This review is largely based on the service levels at this hotel, less about the facility itself.
The good: room was quiet and clean. Sparsely decorated with no view, but if you're in Charleston, you're probably not spending much time in the room.
The rest: Pool and pool patio are tiny, and outdoor furnishings look very tired. Bar and restaurant are cute.
Service: This is where this hotel really fails. First of all the hotel's website (as of the date of this review) mentions EV charging included with valet parking. Based on that, we choose to drive our EV. When we arrived, we were told that they do not in fact have any chargers. For those who own an EV, you know how tricky infrastructure can be, and the Charleston peninsula does not have a tonne of charging options available and there are no level 3 fast chargers to be found. The Manager apologized and assured us they would take the car to their sister property to be charged during our stay. We'll, that never happened and every time we checked with valet they flat out told us that was not going to happen because their sister property wouldn't allow it. I think what makes this particularly bad is that they knowingly advertise something they don't offer and willfully choose to do nothing about it.
That theme carries on to the pool bar. We ordered a round of drinks and apps when we arrived. After 20 minutes I went to check on the order and after some searching they said they sent it to the wrong table. They apologized and said they would get right on it. 20 minutes later, still no drinks. There were less than 20 customers on deck so not sure why that was so challenging. We ending up leaving and going someplace else.
Bottom line, most hotels work really hard to differentiate on service, but this one had a general feeling that no one really cared and couldn't be bothered. (With the exception of the Barista who was very friendly and professional).
I would NOT recommend staying here. For $700/night, you could do MUCH better.
charlie revers
While dealing with an Expedia booking issue, I dealt with a very unprofessional front desk associate. I was very surprised of this as it seems to be a very high quality hotel.
Jennifer Boyle
Recently stayed at the Ryder for a mother daughter weekend. The location is great, rooms were nice, enjoyed the pool and the little palm. Chelsie Casey and her staff at the front desk were great, lots of good recommendations and helped us book exercise classes, they really helped to make the stay perfect.
Andrew Davis
So Cute!! My dog really loved it too
MLG Turtle
Service and location so-so. Worn Hipster decor..nothing special.
Krista Sobon
Location is a 12/10 but everything else is lacking. The pool is very small and most days it was impossible to grab a seat. You can rent cabanas but good luck trying to do that. Every staff member I talked to told me something different. And when we finally thought we made reservations every time we went to check in for a cabana, they couldn’t find our reservation. Luckily I saved all of the email confirmations. Our room was not very clean and housekeeping walked into our room at 8:30 one morning while we were all still asleep. We had four people staying in our room and everyday we had to ask for more towels because they would only leave 3. We even had to ask for toilet paper! The bedding was so cheap and we never got a fitted mattress sheet so the bare mattress was constantly exposed. We found two incredibly large palmetto bugs as well. We aren’t from the south so the size of them was shocking. Just added to the overall feeling of not being very well clean. We had a great trip but not sure I would stay here again.
Phineas Boggs
Rooms were clean, top to bottom. Beds are comfy. Felt safe. Super friendly staff, helpful always.
Easy access to the pool and outside inclusive bar. I'm used to coffee in the room. There are no coffee machines, but there is a Cafe downstairs. They do tend to run out breakfast items quickly. Great staff!
Cooper Pierce
A very nicely designed boutique hotel with well thought out amenities and perks such as having a coffee shop that guests have a $10 daily credit towards coffee, chai or danishes, etc. Little Palm, the restaurant has a poolside bar and a courtyard bar serving each location with service for food and drinks. The location of the hotel is situated such that shops, bars, and restaurants along King Street are easily accessed by short walks or bike taxi. If destinations are further away, the hotel is centrally located to get most places within Charleston fairly quickly.
stacy oneal
3 times a charm?!?! We checked in to the Ryder on a Monday for days. The Valet was super nice, and check in was easy. We got to our room and it was next to / behind an elevator so the room lost alot of space. My husband hit his leg 3 times in 10 mins(hardly no space between bed and wall) Then the elevator started to go.. we just kept hearing beeps. Since we were going to be there 5 days, this would not work. I went to front deck... Super nice about moving us right away. The 2nd room was the normal size and bigger with no elevator taking up space. However our room was literally next to the outside bar gathering area. ( We had a door that went out there) The 1st night was not bad since it was Monday. It got peaceful about 930. Tuesday it was bit later. Thursday..ugggg.. soooo loud. They closed at 11 so everyone seem to leave by 1130ish. We had had a long day and we're ready to sleep by 10. They were kind to move us the next morning for a last night of peace. One other down fall, the hall. There are 2 elevators one to the garage one to the lobby. our second room was literally too long hallways, down away from the elevator, maybe kind of petty but annoying.. All in all the hotel is cute, if I was there for a party time, I'm sure the 2nd room would not have been an issue. They were very kind to move us. This all is just an FYI.
