Ten South Carolina hotels have been named among the best in the world by Travel + Leisure.
The list of the top 500 hotels comes from the publication’s World’s Best Awards reader survey. This year’s list included seven Charleston-area hotels and three others across South Carolina.
The list includes The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, The Dewberry, Hotel Bennett, John Rutledge House Inn, The Spectator Hotel, Wentworth Mansion and Zero George from the Charleston area.
Montage Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, Hotel Harness in Greenville and The Willcox in Aiken also made the list.
Tourism Week
Governor Henry McMaster proclaimed May 4-10 is Travel and Tourism Week in South Carolina to honor the Palmetto State’s more than $30 billion tourism industry.
The proclamation was unveiled during an event at the Governor’s Mansion, which gathered tourism leaders from every corner of the state. The event highlighted the role our state’s Welcome Centers and local visitor centers play in the overall tourism industry.
Rachel Knight, tourism director for Berkeley County, spoke at the event praising the state’s Front Porch Program, which staffs state welcome centers with tourism officials.
“The Front Porch Program has been an invaluable asset in amplifying Berkeley County’s tourism reach,” Knight said. “By actively engaging with the dedicated staff at South Carolina’s Welcome Centers, we’ve been able to directly connect with travelers as they begin their journeys through our state. A friendly welcome paired with a local recommendation makes visitors to the Berkeley County Welcome Center feel comfortable and connected to our community.”
The nationwide celebration of National Travel and Tourism Week was created by Congress in 1983 to promote travel.
Free Admission
The International African American Museum’s “Unsettled Things” exhibit is on display through May 4.
Residents and visitors can enjoy free general admission at two downtown Charleston attractions May 3-4, albeit with one crucial detail: They have to be a Bank of America cardholder.
The Charlotte-based lender’s Museums on Us program offers tickets for the International African American Museum and Gibbes Museum of Art on the first weekend monthly.
This weekend is the last chance to see ‘Unsettled Things: Art from an African American South’ at IAAM, since the exhibit ends May 4. Meanwhile the ‘Beeple’ exhibit at the Gibbes Museum ends May 11.
Tickets must be redeemed in person with a Bank of America-issued credit or debit card, along with a photo ID.
Back at the BAR
A proposed 27-key hotel in downtown Charleston is heading back before the city’s Board of Architectural Review for conceptual approval.
The proposal at 657 King St. was restructured under new ownership to become a suite-style boutique hotel. Plans show a first-floor restaurant and café, as well as a rooftop pool and bar.
A boutique hotel is proposed for 657 King St., near the Septima P. Clark Parkway overpass.
If the hotel eventually gains the three stamps of approval from the city board, it would be King Street’s northernmost lodging to date.
The BAR meets on May 14 at 4:30 p.m. at 2 George St.
Real ID
ID enforcement at Charleston International and other airports across the country are about to get “real” as the May 7 deadline approaches for flyers to have their Real ID in hand.
The Transportation Security Administration and the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles are reminding travelers to ensure they have a REAL ID-compliant form of identification if they are boarding an airplane for a domestic flight on or after May 7.
Travelers without an approved form of ID after the deadline could face delays at airport security checkpoints. Short of showing a valid passport, proof of Real ID will be required to board a domestic flight, enter a secure federal building or visit a military installation.
