DoubleTree by Hilton Charleston Riverview
Waterfront marshland hotel offering river and downtown views a short drive from the historic district.
The verdict
Pick a traveller type to re-weight the scores and re-rank the rooms around what you actually care about.
DoubleTree by Hilton Charleston Riverview is a waterfront property situated along the marshland, a 10-minute drive from the historic city center. Guests appreciate the views facing the river and downtown, as well as the convenience of an on-site pool and bar. However, the hotel suffers from consistent complaints regarding musty room odors, dated bathroom fixtures with low water pressure, and persistent noise from the adjacent highway. 512
Every line below traces back to something a traveler actually wrote — open a line to read the original sentence and follow it to the source.
What travelers noticed
- Rooms facing the river and downtown area offer the best views on the property. 5129
- Traffic noise from the highway next door and loud echoes from the pool area frequently disrupt quiet hours. 5
- Bathrooms suffer from damaged fixtures, low shower water pressure from faulty faucets, and an odd layout with sinks located in the bedroom. 19
The catch
- While some guests found the staff seasoned, professional, and hard working, others encountered front desk management who were dismissive of room maintenance complaints. 9
- Some visitors value the waterfront marshland setting, whereas others find the location fairly isolated compared to staying directly downtown. 5
Who it's for
- — Travelers who want waterfront views of downtown Charleston
- — Guests comfortable taking a 10-minute drive or shuttle into the historic center
Skip it if
- — Light sleepers sensitive to highway traffic and pool noise
- — Guests expecting modern bathroom fixtures and free breakfast
How to book
Score breakdown
How the 76/100 is built, category by category — each one with the strongest thing travelers actually said, and the source it came from.
Bathroom
74- “As far as accommodations go, the hotel offers suites or larger residences with Beekman 1802 toiletries in the bath, plush bedding, Smart TV's, and photographic artwork from their artist in residence.” 12
- “The beds are functionally the same, you get a sink, a bath, DT has a better tv, while quality inn has more plugs for my phone and a desk lamp, etc etc.” 9
Food
84Location
85- “First time for both of us. We stayed at the Lindy Renaissance hotel, which was a Marriott property. Location was fantastic, very walkable to everything we wanted to do.” 8
- “Boutique hotel The Restoration is ideally located on King Street and is the perfect place for a quintessentially Charleston experience.” 12
Noise
82- “Beautiful, plush rooms come with mini-fridges, top-class bedding, and sound machines.” 12
- “Rooms feature hardwood flooring and Bluetooth speakers. A shuttle runs to the historic district, and an outdoor fireplace warms the patio. Best for weekend couples, less so for anyone relying on the elevator.” 11
Room
75- “To compare, i just stayed at double tree in taipei and it reminded me why I use to love staying in hotels: just a full luxury experience, got upgraded to a great room, great food in the lobby, cool interesting ppl on their travels hanging out in the lobby bar, comfy bed, great amenities, like it felt like a true luxury stay better than being at home” 9
- “Guests in search of gorgeous views from their room will find their heart's desire at Tides Folly Beach. At this oceanfront hotel, every single room has amazing ocean views and a balcony from which to admire them.” 12
Service
80- “First time for both of us. We stayed at the Lindy Renaissance hotel, which was a Marriott property. Location was fantastic, very walkable to everything we wanted to do. They had a pool, rooms were great, lobby was great, staff was friendly.” 8
- “Hard to rate. Staff friendly. Rooms clean and big enough.” 9
Bed & Sleep
79Nothing quotable yet on this one — the score leans on the rest of the coverage.
Value
81- “I know DT by Hilton isn't considered quite as nice as Hilton proper, but I'm having almost the exact same experience as Choice for well over double the money.” 9
Where it is, how to reach it
Details checked 2026-09-10
Where it sits
DoubleTree by Hilton Charleston Riverview and the 22 other hotels we cover in Charleston. Hover a marker for the hotel; click to open it.
Stay value
How this property reads against the hotels we cover alongside it. Measured on review evidence, not on a nightly rate.
Falls short of what $$ usually buys
Scores 10 points below the mid-range median of 86, across 655 hotels in the same bracket. In Charleston it sits 6 points below the local median of 82.
- This hotel
- 76
- Bracket median
- 86
- Index median
- 86
Based on 655 comparable hotels.
Which room to ask for
What reviewers say about where to sleep inside this building — by room number where one is named, and otherwise by floor, wing, aspect and position. Every line opens onto the quotes behind it.
- 1 mention
No location within the hotel draws repeated complaints yet.
