The South’s coolest new hotels

The Dewberry

Charleston, South Carolina

Photograph courtesy of The Dewberry

From $300 | 305 miles from Atlanta
Directory: Fitness center, hip, historical, restaurant, romantic, rooftop, spa

References to Don Draper are inevitable, though hotel founder John Dewberry swears he’s never seen Mad Men. Here, as you settle into one of the lobby bar’s Danish Modern chairs and order an old-fashioned, you half expect to see the Rat Pack roll in. Who do roll in are clearly Charleston’s South-of-Broad cognoscenti: Southern Tide–clad bankers and King Street fashion types. It’s all very Garden & Gun—which, not coincidentally, is debuting its first gift shop here.

Art and Architecture
The Dewberry is located in the former L. Mendel Rivers Federal Building, commissioned by President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Before the hotel opened last summer, this relic had stood vacant since 1999. Dewberry, an Atlanta-based real estate developer, saw potential in the graceful arches, marble window surrounds, and prime location on Marion Square.

A self-professed control freak, Dewberry sweated every detail. To find the perfect marble, he and his fiancé, Jaimie Brown, went down a mineshaft in Vermont. The couple collected vintage furniture from Scandinavia and designed new pieces themselves. They also incorporated local materials like caning, tabby, and cypress.

Photograph courtesy of The Dewberry

Suite deal
Guest rooms feature cool retro furniture: boxy mohair velvet sofas, wing chairs upholstered in caramel crackled leather, brass lamps. Bathrooms have floor-to-ceiling marble, and in corner suites, glass shower rooms also contain bathtubs, where nearby church bells make you feel darn close to heaven.

Drinks and dining
Henrietta’s is a French brasserie with a Southern accent. In the morning, eggs Benedict arrive on a melt-in-your-mouth cheddar biscuit. In the evening, you can order Brussels sprouts with your steak frites. Coming soon: A rooftop bar offering dramatic city and river views.

Don’t Miss Tucked behind a vine-covered iron archway next to the patio is a bar table that seats 10, crafted from a 150-year-old water oak that could not be saved. —Betsy Riley

This article originally appeared in our May 2017 issue.