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    Francis Marion Hotel

    3.6 (358 reviews)
    PriceyHotels
    Open Open 24 hours

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    Cindy S.

    This hotel is in a great location downtown. Near Marion park, convenient to shopping, and not too far from the Market. The king room was clean and the bed was comfortable. Front desk was efficient and the lobby is beautiful! Valet parking is expensive!! $40/night. That's a lot even with unlimited in/out privileges. That and the cost of the room did not necessarilly add to the the value of the stay. Overall I enjoyed my stay at this hotel.

    Lobby
    Rachel N.

    Overall, I liked the stay. It's in the perfect location near convenience stores, shops, restaurants, city market, theatres, etc.. There is a lot to do around here and it's all walkable! It's about 20 minutes from any beach like Folly, Sullivan's Island, and Isle of Palms. There is also a Starbucks and restaurant right in the hotel. The only thing I disliked was how small the bathrooms were. The toilet in my room seemed permanently discolored in the bowl which did gross me out.. I would give this place a 3.5 stars if I could!

    Room view
    Gail D.

    What a nice historical hotel. Great location, walkable to a lot of bars and restaurants. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Nice bar. Rooms were good size. The only drawback was the bathrooms are extremely small. I get that it's an old hotel so not much can be done about that. I would recommend.

    Room shower is a good size
    Joe S.

    Willard Scott would have loved the Francis Marion Hotel which turned 100 in 2024 when I was visiting Charleston. This hotel had the charm of an old hotel but didn't feel run down like some seem to do. The rooms were pretty spacious and I don't think I had anything special. My king room had lots of room which was nice. The bathroom was a tad small, but luckily the shower wasn't. I hate those tiny showers. Our company held a conference here so the Starbucks in the lobby was a welcome site, as was the on-site bar. The conference rooms were a bit oddly scattered, but probably made sense 100 years ago when they probably had lots of balls. I'm not sure how ADA compliant some of the facilities are, but they seemed to have enough elevators and such to get around, but with half floors, you may find wheelchair access as a challenge. The location was pretty good too, although it was my first time in Charleston so I don't know what I don't know. There's a cool cigar lounge a few doors down. Also, go get a slice of pizza at the pizza place across the street! It was a short walk to the market and plenty of other restaurants and bars.

    Sherry W.

    We enjoyed our stay at this historical hotel. Our room on the 5th floor was VERY quiet. The room is large and comes with a HUGE walk in closet. The bathroom is small. The a/c was quiet and kept the room cool. The staff was very friendly. They have a storage room for luggage if you need to leave it before room is ready. I like that they have morning coffee in the lobby and hot tea. In the afternoon they provide flavored water. The location is perfect for visiting all of historical Charleston. It is a few blocks from the University.

    Interior lobby
    Kyle R.

    I stayed here with a group for a conference and it was absolutely phenomenal. The service was really good, the room was spectacular, amazing and convenient location, and so historic. Very glad to be here and enjoy it.

    Lobby with old world grandeur
    Scarlett H.

    After check in, you receive a ghost story along with the room keys. In this day and age of new and modern lodging options, I found it a great pleasure to stay in a 100-year-old historic hotel. The spacious lobby is elegantly decorated with chandeliers and furniture reminiscent of the old South. The elevators have brass and wood panels. The rooms are also of traditional styles but comfortable. I had an ocean view room on the ninth floor (beware! They say the 10th floor is haunted! ;) overlooking the town square of the same name. I could see the harbor in the distance; the view was quite nice. Bathroom was very small - the toilet and the sink are likely the smallest I've seen, but functional. AC was a bit noisy but worked well. There we're peeling and worn off spots here and there in the room. Carpet was clean. Very helpful staff - warm and friendly; not rushed and patient. One gave me a short intro to the city and suggested a few things to do and how to use the free city bus (# 211) to tour around. Great location right in downtown Charleston; close to shooing and eateries. The Charleston Museum is a only block away. Overall a very pleasant stay. I especially like the on site restaurant, Swamp Fox, which I will write a separate review.

    Food was really good. Server was awesome! Highly recommend

    Went to this place with for dinner and it was awesome. I had the steak Diane and she didn't disappoint.

    Lia M.

