Charleston, South Carolina: Homewood Suites by Hilton Charleston Historic District

December 2019, Weekdays, 3 nights, 2-queen beds suite #302

We arrived back from our cruise on a Tuesday, and then stayed at Homewood Suites Historic District for three nights using points. The hotel is one-mile from the cruise port, and people had told us we could not walk to the hotel. We did walk to the hotel with our luggage, and it was not difficult. There were not many people out yet in the morning, and there were sidewalks the entire way.

Arrival, check-in, diamond perks

Since we arrived early in the morning, we were delighted to be able to get our room right away. The agent said she could not give us an upgrade, because the hotel was sold out. I had reserved a king studio, and there were no king studio rooms available when we arrived. We were able to check into a queen suite, so the guestroom was actually kind of an upgrade. It was not the bed type I had reserved; however, it was a suite with a bedroom door, rather than a studio guestroom. She also offered bottled water.

Sunset from guestroom 302 at Homewood Suites Charleston Historic District

I had not checked in online before we arrived, although I had looked at the floor diagram on the mobile app before we went on our cruise. Guestroom 528 looks like a great location, and I imagine that guestroom would have been a nice upgrade. I am sharing the guestroom diagram from the back of the door below.

Guestroom 302

The guestroom was comfortable and clean. It is located near the end of the hall, and we did not hear any noise from outside the guestroom. The room is kind of long and narrow. The photos on the hotel website match this guestroom type, except this guestroom does not have a window in the living room.

Photo taken from vanity area outside bathroom

The guestroom had all the usual furnishings. The kitchen included dishes in the cupboards, single-serve coffeemaker with supplies, a full size fridge, dishwasher, sink, microwave, two burner range top, table, and two chairs. The living room contained a sofa, chair, TV, armoire, footstools, and one end table.

Vanity area outside bathroom

The door could be closed between the living area and the bathroom and bedroom. There were plenty of charging outlets in the guestroom, and the Internet connection was good. I was mistakenly charged for Internet access, which is complimentary for Diamond members. This was immediately refunded when I called the front desk (I had received an alert from my credit card company when the authorization went through).

Homewood Suites bedroom in guestroom 302

Food & beverage

Breakfast was good, and the food items varied each day. A different egg omelet, different meats (ham, bacon, or sausage), and different potatoes each day. The hot cereal, so to speak, alternated between oatmeal and grits. Other items included cold cereals, fruits, hard-boiled eggs, breads, yogurt, and beverages.

Menu on fridge in guestroom at Homewood Suites Historic District;
click on photo to enlarge 

This is the only Homewood Suites I have stayed in that offered an evening social for only one hour in the evening; from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. I do not know if this is a new schedule for Homewood Suites, or if this property is just different. There was also not a hot food item each evening, and the menu did not provide much information. The menu on the fridge merely said "Homewood Happier Hour" with reference to nibbles. On the first evening, tossed salad, cheese, and crackers were available. The next two evenings, soup was available, in addition to the afore mentioned cold items. The red wine (Cab; Merlot was not available) was decent, and there were a couple of beer choices: Miller Lite and Bud Light, I believe. I know my husband did not like the beer options, and he does not like either of those choices. All of the offerings were fresh, and the service was good.

Pool area at Homewood Suites Charleston Historic District
Sunset photo below taken from pool deck

Recreation and misc.

The fitness center and an outside pool are located on the second floor. Comfy loungers and cushioned seats were available in a sunny area in the afternoons. If you do not want sun, there is an umbrella that can be opened over the lounge chairs. It was quite sunny and warm both afternoons that we visited, and my husband went swimming one day. The Holiday Inn is located right next door to Homewood Suites, and it looks closer than it actually is. The pool area was peaceful every time we visited.

This hotel is in a great location for visiting the downtown area. Our local Uber driver told us this hotel is not actually in the historic district (during our ride to the cruise port); however, it was close enough for us. I will have more information in my next post about transportation and the downtown areas we visited.

Let me know if you have any questions!