cookies were delicious and made you feel as if you were being entertained in the parlor of an old charming southern plantation. And, the coconut cake found in the restaurant is actually trademarked and is A+++. You can easily take some to go and enjoy on the road.
The manager is most definitely THE standout of the hotel but if you are traveling with le chien, then try the Wentworth Mansion or the new Kimpton being built downtown.
It would not surprise me in the least bit if this place loses their Relais & Chateaux designation.

I hate to be picky, but I was really expecting more. Front staff was welcoming, and I commend the inn on their attentive hospitality. The room is where I felt disappointed, though. Unfortunately, I did not try their restaurant.
I stayed in a double queen room. The beds were turned down in the evening, and the sleep was impeccable. The armchairs were comfortable, but there was only one footrest. It also would have been nice to have slippers provided to wear down to the parlor, which is stately and stocked with cider, coffee, and «Carolina apples.» The apples are meh, like red delicious quality.
As for my nitty gritty complaints: There was a single window in the bedroom, which couldn’t sufficiently light the room naturally. The bathroom didn’t boast a luxurious bathtub as depicted on their website; it was a standard tub/​shower combo built into the wall. I honestly expected to be enjoying a bubble bath in a marble tub, as suggested by their distinguished reputation. The hand towel rack kept falling off the wall. And the full length mirror on the door clattered whenever it was opened. Moreover, the bathroom door hit anyone who was using the sink, which was illogically placed adjacent to the door despite a wide counter space.
Oh, and there were no orchids in the room as advertised in their pictures.

I had the pleasure to stay at the Planters Inn for three days in the beginning of July. This was my first visit to South Carolina and I must say I loved it. The Planters Inn is a lovely and quaint hotel oozing in southern charm. I have to tell you ladies that the Planters has the best looking male staff I have ever seen. Not only are they great to look at but they were so accommodating. The room was spacious, the bed large (I have to admit I have never slept in a bed so high off the ground), the sheets soft and inviting after a day exploring lovely Charleston. We enjoyed the continental breakfast during our stay which was elegant, no gas station muffins here. The service was top notch, everyone was pleasant, southern hospitality at its best.

Second stay in 3 years and again very enjoyable. Great staff and large rooms and bathrooms. Had breakfast in the room this morning with the family and it was perfect. Courtyard rooms may provide a little extra privacy but I did not find the outer room a problem. Close to market and high end shopping as well a number of very good restaurants. Will definitely stay here again in the future.

Although the hotel has nice lobby and helpful staff the location of the hotel is at a busy intersection. ask for a room overlooking courtyard, otherwise expect a noisy room. Even with earplugs I was up all night hearing people, cars, and trucks go by. Not the cleanest room found extra pillows in closet with a drool spot and the other had hair on it. Needless to say I will not be recommending this to friends.

Nice hotel in great location but for some reason charleston hotels feel no need to conduct any updates. Rooms have a great old school feel but could use some refresh in the actual room (new toilets and showers might be nice). Wallpaper and everything else could also use an update. Service is nice but most of staff has yet to graduate college.

Stayed here in November 2012 for a couple of days. Our company hosted our incentive trip in Charleston last year and we stayed at the Planter’s Inn — we had to have at least 15 – 20 rooms so I don’t even want to imagine what the bill looked like, but one can imagine.
The rooms themselves are fantastic — large, comfortable beds, nice TVs, decent bathrooms (some have jet tubs, which mine did), and über-​comfortable robes. As it was 50 and raining when we were there, coming back after a few hours of walking and soaking in a hot tub and wrapping up in a giant robe was pretty nice, let me tell you. And yeah, I’m a guy. ¿Problemo?
Location has to be pretty perfect. Right next to the market and down the street from a ton of food and shopping. If you’re looking for more finer dining, Planters Inn has the Peninsula Grill as well. Apparently the coconut pie is world famous, and better be for $ 11 a slice!
Anywho, I would love to stay here again but it’s a bit out of my price range. Need to travel on the company’s dime again!

Definitely pricey at $ 300+ a night but this is a fantastic little gem right in the heart of historic Charleston. Only a block away from shopping on Kings Street and immediately adjacent to the Market Street shops on Meeting Street, the hotel has it all. Home to the fabulous Peninsula Grill (you have to eat there, no ifs, ands, or you know whats). Also home to the Mercato next door (Italian and a nice bar). Just one block away from Toast, the best breakfast place in town and home to a fabulous tiny bar with a master mixologist as the bartender — Matt).
The service at the Planters Inn was impeccable. From the cleanliness of the rooms to the turndowns at night and the fluffy robes. Large bathrooms and oh so quiet. The bed was firm and perfect. A great place to spend three nights. The front end staff in this large inn were also responsive to every single wish. Couldn’t ask for more.

Great location but nothing particularly memorable about the hotel. It’s good quality yet nothing stands out.

