Emeline Reviews

Emeline is the kind of place that understands restraint, and then elevates it.

From the moment you arrive, there’s an immediate sense of intention. Nothing feels excessive, yet everything feels considered. The design carries a quiet confidence, layered textures, thoughtful details, and a warmth that invites you to settle in rather than simply pass through.

What stood out most was the atmosphere. It doesn’t ask for attention, it earns it. The spaces feel curated, not decorated, which creates a rhythm throughout the property that is both relaxed and refined.

Service followed that same tone, present, polished, and intuitive without ever feeling overdone. It allowed the experience to unfold naturally, which is a rare and appreciated balance.

Emeline doesn’t try to impress in obvious ways. Instead, it leaves a lasting impression through how effortlessly it makes you feel considered.

A beautifully executed stay, and one I would return to with intention.

Our experience having our wedding at Emeline this past May was amazing! The whole process from start to finish was seamless. Cornelious was awesome to work with. He responded quickly to every question I had up until the wedding day, made sure we had everything we needed, and it’s obvious he is passionate about what he does and the people he works with. Emeline was the perfect place for our wedding and all of our guests had the best time staying in the hotel for the weekend. The wedding packages make wedding planning so easy because you don’t have to outsource many other vendors. We got so many compliments on the food, how gorgeous the space was, and how professional the whole team at Emeline was. I can’t say enough good things about this venue!! We will be coming back to stay for years to come :)

Cornelious was incredibly helpful and responded quickly to all my questions. The staff was fantastic on my wedding day, ensuring everything ran smoothly. My guests couldn’t stop raving about the bartender, and the food was absolutely delicious—truly the best wedding meal I’ve ever had!

From start to finish, working with Hotel Emeline was an absolute pleasure, and that is largely due to their incredible team. Cornelious, the Director of Catering, was exceptional throughout the planning process. He was attentive, organized, and always a step ahead, making sure every detail was thoughtfully executed. On the wedding day, after some last-minute adjustments during the rehearsal, he ensured everything was updated seamlessly, relaying all changes to his team with precision. His presence throughout dinner service provided such peace of mind—he truly went above and beyond to make sure everything went off without a hitch.

The banquet team at Hotel Emeline is nothing short of top-tier. Kaitlin, the Banquet Director, and Brooke, the Captain, ran an impeccable service, making sure every guest was well taken care of and enjoying themselves. Their professionalism, warmth, and attention to detail were evident in every interaction.

If you’re looking for a venue with an outstanding team that genuinely cares about their clients and guests, Hotel Emeline is it. The level of service and hospitality they provide is unmatched, and I can’t recommend them enough!

I cannot say enough about how amazing the wedding planning process has been at the Emeline with Cornelious Martinet, the Director of Catering and Events. He is professional, in a personal way, responsive and dedicated. The item at top of my list for "AHHH this is amazing!" is the diagram that he creates for the ceremony and reception area. For those brides that are type A or have a hard time visualizing things this was a game changer. I know so many ladies that spend hours on Canva and still aren't able to create what they need. He does it FOR you and will adjust and move things as you want! He has been super responsive: mind you my wedding is in another year, but he treats me as if its next month. He is very willing to toss around ideas and give you honest feedback. I have had such a stress-free planning experience and I attribute all of that to my amazing easy-going mom, a hand on groom and Cornelious! If you're on the fence about locking in Emeline- DO IT! 10/10 you won't regret!

Kaitlyn and the Hotel Emeline team were extremely responsive and helpful with executing a plated dinner in the courtyard for a rehearsal dinner I planned. The service was great and they were able to adjust the space after the dinner to accommodate the Welcome Party afterwards. I highly recommend this space and staff for all your future event needs!

We stumbled upon Emeline just months after they opened in July of 2020. We were so glad we did - it was an absolute dream! The venue has so much unique beauty and character. We did a package with included pretty much everything and we had a day of venue coordinator, Rebecca that made our day absolutely flawless and stress free. Would HIGHLY recommend!

My husband and I were married at Hotel Emeline in April of 2024. This was the perfect venue for us. Not only if it perfectly located downtown for our out of town guest to take in all that Charleston has to offer, but the greenery and homey-ness of the hotel was just what we wanted. All of our guests loved the service, food, and especially that all wedding events were in one location. Kaitlyn and her team made sure every detail was perfect and all visions came to life.

We got married at Emeline in December and everything about our wedding day was absolutely perfect! We got married in the courtyard with the fireplace as the backdrop and were able to have the fireplace on which really added a perfect cozy feel for our December wedding. We had cocktail hour in the greenhouse space while the team from Emeline flipped the courtyard space for dinner. The greenhouse space is stunning without having to add any decoration at all. The hanging plants and chandeliers, as well as the abundance of plants on the sides give it such an elegant feel all on its own. I was also so impressed with how quickly the team was able to flip the courtyard space for dinner. The attention to detail was great even in such a short amount of time and the tablescapes looked exactly, if not better, than I'd planned. The dinner itself, as well as all the other food throughout the evening, was incredible!! All of our guests raved about the food and we were so impressed! It tasted great and the portions were generous, definitely no one went hungry that night. The service was wonderful throughout the night and everything ran so smoothly. I thought it was really nice that, even though we didn't utilize the ballroom spaces for the event, we still had access to them. Our vendors were able to use it as a staging area and we were able to easily store things there.

