Francis Marion Hotel, Charleston

The best night sleep I had on my whole vacation. Wake up to a beautiful view, walk to a great breakfast. Take your own walking tour of Charelston (follow a book from the gift shope) All in all a great place, very very nice.

I love history and for my birthday I was treated to a night in the presidential suite... if this is the BEST that they have to offer, they should close their doors. The room was HUGE, but the bathrooms were so small you could barely turn around. The carpets were terribly stained and threadbare, the wallpaper was peeling the the paint was chipped, windows dirty and ceiling stained, the fresh flowers in each bathroom were wilted and the tv remote did not work in the sitting area...when the toilet in the front room was flushed it made the toilet in the other bath explode, shooting water all over the bathroom. The conceriege was rude and front desk staff slow. Everyone at the desk was complaining. I would never consider staying here again and would advise everyone else not to either. There are so many other options, don't waste your money.

I booked this hotel based on the photos posted. It looked upscale. I'm not sure if the room photos posted for this hotel actually came from inside the hotel. The lobby was lovely. The room was horrendous. The wallpaper was peeling, the ceiling was stained, there was so much dust behind the nightstand (which was in plain view from the bed) that my allergies flared up. There was no threshold between the bathroom tile and the room carpeting and the carpet was all frayed. My husband stepped on an exposed carpet tack coming out of the bathroom. We checked into our room and were disappointed but we had a dinner reservation so we got ready and went to dinner. Upon returning to the hotel from dinner, we complained to the front desk. We were told that because we booked the room through Yahoo/Travelocity and had prepaid for the room, that they could do nothing for us. They told us we would have to complain to Yahoo. So, I called Yahoo from the room. Yahoo told me that because I had been checked into the room for four hours, they could do nothing for me. They said that if I had called immediately, they may have been able to find me another hotel. I had a dinner reservation; I did not have time to fool around schlepping around Charleston looking for another room. Overall, this was a very bad experience and I will probably not book a hotel using Yahoo/Travelocity again. I will certainly not return to The Francis Marion. Honestly, I could have stayed at a Motel 6 and had a nicer room (and saved myself $200). Bottom line, book another hotel.

Romm was not ready upon arrival Room very Plain, no views. Bathroom- was so tiny there was no room to get dressed. Tub and shower just awful/all the lamps did not work. Waited so long (2 mornings) for Breakfast at the Swamp fox restaurant that we ended up leaving before the hostess even achknowledged our presence. This while being the only folks on line. Twice the front desk failed to tell the parking attendants that we needed our car. Just a totally poor experience! I will never return....I would rather stay at a HO JO

I felt I owed this to Lucas and the rest of the staff at the Francis Marion. I spoke to the manager in person and explained my idea to stay there in a room with a view the night I popped the question. I'm a firm believer that when you rely on others you often get let down. Not this time! Lucas set me up in a great room that night. Yeah the bathroom and closet were'nt very spacious and the AC was not an issue (stayed in Feb.) but lets face facts here, brand new appointments are not what gives Charleston its charm. The hotel was not crowded while I stayed which probably helped the staff give more personal attention. Oh, and the room service breakfast could have been a little hotter. The cherry on top happened by chance, a great view of one of the last spans of the Grace bridge being blown up. Bottom line...maybe this place is like an amusement park, when overcrowded it will wear on your patience but when not.....a night I'll never forget!

I stayed there several years ago, and I found it to be very "Grand." Stately decor, very tastefully decorated rooms. Comfortable. Great Staff. I found that a visit to the lobby was quiet, comfortable, and a very pleasant place to sit and relax. I absolutely loved the hotel, and I give it top marks, but there was one little thing (or maybe not so little) that I didn't like. It's lack of parking. I had to park in a garage down the street. It made for a lot of walking and carrying luggage because the entry was jammed with traffic and other guests trying to get their luggae inside. I wasn't very comfortable with leaving my car elsewhere.

A brief chronicle of our Francis Marion experience for a regional conference of 405 persons: a reasssigned room, since the first one had sneakers near the entrance- snores that we heard confirmed that the sneakers were not part of the room package. The reassigned room was comparable and the registration staff honored our request not to be asigned to a lower floor (the hotel is in a main traffic area in central Charleston). The room was was small (with no sitting options other than the beds or desk chair), but comfortable- guests control their own level of AC/heat (we needed both because of temp. changes). The best things about the bathroom are the shower and towels; otherwise, it's the second bath of a 1940's rehabbed house. Staff are impervious to guest service- when 2 of 3 (VERY SLOW) elevators didn't work, hotel staff responded that the 3rd was tied up because of a move from the penthouse. Who are the customers -- people or furnishings? I (at age 61) walked from the mezzanine to floor 10. A family hauled their stroller to the 8th floor with infant in arms. Twice, we waited 20 minutes for checks in the main restaurant- which has the ambiance of an interstae chain eatery. There was no coffee set-up one day in the room. And, one day housekeeping left no face clothes. Oh, the best part-- leaving.The bell staff was very helpful and genuinely chatty. But, why would anyone choose the Francis Marion?

Overall aesthetically nice on the inside with the exception of the cramped bathroom and closet. The heat/ac unit was unreasonably loud in my opinion. The attached restaurant was a delicious plus. In addition, if you are in a hurry to get somewhere the elevators will drive you mad.

I had always wanted to stay here because of the hotel's history, but was very disappointed. Our first assigned room had a broken a/c. The second was very small and the bathroom was tiny to say the least. I suppose this comes with such an old building. The best things about it were the location and the bed was really comfortable. I was glad to stay there once, but will not again.