    After staying at the Francis Marion for two nights, I see now why it was reasonably priced. While at one point it may have been a grand dame of Charleston hotels, it is no longer. Now it is old, worn, and desperately in need of updating. The staff was very friendly and helpful which I super appreciate. And the location couldn't be any better--right on King Street. But the rooms are tiny, dated, and poorly laid out. My room was not well cleaned, at all as evidenced by my pictures. I thought about discussing with management but figured that if the responsible party considered that level of cleanliness acceptable that it was a top-down, systemic problem and that speaking with management would not help. After all, the room passed inspection. Though the bed was clean and extremely comfortable, I still could not relax in my dirty, worn room. Also the HVAC unit was incredibly loud and I felt like I was going to get COVID from it, so I never used it, which also made my stay uncomfortable. The rooms are tiny which normally wouldn't be an issue but the poorly chosen furniture does not fit well into the room, making it difficult to navigate. The bathroom was tiny and they didn't even have a curved shower rod. I haven't stayed in a hotel with a shower curtain in years--I just figured most hotels had done away with them because of the ick factor and the look. I would never stay here again and recommend that you do not either. This hotel desperately needs renovations and a thorough cleaning.

    Sitting room adjacent to the sleeping quarters
    Nico B.

    I have very mixed feelings about my experience staying at the Francis Marion Hotel. While perfectly located in the French Quarter of historic Charleston, adjacent to the College of Charleston and Marion Square, I was left feeling my money was paying for location and not much else. My room had an interesting layout; long and narrow with a tiny bathroom flanked by a bedroom and a sitting room. Realistically, the suite was larger than most, but it was too segmented to really experience the space as a whole. As a solo traveler I spent most of my time in the sleeping room, not really feeling the benefit of the remaining space. The bathroom was comically small, but as an historic property, that is to be expected. I can't imagine any elderly guests, folks with mobility issues, or anyone triggered by spall spaces would do well in such a tiny space. The front desk staff seemed unusually apathetic, offering nothing more than the basic check-in/check-out procedures. The hotel lacked the warmth and charm I was expecting from a southern establishment in this price range. Perhaps my experience would have been different were I not traveling alone. It's difficult for me to leave such a lukewarm review of this historic hotel in enchanting Charleston, especially when I had such high expectations. The bed was extremely comfortable, the room had an excellent view, and the hotel is located across the street from a drug store with limited groceries and other conveniences. The hotel served its function, but I wasn't left with warm fuzzies or any desire to return,

    Hair from previous guest in shower
    Cameo D.

    I loved the historical features of the hotel and the customer service at the desk/door was excellent. But I still can't get over the fact that I don't think my room was properly cleaned. I found a few single strands of hair and my desk was sticky but i gave them grace. But then I found a wad of hair in the shower her couldn't have been missed. After asking several times, it took a full day to get removed. When they addressed it, the housekeeping supervisor grabbed toilet paper and wiped it away as if to show me I could have just done that. Then I mentioned my worry about it being properly cleaned and she asked her housekeeper to wipe everything down again. The housekeeper had a huge attitude about it and hastily grabbed her towel (not even sure it had anything on it) and "wiped" the shower down. I said thank you and the housekeeper didn't speak once.

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    Had a wonderful stray. Felt like going back in time with the grand lobby. great service, clean rooms. Breakfast was fantastic.

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    Ask the Community - Francis Marion Hotel

    Where can we park?

    Self parking is available at a city garage adjacent to the hotel, address 399 King Street. Self parking is $20 per night billed to your guestroom. Valet parking is $28 per night billed to your guestroom.

    View All 2 Questions

    Review Highlights - Francis Marion Hotel

    We had a gorgeous view of everything in Charleston: the bridge, water, Marion Square, King Street, everything!

    Mentioned in 17 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    We had the pleasure of spending 6 nights at the French Quarter Inn at the end of May / June…read more 2026. Given the length of our stay we upgraded to the King Junior Suite and found it to be a delightful room. The INN being central to the City Market and offers quick access to shops, restaurants and historic churches. We were able to use it as a base for walking to dinner each night 5 to minutes to the cities top restaurants, and exploring the city center. When our car was needed IAAM museum or plantation visit etc it was an easy ingress and egress location. Breakfast can be brought to your room or an expanded version is available in the lobby or a cute patio adjacent. We alternated to keep things fresh. Room was very clean and surprisingly very quiet for a central city. location. Staff pleasant engaging and helpful when needed. Turn down service at night. The hotel is fastidious about minor details all which lead to a wonderful stay. A Delightful Stay!

    Five stars don't cut it this place is incredible the attention to detail and service is an…read moreexcellent example of what any hotel should strive to emulate. Every staff member is friendly and professional, the hospitality is just next level breakfast served to the room every morning, wine and cheese hour, milk and cookies at night. Turn down service with little details that just make you smile. There is also complementary bike rentals, a pillow menu and so much more. Visit the hotel bar ! The bartender Bob is one of the best I've encountered! I wouldn't stay anywhere else on future visits to Charleston!

