The Ryder Hotel

A Retro Pool Built to Be Seen From the Street

The Ryder opened in 2021 in Charleston's Historic District with ninety-one rooms across seventeen different layouts, designed by Cortney Bishop with architecture from Goff D'Antonio Associates, and the whole property is organized around a single idea: the pool deck should be the thing a guest remembers, not an afterthought behind the lobby. The retro-shaped pool, lined with custom Dedon daybeds and backed by a wall-sized tropical mural from Headspace Murals, is visible from Meeting Street rather than hidden away, and it sets the tone for rooms done in light-stained wood, mosaic tile, and bohemian rather than colonial-reproduction furnishings, a look closer to a Palm Springs motor lodge than a Lowcountry inn.

Why It Works

We chose this hotel because it commits to a specific, coherent mood rather than the generic Charleston-boutique formula of exposed brick and rocking chairs. Little Palm, the hotel's indoor-outdoor bar, comes from Gin & Luck, the hospitality group behind the Death & Co cocktail bars, and the drinks list shows it: proper technique applied to a poolside setting most hotels would staff with a blender and a bottle of well tequila. The mezzanine lounge, with its fireplace and vintage furniture, gives the property a second mood entirely once the sun goes down and the pool crowd thins out.

Why This Location

Meeting Street places the hotel inside the Historic District proper, close enough to the City Market and Marion Square that both are a short walk in either direction, and central enough that King Street's restaurants and the Charleston Music Hall are reachable without a car. The location favors a guest who wants the pool and bar scene at the hotel itself to be part of the trip, not just a place to return to after sightseeing, while still keeping the market and the museums within easy reach for the daytime hours, and it puts the hotel's own courtyard within earshot of the King Street evening crowd without sitting on top of it.

Fast Facts

• Price: $$ (premium)

• Vibe: Tropical, bohemian, cocktail-forward

• Rooms: 91, across 17 layouts

• Best For: Couples, design-minded travelers, guests who prioritize a pool scene

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the retro pool deck with custom Dedon daybeds

• Dining: Little Palm (Gin & Luck cocktail bar, indoor-outdoor)

• Amenities: pool deck, mezzanine lounge with fireplace, pet-friendly, fitness center

• Attractions: City Market (8 min walk), Marion Square (10 min), King Street (5 min)

A Cocktail Pedigree Most Pool Bars Don't Have

Gin & Luck built its reputation on the Death & Co bars in New York, Denver, and beyond, and Little Palm carries that same attention to technique into a Charleston pool setting, mixing proper cocktails rather than the frozen-drink menu a typical hotel pool bar defaults to. The bar runs indoor-outdoor, with private booths for a group that wants distance from the pool deck and open seating for anyone who wants to be in the middle of it, and it is as much a reason to book as the rooms above it.

Ninety-One Rooms, Seventeen Ways to Book Them

The room count spreads across seventeen distinct layouts, from compact standards to suites with pool-deck views, all sharing the same palette of light wood, mosaic tile, and vintage-inspired furnishings rather than a single template repeated at scale. Cortney Bishop's interiors lean bohemian without tipping into costume, and the range of layouts means a couple, a small group, and a solo traveler can each find a room built for how they actually plan to use it, rather than a one-size hotel box, right down to which units look directly over the pool and which sit quieter toward the street.