"Since opening in 1986, The Charleston Place has garnered praise for its architectural sleight of hand. Hidden behind a row of diminutive and colorful 19th-century storefronts lurks the Holy City’s largest hotel: a behemoth at 434 rooms, with upper floors deliberately set back to render them invisible from street view, preserving the intimate scale of the city. At ground level, good-natured jacketed greeters swing open double glass doors to usher you into gleaming marble hallways lined with high-end boutiques and galleries, culminating in a grand central lobby. Locals know it well: They lounge here after church on weekends, listening to live music before heading in to the Palmetto Café for its stupendous brunch spread; or they gussy up for special occasion dinners at the hotel’s award-winning Charleston Grill. Over the decades, the hotel has cemented an excellent reputation, first as an Orient Express property and then part of the Belmond collection, but it now boasts the distinction of being locally owned. Charleston resident Ben Navarro, the billionaire and visionary behind Beemok Hospitality Collection, made headlines in late 2021 when he purchased the property and launched a no-expenses-spared restoration and rejuvenation of what was already a beloved Charleston icon. Uppermost rooms reach enviable heights by Charleston standards, affording views to the glimmering harbor beyond, just one reason this hotel towers above its peers. From $350. —Allston McCrady"