As some other reviews have mentioned, the response time was sometimes a little slow, but as the event got closer and it was actually necessary to get a timely response, the response time was great. I thought Kaitlyn was wonderful to work with and absolutely made sure I had the information I needed by when I needed it.

Overall, we were very impressed with the service and value for money at Emeline. In a city like Charleston, all wedding venues are going to be expensive. I think the amount of things that are included at Emeline and the level of service on event day absolutely makes it worth it. The courtyard and greenhouse spaces are so gorgeous on their own that it really makes it easy to save money on flowers and decor as well. We are so happy that we chose to get married at Emeline and are so happy that we can go back to celebrate for years to come.

We were married at the Emeline in February and recommend the venue for weddings big & small.

The décor was amazing, the food spectacular. We did not need to bring extensive florals into the space because of the gorgeous greenery, which matched our color scheme perfectly. The location could not be better; everything is walkable so out of-town guests will naturally be entertained. The hotel is pricey, but the vast array of lodging within walking or uber distance means there are options for every budget.

The Emeline knew how to be creative with the space and had the infrastructure to support our wedding. The ceremony was held in the courtyard, then we moved everyone to the greenhouse for cocktail hour, during which the entire courtyard was converted into a seated dinner setup. The staff moved with speed and discretion; two curtains between greenhouse/courtyard and in the ballroom hallway meant we did not see any of the conversion process. Seating for 110 people was flawlessly arranged with 7-piece settings, décor, florals and menus within a half hour.

Our advice for future couples; stay vigilant during the administrative processes leading up to the wedding. We had the impression the event management is understaffed. Kaitlyn was lovely, accommodating & professional, but was prone to delayed responses & documentation errors that created confusion. After an enchanting, full service tasting, they lost their notes of our food & wine selections – forcing us to speculate on what we did. Overall, our wedding planners helped to mitigate this, but the extra effort must be mentally budgeted for.

The Emeline is still a relatively young venue & thus is naturally prone to these types of errors. I would expect them to be ironed out so please do not let that dissuade you from hosting an event there. The Emeline was generous at every opportunity, providing napkins to match our scheme & upgrading our immediate families to suites for no extra charge. It was the best night of our lives (so far), and we can’t thank the Emeline enough.

Pros
- Space: Hotel Emeline is a beautiful venue. It was the perfect space to host our small wedding (~55 people) in the fall. The fireplace (that they turned on for the ceremony!), garden/greenery backdrop, the warm string lights and chandeliers made our event so cozy and intimate. Our ceremony was in the Courtyard and the reception was in the Greenhouse. Our cocktail hour was moved to the foyer because it started raining, but it worked out well.
- Catering: We loved our wedding menu and received many compliments from our guests. Sarah guided us through our wedding tasting, and she was receptive and detail oriented. They listened to and incorporated our feedback on the dishes. The service staff were friendly, professional, and easy to work with. They even packed us leftovers as they saw my husband and I didn’t have a lot of time to enjoy our hors d'oeuvres and dinner.
- Convenience: We loved that we could have the whole wedding event— ceremony, cocktail hour, reception— in one location so that our guests wouldn’t have to travel. Having the catering on-site was one less thing to worry about. We also didn’t need a lot of extra décor because of the natural beauty of the space. The location is at the heart of downtown Charleston, making it easy for guests to walk if they were staying downtown, use rideshares, or drive (there are several parking garages nearby as well as metered street parking).


Cons
- Communication/Events: Kaitlyn, the catering manager, was helpful, flexible, and personable. But, communicating with her was a challenge. We understand she’s probably busy with many other events and may be understaffed, but her average email response time was 2–3 weeks, which was frustrating. She also never picked up her phone. Eventually, our planner got involved which made it a little easier for us, but overall, it remained a challenge.
- Communication/Venue: In general, it is difficult to reach the people you need to talk to at Emeline. There was an accounting issue we needed to clear up, and I called the accounting department several times, but no one ever answered. We escalated this to Kaitlyn who was able to connect us to the right person, but it was a hassle.
- Attention to detail: Most of our wedding details on our BEO were correct, but there were small mistakes that we had to correct. I checked in on our hotel reservation for the wedding weekend a few days before and there was a mistake that we had to fix as well. I would recommend taking notes and keeping track of/closely reviewing all decisions, details, etc. Pay close attention to your itemized invoices so you don’t have the wrong things or get overcharged/charged incorrectly.


Though Hotel Emeline was challenging to work with at times, we loved our wedding. If we had to do it again, I think we would still choose Emeline. The beauty of the space, the food, and friendliness and professionalism of the staff were highlights!