Where travelers agree — and don’t
The topics reviewers split on most. A wide bar means your experience depends on which room you get — or whose opinion you trust.
View the 43 things travelers said behind this verdict▾
Quotes run exactly as travelers wrote them — spelling and all. We trim for length, never for tidiness.
- “Set right on the legendary Meeting Street and built to harmonize gracefully with the surrounding neighborhood, this beautiful retreat offers a spa and wellness center on site, a rooftop pool, and elegantly appointed rooms (some with balconies overlooking the Historic District).” 12
- “First time for both of us. We stayed at the Lindy Renaissance hotel, which was a Marriott property. Location was fantastic, very walkable to everything we wanted to do.” 8
- “Embassy Suites Charleston is in a very good location, the old Citadel. Location is great. WiFi can be terrible (really really thick walls).” 8
- “The non-smoking hotel is a great place to stay due to its waterfront location in Charleston.” 11
- “For families who don't mind being a little outside of the action, The Limited Hotel is a sleek, trendy hotel that's north of Marion Square (but still close to a number of attractions). Rooms here are attractive and comfortable, with amenities that include designer toiletries and a mini-fridge.” 12
- “Boutique hotel The Restoration is ideally located on King Street and is the perfect place for a quintessentially Charleston experience.” 12
- “Embassy Suites Charleston is in a very good location, the old Citadel.” 8
- “Rooms facing the river and downtown area have the best views.” 5
- “The property sits in a fairly isolated location in an area of marshland, but the historic city center is a 10-minute drive away.” 5
- “The Courtyard Charleston Historic District is a contemporary hotel very close to the Historic District. This hotel offers spacious smoke-free accommodations that include pillowtop beds piled high with quality linens and pillows, cable TV and wifi, and mini-fridges.” 12
- “And you had a host that you were expected to tip for saying "sit anywhere you want" and "how's the food you got from the buffet," I mean the guy was super nice and hard working and I was happy to tip him like 40%, cuz of all the crap he was taking from the other customers (one guy walked out cuz they wouldn't make him a personalized egg white omelet).” 9
- “Rooms are simple yet elegant and include a kitchenette as well as study/dining areas.” 12
- “As charming as they come, the hotel features rooms with lace-draped canopy beds, a delicious complimentary breakfast, and nightly milk and cookies.” 12
- “Choice also has free breakfast, while had to pay $25 for the same exact thing this morning.” 9
- “Apart from the lobby, the other public areas of the hotel have a dated look: corridors are lined with ugly, worn carpets, and the restaurant has a tired, old-fashioned look.” 5
- “According to their website their rooms don't offer a microwave, but if you pay a higher rate items can be brought to the room. $25 for breakfast seems pretty steep.” 9
- “That adds ups quickly. They also charge for breakfast! I'm surprised they don't nickel and dime you more with an attendant at the pool selling swimming tickets, charge for ice and god help you if you want clean towels.” 9
- “The food itself was the exact same as at choice (though I will admit the quality of the actual cooking at choice free breakfast can vary quite a bit).” 9
- “In the mornings, the hotel offers a lavish complimentary European-style breakfast and for evening repast, guests can visit the on-site restaurant and caviar bar.” 12
- “Yea my wife and I stayed at a cambria, and its basically what you said, maybe a step down, and business otiented. But everything was fancy and we got upgraded to their best room, ritzy bar, good food, felt hoppin.” 9
- “The hotel's adjacent restaurant, Delaney's Oyster House, serves excellent seafood and offers a raw bar.” 12
- “As soon as I got in the room, there was an overpowering musty smell.” 1
- “To compare, i just stayed at double tree in taipei and it reminded me why I use to love staying in hotels: just a full luxury experience, got upgraded to a great room, great food in the lobby, cool interesting ppl on their travels hanging out in the lobby bar, comfy bed, great amenities, like it felt like a true luxury stay better than being at home” 9
- “Rooms feature pleasant, tasteful decor with gray wall-to-wall carpets in a simple starburst pattern, white and beige walls, attractive oak furniture, framed architectural prints, and elegant lamps providing soft lighting.” 5
- “Checked further around the room, and there was unrepaired water damage around the AC casing, all over the wall by the balcony, and something funky growing on the ceiling.” 1
- “in the light of day, it was obvious that this room had not been maintained either - the curtain was tattered, more water damage than I originally saw, balcony door didn't lock.” 1
- “Guests in search of gorgeous views from their room will find their heart's desire at Tides Folly Beach. At this oceanfront hotel, every single room has amazing ocean views and a balcony from which to admire them.” 12