Along with death and taxes, one of the sure things in life — at least to this point — had been the flawless pampering, albeit at a price, you could expect at a hotel or restaurant affiliated with Relais & Châteaux. In the last couple of years we’ve dined at Per Se, Daniel, and Eleven Madison. We’ve stayed and dined at The Inn at Little Washington, The Surrey, and Blantyre. The quality of product and service at each has been exemplary. Few, if any, nits to pick. So little did I expect to be doing my own troubleshooting for the Internet service at Planter’s Inn in Charleston.
Let me back up a bit. We just got back from a three-​night stay at the Planter’s Inn. On the whole, the experience was satisfactory. Our suite, #201, was nicely appointed and spacious. The hotel restaurant, The Peninsula Grill, provided us with one of the better meals of our trip and the housekeeping services were friendly and efficient. The bathroom was a bit under-​appointed and the television remote baffling, but these shortcomings were too trivial to rise even to the level of annoyances.
I’m not a good complainer. I’m just not good a being a squeaky wheel. When a hotel provides good service, very little squeaking elicits an adequate and immediate dose of grease. The first night at Planter’s Inn, I noticed that the wireless Internet in our room was all but useless. When I mentioned this to the front desk, they sent up a bellman (the same one who had parked our car and handled our luggage) who simply turned the wireless off then on again. When this did not improve things, he apologized, suggested I try the business center, took my $ 5 tip, and left.
Using the business center entailed going to the front desk, getting the key, going to the 4^th floor, doing the work, then returning the key back down to the front desk. Not a big deal, but not quite up to my R & C expectations. The hotel, after all, had done nothing to lessen the inconvenience of the experience. Perhaps the bellman could have offered to fetch the key for me, particularly as I had tipped him for a service that he shouldn’t have had to provide (one expects the wireless to work, after all) and that he had failed to repair.
When I returned the key to the front desk, I mentioned that the wireless on my laptop had worked just fine in the business center. In fact, all my devices seemed to work well everywhere in the hotel except in our room. I asked about the possibility of changing rooms. The receptionist to whom I spoke said he’d «look into availability.» I hesitated long enough to be sure that he wasn’t going to take care of this then and there and went back to the room expecting to hear from him. I’ll save you the suspense — the call never came. I didn’t ask again; remember, I just don’t do the squeaky wheel thing.
By our third night at the hotel, the amount of work I had to do online had accumulated to the point that this reluctant wheel was forced to squeak just a bit. I called the front desk and reminded them of the problem. They responded by giving me the toll-​free number of their Internet provider! Mind you, they didn’t volunteer to call the service themselves — they expected me to do it!
I wasn’t pleased, but I placed the call. Turns out, the number they gave me was the cell phone of an employee of the ISP. He gave me the correct number to call. I was on hold for exactly 17 minutes when we had to leave for our dinner reservation, so I left a message to call me back after 9:00. Of course that call never came. And had it come, I wouldn’t have expected it to do much good.
I really did find the service lapses shocking, given that this is a Relais & Chåteaux hotel. The staff was young and seemed inexperienced. For example, entering the hotel, the doormen would often be engaged in such intense conversation with each other I felt I was imposing by expecting them to open the door.
The next day we were off to a lovely B&B in Raleigh that I’ll review when I get the time. The wireless there worked flawlessly, even from our private hot tub! Ahhhhhh!

We had a wonderful stay at the Planter’s Inn, which can be expected of a Relaîs et Chateaux Hotel.
The hotel is located right in the heart of the historic Old Town, and is the perfect location to explore that part of town on foot. The high-​end shops are one block away, the horse-​drawn carriages are around the block (the hotel gave us tickets as part of our package) and the Market is right in front of the hotel. The hotel is surrounded by the nicest little stores, not touristy at all.
The hospitality and friendliness commences as soon as you pull up in front of the hotel. There is only standing room in front of the hotel, but the valet immediately opens your door, takes care of the luggage and then parks your car.
The hotel feels very safe as a key is needed to operate the elevator to go to the rooms. The room we had was very spacious and felt like home. It was very clean, was quiet despite being on a busy street and it looked good as well. The whole hotel had an old charm feel. Free wi-​fi was available throughout the hotel, including the rooms. It was a little slow and spotty, but it did the trick for me.
Breakfast was delicious, and can be a la carte or a $ 10 buffet. The buffet selection is not big, but it is of the highest quality. They have some amazing grits and sausage gravy, so definitely splurge on the a la carte choices. All the staff was extremely friendly and helpful, and checkout was a breeze.
The best part of the hotel is the restaurant, The Peninsula Grill. Be sure to make a reservation because this restaurant is the best in town, and you can tell by the fact that it is very busy. The food is delicious; and they serve the best Coconut Cake in the US. Often statements like those prove not to be true, but in this case it certainly was.
Charleston is one of the nicest cities I have been to recently, and I would love to go back. I would not hesitate to stay at the Planter’s Inn again.