Site Inspection: The Dewberry

Background: The Dewberry Hotel opened on July 11th 2016, and is one of the top hotels in Charleston. The building itself is an old federal building built in 1964. There is actually the original commemoration plaque in the lobby right behind the Concierge still there.

John Dewberry purchased the building in 2008 and it took 8 years to construct before the hotel finally opened in November 2016. No expense was spared, the owner went all out to recreate a mid-century “Southern Reimagined” vibe. The detail and meticulous care and craftsmanship that went into the hotel is incredible. From all the mid-century furniture that they found in auctions in their Living Room, the common space that currently serves Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, to the beautiful linen paneled armoires in the guest rooms, everything down to the last detail is exquisite and well thought out. The brass hardware comes from a local craftsman, and the bedlinen are Irish linen. 

Rooms

The hotel has roughly a total of 154 rooms and 47 of them are suites. There are a total of 7 different room categories, from the Signature King and Queen, up to the Charleston Flat, a beautiful corner suite with a gorgeous living room set-up. As I believe others have mentioned before, the entry level rooms are a bit small, very European in size. They were all originally office spaces, so unfortunately they had to make due with the original structures in place. 

Rooms start at 290 sq ft, and the Charleston Flat is the largest at 511 sq ft. The rooms are situated from the 2nd floor to the 7th floor. The guest-room carpets were all replaced in 2023. The one-bedroom suite offers hardwood and carpet, while the Charleston Flat offers hardwood only. All other room categories are carpet only. All bathrooms have showers, and the Charleston Flat is the only type of room that has a standalone tub inside the shower.They carry bathroom products that are custom created for the hotel with its signature scent.

For families - they do have connecting rooms, but they are not connecting rooms in the traditional sense. They have a few corner rooms that connect through a foyer, and there’s another door that separates the two rooms from the rest in the hallway. These are only located in the corners on each floor, so are limited. If you're traveling with kids are interested in this option, you must contact the Reservations team ahead of time to request they block these rooms for your booking. This cannot be done online and must be made through connecting with the Reservations team.  

There are no sofa beds or pullout couches for the guest rooms, but they can make the sofas in the rooms into a somewhat comfortable bed for a small kid. 

Signature King Room and bathroom

Charleston Flat Room and Bathroom

Common Spaces

There is one main restaurant currently at The Dewberry, which they call the Living Room. This was originally the common lobby space/bar, but during COVID it shifted into their main restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well. The bar is still incredibly popular in the afternoon and at nights and there is a live band at nights on weekends. They do have a restaurant space, Henrietta’s, but it closed during Covid and is now only used for private events. 

Citrus Club - The Dewberry is known for their rooftop bar, the Citrus Club. The vibe here is definitely more of a ritzy Miami rooftop bar. They offer a different cocktail menu than the Living Room, more tropical and spritzy versus the classic negronis and boulevardiers type downstairs.  There is also a food menu for typical rooftop fare, like coconut shrimp, fries, burgers, chips and dips. The Citrus Club takes up the entire 8th floor and has a 360 panoramic view of Charleston, and has both indoor and outdoor seating. The outdoor seating is where it’s at. I was told it’s the highest occupiable space in Charleston. They don’t take reservations and entry is on a first come, first serve basis, however they will make a note if you’re a guest staying at the hotel and put you at the top of the waitlist for a table.

Both the Living Room Bar and the Citrus Club looked to be equally popular with locals and travelers. 

Other things of note: 

There is also a Spa and a Fitness Center on the 2nd Floor. The Spa uses Natura Bisse products. 

Volvo relationship: They have a partnership with Volvo, and you can get free rides in the downtown area from the Dewberry fleet, or also take a car out for a max of 3-4 hours to explore Charleston on your own. I believe if you want to go for this option, you can sign up for it one time during your stay.

There are also complimentary bikes you can rent during your stay, these are on a first come first serve basis as well. 

In the mornings they have a coffee and tea cart right outside the elevator, which we thought was a nice touch.

Ballroom - They have a ballroom off to the side of the reception, with a gorgeous reception room called the Swanston Room that has 22 gilded panels hand painted by Thomas Swanston of cranes in migration. The ballroom can be used for weddings or corporate events. They mentioned The Dewberry is very popular for weddings, and can hold up to 40 weddings a year. The weekend we were there was one of the rare weekends they did not have weddings going on. Room blocks are a possibility.  

Swanston Room

Ballroom

Fieldshop - They have a boutique shop right by the Concierge desk called Fieldshop that's curated by Garden and Gun, a Southern lifestyle magazine.

Location - It's a block away from King Street, a little bit removed from all the hustle and bustle, but we liked it that way. It felt more tranquil and had its own vibe. For us it was incredibly convenient between the sites we wanted to see and the restaurants we wanted to eat at. We basically walked everywhere and the Dewberry made for a great base for us.

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to Charleston, South Carolina. In need of further inspiration? Check out Melanie Panchal’s guide, Girls Trip to Charleston.