I lived in Charleston for a year and a half and stayed at the FM during my first trip back since moving away. I was in town for a conference, and although I had attended some conferences and other events at the FM before, it was my first time staying in the hotel as a guest. We get an awesome rate with my company at this hotel, so I jumped on top of this. I am not sure how much the rooms cost regularly, but for a short-term stay, I would pay a good deal to stay here mainly due to its central location. This is a great location downtown Charleston. You can walk mostly anywhere you want to go downtown, and the staff at the desk and the door are very good at helping you with directions and transportation. If you drive into town, be aware that the deck where you will park is not attached to the hotel...so although it is a short walk it is a a few doors down...on a busy street...so it may be best to leave your bags at the door before parking, or possibly valet. The elevators are "historic" so there aren't many of them, and they aren't extremely fast, but considering how old the hotel is, it's no surprise. The rooms aren't extremely fancy, but they are clean. Breakfast is tasty, and the desk staff is extremely professional. I thought I left my debit card in my room (ended up locating it in my purse) after checking out, and when I called the hotel to see if it had been located the response was prompt and the man with whom I spoke was genuinely concerned. Relative to the other hotels in the area, it's pricey, but if you have some money to burn and want to stay somewhere historic...it's a good pick. I will say that there are some cheaper options in the area that have the same if not more to offer comfort wise, but you won't get that good ole boy Charleston experience-which has its value!

Our daughter chose Charleston for her destination wedding. Most of us stayed at the Francis Marion. This hotel is located in the historic district so if you are looking for modern, sleek,etc. Look elsewhere. The lobby reflects comfortable southern charm. It was a wonderful place to meet with friends as they arrived. Julie the concierge was wonderful. She recommend some outstanding restaurants and made reservations for us. Not only were there many weddings that weekend, but Charleston is home port to a cruise line. When the ship is in, there are 5,000 more people in town. Who knew reservations were so necessary? Julie did. The main desk was helpful and supplied bottle water to shower caps for grandma. Our room was large with a sofa sleeper and a great bed. It was a comfortable as the heavenly bed we have at home. The location of the hotel was within walking distance of everyplace we needed to be. When in Charleston, I wouldn't think of staying anywhere else. They do have valet parking at the reasonable rate of $19. a day. However, there is a public parking garage right down from the hotel for $14. a day. The only thing to be aware of is the taxis . They don't seem to be regulated. Ask there rates before you hop in.

Frankly put, this is just an old hotel that no one in particular cares to maintain.

I had no problems with any of the staff, they were courteous, helpful, etc. Check in was a breeze, when I learned I was booked for 2 doubles there was no problem moving me to a single queen room while keeping my view. The hotel is on the outskirts of the historic district, next to a shady park, and close to some decent shops and restaurants. The bottom line though is at $180, the hotel is just gross. Bubbling paint doesn’t both anyone, nor does questionable dirt smudges on the wall and the list goes on and on…

The hotel is in need of major renovations and the fact that AAA gives them three diamonds and others give 4 stars is abhorrent.

Fine for a cheap night’s sleep – if you’re north of $70 – I’d stay elsewhere even if you pay triple

My husband and I recently stayed at the Francis Marion. We were there for a wedding that happened to coincide with our celebration of our wedding anniversary. The wedding and reception took place in the Colonial Room. What a beautiful venue for this event. Everything was perfect from the elegance of the room to the excellent food that was served. The shrimp and grits were by far the favorite served at the buffet! The staff was very professional and they made sure that plates were cleared in a timely manner once the party started!
We also can not say enough about the good time we had in celebration of our anniversary. Julie, the Concierge, was a great help in giving us suggestions on what to do while in Charleston. She suggested a wonderful restaurant, 82 Queen... on Queen street of course! The food was excellent. Truly a Low country experience right down to the courtyard table reserved for us by Julie! It was a great place to celebrate our anniversary and we were happy that she made the recommendation. She also suggested we take a carriage tour which we really enjoyed. It was a good way for us to learn some of the history of Charleston. Please see Julie while there, she is a gem! All in all we found the Francis Marion to be a wonderful place to stay. The main lobby was gorgeous.The Swamp Fox restaurant in the hotel served an excellent breakfast. Our room was clean. The staff from check-in to check-out were helpful and very friendly. In fact, we plan to go back next year to celebrate our anniversary in Charleston and we will definitely be staying at the Francis Marion.