By Tom Crosby 
Charleston's Planters Inn, first built in 1844 and renovated and expanded by 21 rooms in 1998, has the most prestigious tourist location in the city - the corner of Market and Meeting Streets right next to the historic Market Street Head building.
Dubbed an historic country inn by AAA, it has been an AAA rated Four Diamond property for five years and has gained recognition over the past several years as a romantic get-away for visits to romantic Charleston.
The 62-room Inn's location puts you in the heart of Charleston's walking, shopping and sightseeing streets but provides a minor challenge for first time visitors who must negotiate narrow and often congested one-way streets to find North Market Street, located between East Bay and Meeting Street.
The four-story building, with a light pink facade, welcomes visitors through a green-canopied entrance opposite a pair of temporary parking spaces for loading and unloading. All Inn parking is by valet, due to the smallness of the parking lot, for a fee of $10 a day. (Parking is always at a premium in downtown Charleston).
 Entering the lobby, gusts of cooling air contrast sharply with the typical heat and humidity outside. The visitor's first glance likely will fall upon the commanding visage of Col. Wentworth, a famous Charleston planter in the mid-1800's, whose oversized portrait hangs in the middle of two walkways at the end of the front lobby.
A pineapple shaped antique crystal chandelier hangs overhead from the 12-foot high ceiling, on the right is a grand fireplace trimmed in brass beneath a gold-framed mirror on top of an ornate wooden oak mantle. On the left wall is an antique breakfront, next to the entrance a sitting room, reminiscent of an old Southern plantation's parlor. The floor is polished heart of pine with oriental rugs.
In the parlor, sweet, orange flavored iced tea sits in a large silver pot during the heat of the day, offering a refreshing respite. (Coffee is available from 8 pm to 11 am; tea the rest of the time). Piped music plays in the background as guests enjoy the parlor's restful and elegant ambiance, looking through windows at the hustle and bustle of commerce outside.
Couches and stuffed chairs offer comfort to review two huge concierge-style books - one for Charleston area restaurants, plantations, golfing and gardens; the other for events like the Charleston Symphony, Spoleto Festival, ghost and carriage tours, etc.
American Art Review magazine, a Relais & Chateaux photo book (the Planter's Inn is a member) and the New York Times newspaper are scattered about on side and coffee tables. A black, lacquered Chinese Schinsiserie sits against one wall and generates many inquiries by guests. (It is not for sale).
Between the parlor and the lobby, fresh flowers are found in at least ten different places, changed daily.
After check-in at the lobby desk on the left beyond the parlor, the remaining first-floor features include the Peninsula Grill positioned next to an entrance, out into the Inn's alley gateway, just below the Inn entrance off Market Street.
The hallway from the lobby to the Grill, and to the restrooms, is adorned with reviews of the restaurant and its renowned Chef Robert Carter. The Grill, rated Four Diamonds by AAA, is one of the most popular and praised restaurants in the city.
The bricked gateway, decorated by day with a young lady selling carriage rides with Carolina Polo Co., divides the hotel, with the old portion on the left and the newer portion on the right. It is between A Charleston Christmas Store and Kincaid art gallery and Spanish ceramics store that are located on the street level of the two hotel buildings. (A third store is the Club Ryno, resort-clothing store.
Along the gateway outdoor wrought iron the Grill, weather permitting, for outside evening dining. A knee-high concrete wall topped with greenery separates the alley from a greenery-encircled courtyard. Bubbling fountains, blossoming plants, palm trees and partiers create a mini-oasis from the commercial hub-bub of Market Street.
Frequently, the courtyard hosts weddings and private functions, as it sits outside an indoor first floor banquet area that can accommodate up to 200 guests. Another private area is the Charleston Room located behind the Peninsula Grill, seating 36, and accessed through the gateway and garden.
Of the Inn's commodious 62 rooms, 21 are located in the new section, 41 in the old. Among them are 12 different design themes, colors, patterns and room shapes.
 In the older building's rooms, you find high ceilings, canopied four-poster beds, oversized bathrooms and large closets with some rooms having working fireplaces.
The newer Southern-style decorated rooms have king-ssized canopied four-poster rice or Barbados (pineapple) beds, marble bathrooms with whirlpool baths and breezy loggias (verandahs) for overlooking the garden.
