I don’t normally review cookie cutter business hotel chains. They’re adequate for the times I need a clean, comfortable, and convenient place to sleep between meetings, but generally indistinguishable from each other. However I was so pleasantly surprised by the friendly, efficient staff at this hotel that I felt compelled to break my rule and submit a review.

The front desk staff really shines here. In particular, Hope, Brenna, and Connie, are all-stars. They’re remarkably warm, outgoing, and efficient all day, every day. For example, somehow Brenna and Hope knew I was in Charleston for a job interview so they went out of their way to pump me up. The morning of my interview Brenna complimented my suit, wished me luck (and sounded sincere!), and made sure their shuttle driver delivered me to my destination with plenty of time to spare.

Enroute to my interview their driver, Marshall, kept me laughing with ‘stress exercises’ and stories about other job candidates he’s shuttled over the years. He even sent me off with step-by-step instructions on how to sign in at the front desk. It didn’t seem to matter to him that I’m a salt-and-pepper aged professional with more than 1.5 million travel miles under my belt. Marshall went out of his way to insure I was relaxed and ready for a long day of interviews.

When I returned to the hotel after nearly 9 hours of interviewing, Brenna and Hope welcomed me back with big smiles and calls of, “how’d it go?” After chatting for a few minutes Hope sensed I was a bit drained, so she gave me a restaurant recommendation and shooed me off to dinner.

Even when I lodged a complaint, Brenna was fantastic. This is a non-smoking hotel, but the guest in the adjoining room smoked anyway. I had a deep chest cold and cough during my stay and unfortunately his smoke wafted into my room. I stopped by the front desk and let Brenna know about the smoker as I headed out of the hotel for the day. She apologized and assured me they’d take care of the problem. I’ve heard that before at other chain hotels and thought, ‘yea right, you’ll take care of this.’

To my surprise she immediately picked up the phone and gave detailed instructions to housekeeping about how to address the problem. When I returned to the hotel later that night Brenna and Hope gave me the most detailed explanation of how they resolved the problem I’ve ever received from a hotel --all the while apologizing for the inconvenience it caused me.

I had several other positive interactions with all three of these gals during my visit, and can summarize my experience by saying they are poster children for how to run a quality, customer-friendly front desk. Other hoteliers should come and take lessons from them.

Over the next three days I also observed a breakfast staff that would make most 4-star hotel restaurants envious. Everyone wore big smiles and hustled non-stop. And while the hotel offers only a modest breakfast selection (standard starches, cereals, Activa yoghurt, waffle maker, fruit, etc.) the staff works hard to make sure everything is presented perfectly and never runs low. They also kept the dining area spotless, which I really appreciated. It was obvious to me that the entire dining room staff takes pride in their work --and it shows!

Speaking of spotless, my room was immaculate. Not a stray hair or smudge on any surface, clean bathroom, etc. The same is true for every other part of the hotel, from the lobby to the workout center. Their attention to detail is a step above most hotels I’ve stayed in.

In summary, if you’re heading to Daniel Island or need to stay outside of Downtown Charleston, and are looking for a clean, friendly, well run, comfortable, hotel that provides stellar service at a reasonable price, I can highly recommend the Hampton Inn.

And to the staff and management of the Hampton Inn Daniel Island: great job and thank you for making my stay so enjoyable.

Stayed here for 5 nights while at Blackbaud training. The hotel provided transportation to and from the Blackbaud training facility along with airport, downtown, and area transportation if needed. This was my second stay here, the first being 5 years ago. The hotel has improved since my last visit. They no longer have smoking rooms which is nice. The rooms, especially bathrooms could use a little updating, maintenance. My a/c unit had a rattle that I fixed by putting in a piece of carboard on the vent. The area could use more places to eat because the only walking distance is the restaurant at the hotel and it is very expensive and not very good. Overall, I would definitely stay again.

Second stay. Clean, friendly. Great for a quick trip when visiting family.

We stayed several nights while attending a tennis event. The staff was helpful and friendly. Our first room was too close to the maids quarters. In spite of being full for the weekend they found us a "quieter" room (I am a very light sleeper). The rooms were clean and well kept. The free breakfast was more than adequate. We will stay here again when we are in the area.