Candy G
We love it here! Favorite boutique hotel in downtown Charleston! Good restaurant, coffee bar, and lounge spaces with indoor/outdoor bars.
It was okay. For $400 a night I would go elsewhere. That price is outrageous for what they offer. The service is sub par, rooms are average. I stayed across the street at The Jasmine House for a day after this stay and liked it much better for half the price. I would suggest staying there instead. Way more character as well.
Peter Noh
Day 1 at the hotel. I already got pros & cons of the hotel that I think paid for what it should worth.
Pros. - cute enough for Insta & SNS - good food & drinks from the restaurant - good location (I’d rather stay at other spots at this price)
Cons. - no sound proof between units. You can hear everything from next door. - no fridge - no bath robes - hidden fees - cleanness
Feels like a fancy college dorm. I think this hotel needs a lot to improve to get there…
Tyler Pilkington
Ryder review 3.5 Stars
Pros: - Very nice and helpful staff - Fantastic location - Cool lobby and bar vibe - Available bicycles and other playthings
Cons: - “Suite” @ $431/night plus fees and taxes, does not include parking - Very low quality mattress and bed linens, towels, bath tissue. Like shockingly cheap stuff reminiscent of a low end Caribbean all inclusive - No fridge, no water, no nothing in room - Old building, framing is musty and loud: thin walls, lots of noise from outside, inside hallways, other rooms
Conclusion: Pay for the convenience - GREAT location and the place does have a bit of quirky cool - but do not expect a bargain or particularly impressive room amenities. Staff are super nice. Just know this is a redecorated Best Western.
Jeffrey Hine
A very pleasant and well-appointed property located conveniently to restaurants, shopping and historic sections of Charleston.
The rooms were spacious and comfortable. Hhe only suggestion I would make would be to install refrigerators and microwaves in the rooms.
Our paring valet, Chutney, was very gracious and took very good care of us during out stay.
Stephen Parks
The rug was dirty in the room and the ac did not work, but they offered another room. The hallway on the 3rd floor smelled like cat urine. The people and the service was excellent.
This review is largely based on the service levels at this hotel, less about the facility itself.
The good: room was quiet and clean. Sparsely decorated with no view, but if you're in Charleston, you're probably not spending much time in the room.
The rest:
Pool and pool patio are tiny, and outdoor furnishings look very tired. Bar and restaurant are cute.
Service:
This is where this hotel really fails. First of all the hotel's website (as of the date of this review) mentions EV charging included with valet parking. Based on that, we choose to drive our EV. When we arrived, we were told that they do not in fact have any chargers. For those who own an EV, you know how tricky infrastructure can be, and the Charleston peninsula does not have a tonne of charging options available and there are no level 3 fast chargers to be found. The Manager apologized and assured us they would take the car to their sister property to be charged during our stay. We'll, that never happened and every time we checked with valet they flat out told us that was not going to happen because their sister property wouldn't allow it. I think what makes this particularly bad is that they knowingly advertise something they don't offer and willfully choose to do nothing about it.
That theme carries on to the pool bar. We ordered a round of drinks and apps when we arrived. After 20 minutes I went to check on the order and after some searching they said they sent it to the wrong table. They apologized and said they would get right on it. 20 minutes later, still no drinks. There were less than 20 customers on deck so not sure why that was so challenging. We ending up leaving and going someplace else.
Bottom line, most hotels work really hard to differentiate on service, but this one had a general feeling that no one really cared and couldn't be bothered. (With the exception of the Barista who was very friendly and professional).
I would NOT recommend staying here. For $700/night, you could do MUCH better.
While dealing with an Expedia booking issue, I dealt with a very unprofessional front desk associate. I was very surprised of this as it seems to be a very high quality hotel.
Recently stayed at the Ryder for a mother daughter weekend. The location is great, rooms were nice, enjoyed the pool and the little palm. Chelsie Casey and her staff at the front desk were great, lots of good recommendations and helped us book exercise classes, they really helped to make the stay perfect.
So Cute!! My dog really loved it too
Service and location so-so. Worn Hipster decor..nothing special.
