Montage Palmetto Bluff leads SC hotels on Best in U.S. list

A long lineup of Lowcountry and South Carolina lodgings were recognized as one of year’s “Best Hotels in the U.S.” by U.S. News & World Report.
This time, a Charleston property isn’t taking the lead.
The 2026 rankings highlighted more than a dozen Palmetto State hotels among thousands across more than 400 destinations. The list factors included ratings, the aggregate opinion of published travel experts and the overall customer satisfaction expressed in online guest reviews.
Montage Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton ranked among the top 10 for best U.S. hotels.
It was followed by numerous Charleston-area properties and one from the Upstate: The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort (No. 14), The Dunlin-Auberge Collection (No. 29), Hotel Bennett (No. 39), Zero George (No. 45), Wentworth Mansion (No. 53), The Charleston Place (No. 72), The Loutrel (No. 104), The Dewberry Charleston (No. 184), French Quarter Inn (No. 209), The Spectator Hotel (No. 229), Hotel Hartness in Greenville (No. 243) and The Beach Club at Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina (No. 339).
Other hotels topping the list were in larger destinations like Hawaii, Chicago, New York and Boston.
Several of Charleston’s top hotels also made the “Best Resorts in the U.S.” list, including Montage Palmetto Bluff, The Sanctuary, The Dunlin and Hotel Bennett.
Snow fallout
Charleston’s hospitality scene took a bit of a hit this month during the brief weekend storm that blanketed the Lowcountry with snow Jan. 31-Feb. 1.
Daniel Guttentag, director of the College of Charleston’s Office of Tourism Analysis, said the weather started impacting demand the day before the storm and lingered for several days after.
Hotel occupancy was down 24 percent on Friday, Jan. 30, and 29.4 percent the day of the snowstorm the next day compared to the same time frame the year prior.
“Presumably, there’s a number of people who were otherwise going to come to Charleston either canceled or rescheduled trips last minute, knowing the snow storm was imminent. Things are a little bit slower than normal until midweek,” Guttentag said.
Compared to the January 2025 snowstorm, the current impact was similar but lasted fewer nights. The January 2025 storm happened mid-week which Guttentag said lessened the impact of it on hotel night, which are typically slower mid-week.
Opening soon
The planned March 1 opening of The Cooper is on the radar of international hospitality and tourism publications and being hailed as one of the most anticipated hotel openings of the year worldwide.
Years in the works, the waterfront Charleston property was ranked highly on Business Traveler’s list, which summarized the luxury hotel as a “coastal escape with a strong sense of place.”
“With 191 rooms overlooking the harbor, a private marina, and a sizable spa, it brings a resort sensibility to a city better known for intimate inns,” the publication further explained.
Vouge and Bloomberg also offered praised, with a Vouge writer calling the design “a new era of Southern living.”
Rescheduled
Due to the weather forecast, Folly Beach’s Sea & Sand Festival has been rescheduled, Visit Folly shared on Facebook. Salty Saturday will now take place on Feb. 28 and Sand Sculpting Sunday will be held on March 1.
Mermaids wave tails goodbye
The mermaid magic at the South Carolina Aquarium will soon be gone.
Each weekend in February, the mythical sea creatures have been showing off their shimmering tails with underwater performances for guests and bringing a splash of fantasy to the display tanks.
The promotion was brough back earlier this month after an eight-year hiatus. The 2026 mermaids are with Wands and Wishes Mermaids, a group of professional aquarium performers skilled and certified in free-diving and scuba. Their performances are included with the price of general admission.
Now boarding
Travelers are using those frequent flyer miles in and out of South Carolina’s busiest airport this year. About 359,900 passengers flew in and out of Charleston International last month, a 4.8 percent increase from January 2025.