Prices per night range from $150 to $300, depending upon the season, for the 33 Queen rooms (double and single) and 23 King Deluxe rooms. The five Governor's Suites range from $250 to $450; the Proprietor's Suite from $350 to $600.
Typically, all bathrooms have marble sinks, matching marble floors and matching marble surround for the combination tub/shower. Shower curtains and skirting to cover the underside of the sink are color coordinated.
Amenities are Penhaligon's body lotion, shampoo and conditioner. Gilbert and Soames supply the shower cap and English herb shower/bath soap. Dressing mirrors are wall mounted. Some bathrooms have four rung tower towel racks on the wall. Weight scales are present in most rooms and full-length mirrors on the back of the bathroom door. Some rooms have whirlpool baths, others working gas fireplaces with brass furnishings.
Planter's Inn logo robes made in Turkey (one-third polyester, two thirds cotton so as to be lightweight and comfortable given Charleston's heat and humidity) hang in the closet, spare pillows may be found along with iron and ironing board.
A four-poster rice bed with hand-embroidered lace canopy made by Carolina women dominate the room. Wooden side tables, a writing desk, clothe backed wooden chairs and an armoire comprises the furniture. Literature includes a Relais and Chateaux directory, a promotional brochure on Hank's Seafood Restaurant (Hank Holliday, a former investment banker and Charleston native, owns the hotel and Hank's), and a guest services guide.
There are five styles of armories. Each contains a 55-channel television. Wall hangings are indigenous flora - flowers, plants, etc. -dried, pressed and framed. Porcelain vases imported from China were converted into lamps with wood bases and are present in all rooms.
In the new section of rooms with verandahs overlooking the courtyard, where the bulk of the $4 million 1998 expansion/renovation occurred.
In the 1844 building where the lobby is located, half of the wall hangings are original art; the others antique lithographs. All windows were replaced, using double paned insulated windows to help with sound and temperature.
Rooms with windows facing Market Street also come equipped with wooden shutters to help block out noise and streetlights. A sound machine to aid sleeping is available in every room.
On every bed is the Planter's Inn trademark, a stuffed Teddy Bear. (It is available for take-home for $39).
For businessmen, the hotel recently acquired a T-1 telephone line that allows each room to have two line phones with data ports for computers, faxes and other electronic gadgets. (Billing is tied to usage).
 In the new building, accessed only by activating the alley elevator with a brass room key, the L-shaped second and third floor terrazzo square balcony hallways are wide and decorated with huge potted shrubby and tete a' tete round wrought iron tables for two strategically placed against the walls, overlooking the manicured garden courtyard below. A wooden rocking bench waits outside the elevators. Doors are painted dark green, highlighting the brass doorknobs and brass room number plates.
In the old building, the elevator has warm, amber wood interior with brass railings. Taking it to the fourth floor, guests will find a terrace garden, rimmed on three sides by waist high trees, shrubs, bushes and flowers. Four sets of heavy wrought iron tables provide a place to have a drink or smoke a cigar. Scattered about are 14 huge potted plants. Guests come here for the fresh air since zoning regulations prohibit raising the height of the terrace above rooftop level.
For Planters Inn fans, an interesting sidelight will occur when the two-year renovation of the Market Head two-story stone and concrete edifice, built in 1841, is completed in the spring of 2001.
Questions remain as to whether the Daughters of the Confederacy, which began leasing it from the city in the 1920's, will do so again, when it is complete. The answer will be just outside the Planters Inn entrance.
Special features: Automatic bed turndown at night with Relais and Chateaux mints; continental in-room silver service ordered with a doorknob menu; girl selling Carolina Polo carriage rides at alley entrance; voice mail system, working fireplaces; wooden rocking benches on the verandahs; personalized greeting card for each guest from General Manager Larry Spelts; over half of all guest are return visitors or have been referred; large bathrooms and high ceilings in the rooms and, finally, a veteran staff that has remained there for several years.
2002 Award: Appearing in the cover story of Condé Nast Traveler's January 2002 issue, Planter's Inn was named one of the best hotels in the United States as well as one of the four "Best By Location" hotels in the United States.
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