The Vendue

"How did it strike you on arrival?A row of historic warehouses dating to 1780 were combined into this sprawling boutique hotel, with each facade true to its original historic color, so you experience a "rainbow row" effect before walking into the ultra-mod lobby. There is no check-in desk. No need for one. The Vendue has flipped that tradition on its head. Instead, you can either check in remotely, with a mobile key option, and head straight to your room, or you can just show up to be greeted and ushered over to Mad Hatter-style seating beneath over-the-top chandeliers for a fluid, fun check-in process—seated, relaxed, conversational. Across the street, there's an extension of the hotel, likewise a living gallery with a resident artist at work in an open studio. What’s the crowd like?This place is not for traditionalists or the faint of heart, but creatives and adventurers will love its wild nooks and surprises (like French inscriptions written on your bathroom mirror, or a bowtied fox watching you brush your teeth). The good stuff: Tell us about your room.You could stay at The Vendue 84 consecutive times, experience the 84 different rooms, and be surprised every time. Each one has a different size and layout due to the antique bones and meandering passageways of the building itself: some have fireplaces, some have exposed brick. Little frivolities abound, like French bulldog doorknockers, and gilded “hands” as curtain pulls. In keeping with the current red-&-white theme, you’ve got ruby red showerheads against pristine white tile, so even bathing is an artistic foray. Lather up with ROAM products, a blend of aloe, prairie wheat, and grape extracts, then dive into very comfortable beds. The hotel has swapped out its period antiques for modern. How about the little details, any of that worth a mention?There’s a white player piano in the lobby with plexiglass legs (very Elton John) programmed with a library of thousands of songs. It can even cue a back-up of drums, sax, and guitar. Food and drink: What do we have here?Cuisine at Revival incorporates authentically local and historical ingredients like resurrected Jimmy Red Corn grits and Nostrale rice, once thought extinct. Another food option is to take the elevator up to the rooftop bar for loaded tots, salads, dips, tacos, and key lime pie. The hotel also offers evening cookies and milk to ease your slumber. Bottom line: worth it, and why?Boldly unorthodox: a daring and whimsical avant-garde art hotel in one of Charleston’s oldest buildings." - Allston McCrady