Embassy Suites – Airport/North Charleston, SC

image from Hilton website

Destination: Charleston, SC
Date: May 2016
Hotel: Embassy Suites
Brand: Hilton
Elite Status: diamond
# of travelers: 2
nights: 1

Making the Decision

Last minute travel on a holiday weekend. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson by now.

Except not.

Only a few days before Memorial Day weekend did I find out I wouldn't be working. Justin had some vacation days, and so we took them! Why not?

Well, high prices around holidays is why not.

As I looked around the Charleston area for a good, cheap hotel, I found nothing below the $200 range except for the hotels in the airport area. (Why did I ever get so turned off to staying in a hotel near the airport?)

It came down to price. $179 for the Embassy Suites or $260 for a hotel in downtown Charleston.

We went with the cheaper of the two.

I'm sure when it's not a holiday weekend you can stay at this hotel for even cheaper than the price I paid!

View from our room & complicated parking found behind the hotel

Getting There & Location

Four hour drive. Again.

Well, actually, more. We stopped in Augusta to take a look through Anthropologie's discount store, Final Cut. Then we were on our way.

Once we arrived in Charleston, we had to figure out how to get into the Embassy Suite's confusing parking lot … as opposed to the convention center's, where they had an event going on. From that point forward though, it was easy peasy. :)

The drive to Charleston proper was a good 10 minutes and there were not hotel shuttles that could be used.

However, if you are worried about convention center events or the landing airplanes being noisy, there is no need to be! The hotel was very quiet!

Checking In, Room, Elite Status Perks, View, & Amenities

Justin and I arrived mid-afternoon on a Friday before a holiday weekend. Our room was ready almost immediately, but we couldn't find any carts in which to move our stuff. :( So we haphazardly grabbed our things and then waited on one of the three elevators. Staff had given us a room on a high floor, two free bottles of water, and 500 extra points instead of a salty snack for being an elite member.

Our room was nice and big. (What else do you expect from a hotel with the word "suite" in the name?) Upon entering, our "front room" contained a large sofa and dining table, a small fridge and microwave, and "cooking" sink. As you walked down the hallway, there was access to a small-ish bathroom and a large bedroom with a view of … a parking lot. (Thrilling, right?)

However, to be fair, the interior of the hotel was "hollowed out", so the hallway to our room allowed us to look down on the lobby which they had filled in with trees, tables, couches, and fountains. It was really pleasant. :) Plus, it made the hotel a great spot for people or elevator watching, which we did a good bit of. (You'd be surprised at how interesting elevators can be!)

Along with the fridge and microwave, the room also had a Keurig, tv, phone, and free wi-fi, which we didn't hesitate to use.

Lobby & Lunch

Margherita pizza with chicken and watercress: yum!

One of our first goals after arriving was to get in touch with Bank of America about changing our car loan over to them for a lower interest rate. Justin needed to complete this during business hours, so after moving all of our stuff to our hotel room, we staked out a couch next to the bar in the hotel lobby for the next hour and a half while he made his phone call. Since our breakfast was eaten at 7AM, we decided that maybe we wanted a small snack before heading out to our dinner reservations at the Macintosh. We ordered a glass of soda water with lime (for me), a beer (for Justin), and a margherita pizza with side salad to share. I'm not sure if it was because we were hungry or if the food really was that good, but we devoured it! Unsurprisingly the prices were high, but, given that my husband needed access to his computer and was on the phone with Bank of America for most of the afternoon, it was worth the extra cost to be able to eat then rather than having to wait … all of the later. :)

While I've told you, at this point, about the hotel lobby's couches, tables, and bar, it should also be mentioned that right across from the check in desks, there is a hotel gift shop where you can buy souvenirs from your stay in Charleston, or random personal items or medicines that you may have forgotten. The shop isn't huge by any stretch of the imagination, but I could definitely see how it would be practical for scatterbrained travelers, like myself.

Breakfast

After a fun, yet long, night out on Folly Beach, Justin and I were pretty slow in getting up the next morning. We slept in later than we otherwise might have and slowly made our way down to the lobby around 9AM for breakfast. Justin got in the omelet line (there is a line for that), and I waked down the other side of the buffet where no one was waiting. I got things like bacon, sausage, french toast, and potatoes while Justin got an omelet (with cheese, tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms), potatoes, and yogurt with granola. Drink options included coffee, Swiss Miss hot chocolate, tea, milk, and 4 different kinds of juices (cranberry and orange are the ones I remember).

We were able to sit wherever we wanted in the lobby to eat our breakfast in peace, yet we found ourselves surprised to see how quickly the lobby filled up with breakfast seekers! So, be prepared! Breakfast is free, but if you want a specific seat (and there are lots of seats available), get up early!

Check-Out

Check-out was a breeze. We got in line and were helped within seconds. They took our key card, asked us if we needed a receipt, and then we were on our way!

Overall Review
★★★ (average)

Honestly, I was surprised at how well I liked this hotel. The furniture and carpeting seemed old and outdated, but, for the most part, the hotel was clean and well taken care of. The food was good, and the lobby made for an interesting place to people and elevator watch. (What'd you think I did while Justin was on the phone?!?) At $100 less than the rooms were going for in Charleston proper, I would definitely consider staying at this hotel again in the future. Plus, it was a nice bonus that the rooms were big and had both a fridge and microwave; those seem like great ways to keep your costs down while traveling for long periods of time! You can bring home leftovers and/or cook anything that can be cooked via microwave.

Your Turn

Have you ever stayed at a hotel near an airport? If so, were you initially worried about the noise of the airplanes? If not, would you ever consider it? … especially if it saved you a lot of money?

Do you like when hotels offer in-room fridges and microwaves? Do you ever use them?