To summarize our experience, this hotel felt dirty, dingy, outdated, and unsafe. The staff appeared…read moreinadequately trained in customer service and ADA requirements. We saw little evidence of regular cleaning, repairs, or maintenance.
We stayed at the Hyatt in North Charleston with family members from August 14-16, 2026, in two rooms, including one reserved as an accessible room with a walk-in shower. We needed to remain in the area to assist an ill family member; otherwise, we likely would have checked out shortly after arriving.
At check-in, I was asked for a card for an incidental hold. I explained that I had checked in online and a hold had already been placed on my card, but the clerk insisted there was none and processed another transaction. For two days after checkout, three separate holds remained on my card for two rooms.
I then asked which room was accessible. The clerk began discussing room floors and bed types and appeared not to understand what "accessible" meant. After explaining that we needed an ADA-accessible room, he admitted he did not know and suggested that we inspect both rooms ourselves and return if neither was accessible.
After waiting for a luggage cart, we headed toward our rooms. The same attendant saw my service dog and approached me about paying a pet deposit. I explained that the dog is a service animal and that this was noted in my reservation. Later, when my husband informed the desk which room we were occupying, the clerk insisted that I return and pay a pet fee because he could not find the notation in the reservation. I ultimately spoke with another staff member, who understood that the dog was a service animal under the ADA and resolved the issue. This should never have escalated to that point.
The hotel appeared not to have been significantly renovated or repaired in many years. The décor was outdated, walls were peeling, carpets were stained, and we observed bugs in the bathrooms. Both rooms smelled strongly of mold, and everyone in our group experienced allergy problems during the stay. Television service also went out during a thunderstorm.
During our two-night stay, we spent significant time waiting for what appeared to be the only operating elevator. It was extremely old, slow, and dirty. On the third floor, the door opened so slowly that we were unsure whether it fully opened. There was also no air conditioning in the third-floor hallway during a heatwave, although other floors appeared to have air conditioning. A plastic cup was left on the elevator floor during breakfast Saturday morning and was still there when we checked out Sunday, more than 24 hours later.
We travel frequently and have stayed at hotels of many different service levels. Normally, we see housekeeping staff working throughout the day or employees cleaning common areas. During our stay, we saw no visible evidence of routine cleaning.
There is a back door leading to a grassy area that initially appeared suitable for walking our service dog. One evening, however, I encountered two individuals in that area who immediately gathered a large black trash bag and quickly left when they heard the door open. This made me feel uncomfortable and unsafe using the area, particularly at night.
We also observed individuals spending extended periods in the lobby and others entering and leaving the property in ways that made us uncomfortable. On more than one occasion, people appeared to be using the lobby as a place to remain for long periods, possibly overnight. Regardless of the circumstances, the atmosphere contributed significantly to our feeling that the property was not adequately monitored or secure.
On the morning of our departure, we were unable to locate a luggage cart. Although the front desk claimed there were two carts, I never saw both available at the same time. One cart was occupied for hours with another guest's belongings. Because we were traveling with a service dog and had specifically requested accessible accommodations, carrying everything ourselves was particularly difficult. Two members of our group made four separate trips between the rooms and the car, using the slow elevator each time, before finally beginning our 12-hour drive home.
The checkout process was a fitting end to an extremely disappointing stay. We left exhausted, frustrated, and relieved to be leaving. What makes this experience even more disappointing is that I have attempted to contact Hyatt through multiple channels since our stay and have received no response.
I expect Hyatt to take these concerns seriously and respond regarding the condition of this property, the lack of proper staff training concerning accessibility and service animals, the apparent maintenance and cleanliness issues, and the overall safety concerns we experienced.