A new luxury hotel has opened in the heart of Charleston, South Carolina, and its manager, Salamander Hotels & Resorts, invited me down to check it out. While this was a complimentary stay (and therefore #sponsored), I’ll still give my honest opinion! The Hotel Bennett is a family owned property that was finally finished in early 2019 after a LONG building process, thanks to its location in historic Charleston, SC. While it is a new build, there are many touches that really ground it to the family who built it, as well as the city it lives in – you really can tell you’re in a gracious southern establishment, right from the get go. The service is impeccable and friendly, from start to finish, and the locals definitely seem to be embracing its public spaces.
The Location: The Bennett is located right on the corner of King Street (aka: shopping mecca) and Marion Square, making it ideally situated between the busier old town down towards the market (maybe a 15 minute walk maximum) and the hipper new part of upper King (closer to a 20 minute walk, depending on where you want to go). Marion square features a cute farmer’s market on certain days, and the wharf for visiting the Aquarium or going on a sail around the harbor is only 15 minutes away as well.
Rooms & Style: As you might expect, the overall feeling of the hotel is fairly traditional, but with a fresh, clean perspective. You will NOT feel like you’re staying at grandma’s house – even though paintings of family may feature in certain hallways. The palate is light and airy, and most rooms feature some sort of bookshelf feature. The entry is grand without being ostentatious, and there are murals throughout the hotel by a local artist that have a dreamy, pastel-like quality that just adds to the elegance. The standard rooms are not huge, to be honest, but they were incredibly comfortable. During one of my free hours I happily lounged on my in-room sofa, and it was really hard to get out of the comfy beds with their super soft sheets. (Seriously loved that bed!) They have integrated technology into the room, as the curtains, lights, and temperature can all be adjusted via your TV remote, and there were plenty of outlets accessible. I would not expect to do a bunch of business in the room, however, as there really isn’t a desk or work area to speak of. The bathrooms were pretty great – seemingly all marble with HUGE stand-alone soaker bathtubs and nice large showers. There are lots of suites and terrace options, and some of the terraces more than double the square footage of the rooms! Plus most of the terraces get get views out over Marion square and the city which is a nice bonus! (Note: somehow I took basically zero photos of the rooms, but you can see my room tour on my Instagram story highlights!)
I could not get over the lovely atrium past the entrance. 
These murals show Charleston’s past and present. 
The entry is a pretty swanky spot! 
The lobby bar is a spacious, comfortable, & elegant spot to chat. 
ONE example of a suite’s private terrace!
Amenities & Food: This is where the hotel REALLY shines, perhaps unsurprisingly given Charleston’s reputation. Firstly, a no-brainer for anyone choosing to stay here is to upgrade to the “King’s Club”. For a reasonable fee, any room type can add this amenity to their stay to receive free food and beverages basically all day long. The breakfast is no meager spread of stale pastries and blah fruit salad – no! We’re talking delicious hot grits, eggs in several styles, crispy bacon, PLUS scrumptious fresh pastries from the in-house French chef. Oh – and a full mimosa and bloody Mary bar. In the evening when we were up there we enjoyed wines, cocktails, and tasty desserts (also from the in-house French chef). You also get the services of a private concierge, AND you get access to the club-only terrace – a perfect spot for your own complimentary happy hour!
The afternoon spread at King’s club. 
The all-day coffee & soft drink station in King’s Club. 
Sunset views from the King’s Club terrace.
But that’s just the King’s club. There are four actual dining establishments there. La Patisserie downstairs is where the aforementioned French chef gets to show off his pastry-making for a great Starbucks-alternative (I had a banana & chocolate croissant that equals any Parisian croissant I’ve had!). For dinner, there’s the delicious and elegant Gabrielle where you can taste Chef Michael Sichel’s creations (a Top Chef alum, recently transplanted from Galatoire’s in New Orleans) – the menu is of course seasonal and features traditional Charlestonian dishes with a French & Cajun slant. (The escargot I had were DIVINE.) For afternoon tea, Camellia’s is a pink paradise of a champagne lounge – recent winner of “Most Instagrammable Restaurant in SC” from the Food Network. The tea selection was fine, but the savory & sweet bites were amazing. Again- a nice mix of Southern (think pimento cheese topped corn cakes) and French (amazing raspberry macarons)! Finally, for anytime, head up to the roof to swanky Fiat Lux, which was ALWAYS packed – great cocktails, gorgeous views, and we even had a private event up there with our own oyster shucker! Oh yeah – PLUS they have a roof-top heated pool with excellent shaded cabanas, and a top notch spa (which I did not get to sample, unfortunately). Please excuse the gratuitous food photos!
La Patisserie really maintains a French country cafe feeling. 
I didn’t even capture all the delicious pastries! 
The entry into Camellias. 
Our table setting (featuring original pink granite from the former building’s vault!). 
My tea and the savory treats! 
The sweet treats! 
LOOK at the wallpaper in the alcoves!! 
My sinful escargot dish at Gabrielle. 
Chef Michael came out to say hello! 
The “house” dessert, called a Camellia cake of course. 
Fresh oysters outside of Fiat Lux (for a private event, of course!) 
The pool!
I could go on, but hopefully I’ve tempted you to chose the Hotel Bennett for your next visit to Charleston. If I haven’t, maybe the fact that it was named one of the best new hotel openings by Departures magazine will help. Charleston is such an amazing city to visit after all!!