When I put out calls on Instagram for Charleston recommendations, so many people responded with: “OMG you have to stay at Zero George!” (or some variation of this). I’d never heard of the property before, but as I’m one to live my life dictated by the social media guidance of others, I immediately looked into it and nabbed a room for two nights at Charleston’s coolest boutique hotel, especially after seeing hundreds of five-star reviews on Yelp and TripAdvisor.
And the reviewers weren’t wrong. We needed only to step foot in the courtyard of the swanky-cool property at the corner of George Street and East Bay to know this was a place SVV and I were going to like. A lot.
We tend to gravitate toward smaller, quieter properties—like the Vendue—and anything with a great backstory. With just 18 rooms and suites split between five different historic buildings and a history rooted in patriotism, Zero George hit both of those criteria. It also bears the distinction of owning a coveted spot on Conde Nast Traveler’s Hot List in 2014 after debuting the previous year.
There are many different iterations of the property over the years, with purchases, mergers, subdivisions and building relocations, but once you see where the property is located in Charleston, you’ll quickly understand why this was the case. Talk about ideal real estate! It’s right on the edge of the prettiest part of downtown and couldn’t be easier to navigate about with your borrowed bicycle. The place, like much of Charleston, breathes significance.
Our room was indeed lovely and outfitted with modern essentials, as expected in a classy joint like this. We didn’t spend a whole lot of time inside because we were busy eating our way through the city, but it was a nice retreat at the end of the day when we were exhausted from biking and deeply entrenched in food comas.
Sadly, we didn’t get to try the restaurant, Zero Cafe Bar, but the menu looked phenomenal and people raved about the dinner, so I’m thinking that gets top priority next time we’re visiting Charleston (i.e. hopefully soon). The test kitchen right in the lobby always smelled ridiculously good as either cooking classes or guest chefs rotate through on a regular basis.
Ultimately, what I loved the most was that everything was included: breakfast, wine and cheese pairings in the afternoon, bikes, bottled water, sodas, fancy coffee drinks. You didn’t have to pay a dime once you’d checked in, unless you wanted dinner at the cafe.
Because, really, what more can you ask for in a hotel than to not have to worry about a single thing after you arrive?
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Looking for more travel tips for Charleston?
- Where to Eat in Charleston: The Best Restaurants
- Another Boutique Hotel in Charleston
- Charleston by Bike: Pedaling Around the Holy City
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This looks beautiful! I think I love the bikes the most, but wine pairings in the afternoon certainly don’t hurt 🙂
Right? I almost said no because I was so full, but it was free and looked amazing, so obviously I caved 😉