    The Loutrel

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    You're only as strong as your weakest link…read more I've stayed in many hotels for both work and personal travel. The nice amenities, decent gym and friendly staff are what creates the environment for a pleasant experience. Two of these were met and the friendly staff, was mostly there. . .but one sour apple truly changed the course of our stay. Even my wife, who worked once upon a time in hospitality at Kiawah Resort, was started by the interactions from The Loutrel Hotel staff member. Long story short. The daily complimentary breakfast was served. I accidentally went to place the granola lid on the yogurt, my wife told me that was the wrong lid and I went to correct. From across the room the breakfast attendant yelled, "sir that doesn't go there." Startled, I immediately removed it and placed it accordingly. I laughed it off. Moments later I went to sit my breakfast down where my drink was located. Same attendant, "you're not even sitting at the right table with your wife." Again, my error, but don't call me out twice in one morning. It's a small lobby, so many staff members overheard the interaction. Nothing was done by other management. The next morning, I walked down to look at breakfast. I saw the same attendant and said, good morning. She looked at me but wasn't pleasant in her response. Unlike the rest of her colleagues at the restaurant who are polite and kind, the same customer service I expect and provide to my customers. Breakfast offered salmon with some type of eggs or shellfish. I can't eat shellfish, allergic. So, I went to grab a biscuit at a local coffee shop and a coffee. We came back to the hotel and sat our food down. The same rude attendant came over, nudged my wife in her back and said, "you can't have this here, cross contamination." So, I left. Allowed my wife to eat her yogurt in the area. Funny enough, my wife asked where the utensils were, because every table had them. Same attendant rudely, pointed to another table for her to get them. I should have just sat down and ate my food as I didn't see any signs for "no outside food." Either way, stay somewhere else. It's unfortunate that a hotel like this allows such rudeness from a staff member. I did report this to the manager, and online but was met with more passivity. Comped two nights of valet. Honestly, it wasn't enough. I would never stay here again and it ended the trip on such a sour note.

    This hotel lobby room is very cool. They have the massive couch swing with very decorative art hung…read moreup throughout the room. We went here as part of a dirty martini tour and had the pickle martini. Not the biggest fan of the pickle martini as I'd rather have the olives but it was cool to try something different. Ask them about the martini passport to get 50% drinks the next time you visit

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    Hotel claims to be "PET FRIENDLY ", that was the reason I booked it because I have a cat. When I…read morearrived (traveling by car from NYC to Miami, doing 1 night stop in Charleston) totally exhausted and reasu for spme rest, hotel says: " we don't allow cats, only dogs." (Which they don't mention on booking.com) Total scam. Manager was absolutely obnoxious, passive agressive and careless, had audacity to say: "don't worry , we won't charge you for cancelation" It was 6pm on Saturday, we had to scramble to find a room at a real pet friendly hotel. Took us 1.5hrs and hundreds of dollars because of last minute booking. Luckily there are much better options in Charleston.

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    My wife had major surgery at MUSC and was recovering well but could not get any rest. She was…read moresupposed to be in the hospital for 7-10 days but after 4 days she had made very good progress. She discussed leaving the hospital but staying close by, since we live 2 hours away. Her Dr reviewed her latest labs and told her if she stayed close he would discharge her. Immediately we looked into what hotels in Charleston had the most comfortable beds since she would have to stay in bed most of the day. Several came up but we had not stayed at the Dewberry before and our research said they had very comfortable beds, so we decided to book our 4 day stay. We could not have chosen a better place to visit. Sure this mid century modern hotel sits in a prime location in downtown Charleston, is gorgeous with an elegant atmosphere and beautiful roof top Bar, The Citrus Club, but ALL of their staff are exceptional and made us feel like royalty. I cannot remover all the names but Maria and Suzy at the front desk, Roxana and Maria in Housekeeping, along with the Valet and restaurant staff we so welcoming and accommodating. Oh and the rooms and beds were SO comfortable and luxurious!!! We are already planning a trip when my wife is better to enjoy all the Dewberry has to offer again! I cannot thank the Dewberry and it's amazing staff enough for going out of their way to help my wife be comfortable while healing and doing everything they could for us!! THANK YOU!!!

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    Great stay, perfect location with on-site parking professional and kind staff at front desk and…read moreoutside attendants. Extremely comfortable bed and perfect noise control. Complimentary 24 hr coffee, daily breakfast and water are a bonuses.

    Francis Marion Hotel - hotels - Updated August 2026

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