I was in Charleston, South Carolina on May 31st through April 3ed for three nights during the 28th annual 10k Cooper River Bridge Run held on April 2, 2005. I had made arrangements quite late, and because there were 42,000 runners in the race, the closer reasonably priced hotels to the historic district of Charleston where the race was taking place were taken. I was looking for an inexpensive hotel since I was just in town for an extended weekend, and took the closest and first thing available, which turned out being the North Charleston "Economy Inn." The rate per night was about $54/night, so it was pretty reasonable compared to hotels closer to the historic Charleston Downtown, which ran around +/- $100/night.
To begin with the first pro of the hotel was the reasonable price based on location; the second pro was its actual location which was on Rivers Ave., at the intersection on Highway 526 and 26. This allowed for easy access to Historic Downtown Charleston and the race. The third plus was the friendly front desk staff.
Unfortunately the cons outweigh the pros. First there was a large yellow water stain on the ceiling from the room above (I stayed in room 122). The in room microwave and fridge were not clean and had an odor to them. The paint and wallpaper in the room was peeling. The shower head was stained, and tiles were missing. The provided face and bath towels were stained. The toilet in the room had a constant drip. Lastly my requested wake up time of 4am was never provided.
Well most people wouldn't have put up with a room in this condition, but unfortunately I was limited by price, room availability, and time, so I was forced to put up with what I had.
If you’re in the Charleston area, and are looking for a clean cozy room for the night, I would highly not recommend staying at the Economy Inn.