The hotel is nice and clean and it's hard to beat its location. However we were mostly impressed by the concierge service they offer. Both concierges we talk to were highly professional and offered great wealth of information both about sightseeing and food choices. Make sure you take advantage of this great service if you stay there. Without talking to them we would've never found the hidden streets and alleys.
We just spent a glorious 4 days in Charleston, South Carolina, with an exceptionally gracious attention provided by a once-in-a lifetime concierge, Kevin McQuade. We booked our room at the Courtyard Marriott, which was comfortable and had great service. The staff was terrific and it has a great location in the heart of Charleston.
We decided to call Kevin before our visit after reading so many rave reviews. He actually made an appointment to chat with my wife and me, and called us at home for at least a half hour chat on two occasions. He asked us questions about ourselves, our likes and dislikes, and developed a personalized itinerary to delight us.
When we arrived at the Courtyard Marriott, we met with Kevin, who was enthusiastic and charming. He reviewed the itinerary and even fine-tuned our trip plans based on weather, so we could best enjoy our time.
The Lighthouse Eco-tour was phenomenal. On our private boat ride with a terrific guide, we saw tons of oyster beds and dolphins. We were taken to an island with a historic lighthouse and learned a lot about the history of the area. Absolutely worth it!
We then toured Charleston with a tour guide highly recommended by Kevin. It was truly the best and most interesting walking tour guide we’ve ever had. His historical perspective on the history of Charleston was fascinating.
Kevin also knew that there was an incredible event occurring only the weekend we were there, and he recommended we attend the Citadel holiday concert. It was an incredible experience as the Citadel Chorale, dressed in their finest uniforms, sang Christmas Carols. What an experience!
Kevin also offered to take us on a walk through historic Charleston at night. He knew all the nooks and crannies, and we viewed breathtaking gardens, fountains and alleys. What a great adventure!
Kevin’s recommendations for restaurants was impeccable and every meal was delicious. He worked with us to figure out the type of cuisine and price point, and we were never disappointed.
Overall, our trip to Charleston was awesome, thanks largely to Kevin and our fine stay at the Courtyard Marriott.
I recently stayed here on business. The location is great. Anything you need is within walking distance. My room was clean, comfortable and very quiet. The staff was helpful and always friendly. Our group used one of the conference rooms (we had 90 people). The support we received was very good. The first day went a little rough as the coffee service we paid for was neglected and we ran out of coffee within the first hour and the pots did not get refilled. However, once the staff was notified of this they did what they could to ensure that our group was satisfied during the rest of our stay. That, to me, is what good customer service is about.
This will be a very short review because recent reviews covered everything, the same way Kevin the Concierge covered everything you'd want to do in Charleston plus everything you'd never think to do. Summarizing our experience (and those of several recent reviewers): The hotel is good (especially if Kevin snags you a high room facing away from the streets), its Historic District location is very good, and Kevin's concierge service is the best I've seen, even at luxury properties. Highlights: Kevin's own night time Charleston tour, Ed Macy's day time cultural & architectural tour, and dinner at Trattoria Lucca. But whatever Kevin suggests is a likely winner.
After deciding to come to Charleston, I started to research hotels. If, like me, you've read more than a couple of the reviews posted on this page, you've seen the name "Kevin" pop up once or twice;)
We've stayed at Courtyard properties before and found them to be consistently 'good enough', but... with people saying things like, "Stay here for the concierge!", "Awesome Concierge Kevin!", “Sitting down with Kevin McQuade made our trip!”, "over-the-top concierge Kevin", "Thanks to Kevin McQuade", we decided that this would be the place for us...
So after checking in, we immediately went to - you guessed it - the Concierge desk and started to wait for the woman there to finish with her current customers...
Wait. Woman?? What?! OMG... Kevin's not here!? Are you kidding me? No Kevin?? But that's why we.. Aww, nuts. This is gonna su...
Ahem. Dude. Don't panic. You've had great times in plenty of places with no concierge at all, right? So chill...
OK. We approach the desk. The woman (whose name is Andrea) started by asking us how long we were staying, what we wanted to experience, and what we like to do. She had all the pictures, maps and recommendations that Kevin is famous for, and presented a number of ideas for us in an entertaining manner. Andrea is friendly, professional, and ultimately incredibly helpful. In other words: ANDREA IS AWESOME! With her help we were able to intelligently plan a wonderful itinerary of the city - using the 'Kevin Method'. She showed us menus and got us into the best restaurants (Husk, Cru, S.N.O.B, etc), making all the reservations for us! She marked everything on maps and prepared a written itinerary for each day in an order that made sense. She was available by phone the one time we had a problem (a restaurant she had recommended for breakfast was closed for renovation; she gave us a Plan B;)
Wow. We had a great time:)
The hotel: We had to change rooms because the first one had a strong smell of deodorizer. The second room was very nice, spacious and clean. Beds were just OK, too soft and saggy in the middle, but good linens. Bathroom was spotless, with nice Paul Mitchell amenities. Good shower.
Free wifi. The days of free Courtyard coffee in the lobby are gone, but there is Starbucks available in the lobby Bistro. We had breakfast there one morning and the bacon and eggs came with potatoes that were quite good. Baked goods were OK, nothing great. Staff in the restaurant were very helpful and friendly, kudos.
Be aware: THEY WILL CHARGE YOU $18/DAY FOR PARKING. Not unheard of in downtown areas, but factor it in with your room rate.
Location: VERY good for walking almost anywhere! Probably about a 15 minute walk to many of the spots you will want to go in the downtown area. There is a free trolley that passes in front of the hotel which we never wound up using. Like everyone says, the best way to experience Charleston is on foot!
Verdict: We would recommend this hotel and would stay here again, mainly because of Andrea and Kevin. Made our trip!