Location is a 12/10 but everything else is lacking. The pool is very small and most days it was impossible to grab a seat. You can rent cabanas but good luck trying to do that. Every staff member I talked to told me something different. And when we finally thought we made reservations every time we went to check in for a cabana, they couldn’t find our reservation. Luckily I saved all of the email confirmations. Our room was not very clean and housekeeping walked into our room at 8:30 one morning while we were all still asleep. We had four people staying in our room and everyday we had to ask for more towels because they would only leave 3. We even had to ask for toilet paper! The bedding was so cheap and we never got a fitted mattress sheet so the bare mattress was constantly exposed. We found two incredibly large palmetto bugs as well. We aren’t from the south so the size of them was shocking. Just added to the overall feeling of not being very well clean. We had a great trip but not sure I would stay here again.
Rooms were clean, top to bottom. Beds are comfy. Felt safe. Super friendly staff, helpful always.
Easy access to the pool and outside inclusive bar.
I'm used to coffee in the room. There are no coffee machines, but there is a Cafe downstairs. They do tend to run out breakfast items quickly.
Great staff!
A very nicely designed boutique hotel with well thought out amenities and perks such as having a coffee shop that guests have a $10 daily credit towards coffee, chai or danishes, etc. Little Palm, the restaurant has a poolside bar and a courtyard bar serving each location with service for food and drinks. The location of the hotel is situated such that shops, bars, and restaurants along King Street are easily accessed by short walks or bike taxi. If destinations are further away, the hotel is centrally located to get most places within Charleston fairly quickly.
3 times a charm?!?! We checked in to the Ryder on a Monday for days. The Valet was super nice, and check in was easy. We got to our room and it was next to / behind an elevator so the room lost alot of space. My husband hit his leg 3 times in 10 mins(hardly no space between bed and wall) Then the elevator started to go.. we just kept hearing beeps. Since we were going to be there 5 days, this would not work. I went to front deck... Super nice about moving us right away. The 2nd room was the normal size and bigger with no elevator taking up space. However our room was literally next to the outside bar gathering area. ( We had a door that went out there) The 1st night was not bad since it was Monday. It got peaceful about 930. Tuesday it was bit later. Thursday..ugggg.. soooo loud. They closed at 11 so everyone seem to leave by 1130ish. We had had a long day and we're ready to sleep by 10. They were kind to move us the next morning for a last night of peace. One other down fall, the hall. There are 2 elevators one to the garage one to the lobby. our second room was literally too long hallways, down away from the elevator, maybe kind of petty but annoying.. All in all the hotel is cute, if I was there for a party time, I'm sure the 2nd room would not have been an issue. They were very kind to move us. This all is just an FYI.
We love it here! Favorite boutique hotel in downtown Charleston! Good restaurant, coffee bar, and lounge spaces with indoor/outdoor bars.
Restaurantji Recommends
It was okay. For $400 a night I would go elsewhere. That price is outrageous for what they offer. The service is sub par, rooms are average. I stayed across the street at The Jasmine House for a day after this stay and liked it much better for half the price. I would suggest staying there instead. Way more character as well.
Day 1 at the hotel. I already got pros & cons of the hotel that I think paid for what it should worth.
Pros.
- cute enough for Insta & SNS
- good food & drinks from the restaurant
- good location (I’d rather stay at other spots at this price)
Cons.
- no sound proof between units. You can hear everything from next door.
- no fridge
- no bath robes
- hidden fees
- cleanness
Feels like a fancy college dorm. I think this hotel needs a lot to improve to get there…
Ryder review
3.5 Stars
Pros:
- Very nice and helpful staff
- Fantastic location
- Cool lobby and bar vibe
- Available bicycles and other playthings
Cons:
- “Suite” @ $431/night plus fees and taxes, does not include parking
- Very low quality mattress and bed linens, towels, bath tissue. Like shockingly cheap stuff reminiscent of a low end Caribbean all inclusive
- No fridge, no water, no nothing in room
- Old building, framing is musty and loud: thin walls, lots of noise from outside, inside hallways, other rooms
Conclusion:
Pay for the convenience - GREAT location and the place does have a bit of quirky cool - but do not expect a bargain or particularly impressive room amenities. Staff are super nice. Just know this is a redecorated Best Western.
A very pleasant and well-appointed property located conveniently to restaurants, shopping and historic sections of Charleston.
The rooms were spacious and comfortable. Hhe only suggestion I would make would be to install refrigerators and microwaves in the rooms.
Our paring valet, Chutney, was very gracious and took very good care of us during out stay.
The rug was dirty in the room and the ac did not work, but they offered another room. The hallway on the 3rd floor smelled like cat urine. The people and the service was excellent.
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