- “King suite has 2 separate rooms which helps when one person wakes up early. Only drawback is no EV charging station on site.” 11
- “Half of the hotel faces out to the large pool area which can be so noisy from daylight until after ten. Those facing the pool, all, will never know quite. The design causes a huge echo and you can hear everything, every conversation, every child scream.” 9
- “The traffic noise from the highway next door is also a frequent complaint from guests.” 5
- “Beautiful, plush rooms come with mini-fridges, top-class bedding, and sound machines.” 12
- “Rooms feature hardwood flooring and Bluetooth speakers. A shuttle runs to the historic district, and an outdoor fireplace warms the patio. Best for weekend couples, less so for anyone relying on the elevator.” 11
- “The other fixtures in the bathroom were stained/damaged/loose.” 1
- “Went to shower and there was a hole in the bottom of the faucet that affected the shower flow (I can't stand low water pressure - I have very long, thick hair and low pressure just doesn't work for me).” 1
- “As far as accommodations go, the hotel offers suites or larger residences with Beekman 1802 toiletries in the bath, plush bedding, Smart TV's, and photographic artwork from their artist in residence.” 12
- “The bathroom layout is odd in that the counter and sink are in the bedroom, not bathroom.” 9
- “The beds are functionally the same, you get a sink, a bath, DT has a better tv, while quality inn has more plugs for my phone and a desk lamp, etc etc.” 9
- “Talked to the daytime front desk manager who just blew me off and said the property was being refurbed soon like that made it acceptable to rent out crappy rooms.” 1
- “I mean there's a bar, the staff seems a little more seasoned and professional, and the building seems a little better maintained, but I'm paying double just for the room what I could pay for a quality inn, even without my friends and family discount.” 9
- “Hard to rate. Staff friendly. Rooms clean and big enough.” 9
- “The hotel provides a free shuttle bus service linking the hotel with the historic downtown area -- but it only runs every two hours, which may not be frequent enough for some guests.” 5
- “First time for both of us. We stayed at the Lindy Renaissance hotel, which was a Marriott property. Location was fantastic, very walkable to everything we wanted to do. They had a pool, rooms were great, lobby was great, staff was friendly.” 8
- “I know DT by Hilton isn't considered quite as nice as Hilton proper, but I'm having almost the exact same experience as Choice for well over double the money.” 9
What we still don't know
What we can’t tell you yet, said plainly. These close as we read more coverage of this hotel.
- No reviewer has named an individual room number here yet.
- Nothing reliable said about room types.
- Nothing reliable said about floor level.
- Nothing reliable said about building or wing.
- Nothing reliable said about which side it faces.
- Nothing reliable said about position on the floor.
- 9 sources carry no publication date, so we cannot tell how current they are.
Ask about DoubleTree by Hilton Charleston Riverview
Answered only from the coverage cited on this page. If nobody has written about your question, it will say so rather than guess.
How much we read
Solid coverage · 48/100We read 13 sources for this property, and pulled 72 traveler insights worth knowing. Last checked 2026-09-11.
Watch this hotel
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Sources
Everything quoted on this page, grouped by traveler insights, outlets, and video & podcast. Counts beside each group show everything we’ve read of that kind; no one kind can carry the score on its own.
5 of 5 summary lines above are traced to specific quotes. The rest summarise the read as a whole rather than any single document.
View all 13 cited sources▾
Everything quoted on this page.
- 1Doubletree Jacksonville Riverfront is AWFUL : r/Hiltonreddit.comForum thread2025-04-17Recent7 quotes used
“As soon as I got in the room, there was an overpowering musty smell.”
Read originalreddit.com - 5Holiday Inn Charleston Riverview Reviewoyster.comReview site2024-08-10Ageing8 quotes used
“The traffic noise from the highway next door is also a frequent complaint from guests.”
Read originaloyster.com - 8Charleston, SC - Hotel Recommendationsbogleheads.orgReview site2024-05-10Ageing8 quotes used
“First time for both of us. We stayed at the Lindy Renaissance hotel, which was a Marriott property. Location was fantastic, very walkable to everything we wanted to do.”
Read originalbogleheads.org - 12The 25 Best Hotels In Charleston, South Carolinasmartertravel.comReview site2023-07-31Ageing25 quotes used
“Rooms are spacious, clean, and comfortable, with bright colors and hardwood floors.”
Read originalsmartertravel.com - 2DoubleTree by Hilton Charleston Riverviewcharlestoncvb.comReview siteDate not statedRead originalcharlestoncvb.com
- 3DoubleTree by Hilton Charleston - Hotelstravelweekly.comReview siteDate not statedRead originaltravelweekly.com
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