Hotel Emeline Historic Restoration

Location

Charleston, SC

Market Sectors

  • Hospitality

Sub Sectors

  • Adaptive Reuse
  • Food/Beverage - Restaurant/Bar
  • Historic
  • Hotel/Motel
  • Infrastructure - Building/Site Utilities
  • Retail

Client

RB Historic Charleston

Partners

  • DLR Group
  • RB Hotel Development

Restoring an aging downtown Charleston hotel into a luxury boutique hotel that honors its historic significance

Situated in the heart of Charleston’s Historic District, Hotel Emeline began as a sight for sore eyes. An aging building nestled in a prime location on Church Street just steps away from the historic City Market, the structure had been standing for well over 100 years having served multiple purposes, including several chain hotels. In 2019, work began to restore the building into a 212-guest room luxury boutique hotel, complete with upscale food and drinks, high-end guest rooms and a thoughtfully curated atmosphere.

69,322
Square Feet
Historic Hotel
Restoration & Preservation
212
Guest Rooms
$1M+
In Cost Savings
Challenging
Site Logistics
Our team devised creative solutions to preserve several historic elements of the building, including the front doors, which have been in place since 1852.
Three different models of the guest rooms were constructed to aid the client in selecting finishes and other design elements.
Getting involved early in the design phase helped identify several cost-saving opportunities for elements such as the mechanical system and material selection.
All work was completed while the adjoining hotel and high-end retail spaces remained occupied.

Creating a modern oasis with historic significance

The project aimed to offer guests an upscale experience while honoring the building’s history. Guest rooms were rebuilt into larger spaces with modern bathrooms and local decor. The new lobby (or ‘the living room’ as hotel employees refer to it) welcomes visitors with local design elements that reflect the city’s heritage. A new restaurant and bar serve local cuisine and craft cocktails, catering to both guests and Charleston residents. An upgraded courtyard with seating and a stone fireplace, along with a new coffee shop, revitalized corridors, and a restored ballroom complete the hotel’s transformation.

The consummate Southern hostess

The inspiration behind Hotel Emeline is a well-traveled collector with a taste for timeless things. Locally sourced and inspired elements can be found in every corner of the space, from framed vintage postcards with nautical themes and locally roasted coffee to a Crosley turntable in each suite that comes stocked with a copy of a record compiled by experts at the John Street music store, Record Stop. A dream years in the making, no detail was left unturned in the client’s pursuit of a truly unique guest experience.

Cultivating guest experience through a hands-on approach

The project team took an extremely collaborative, hands-on approach throughout this project to ensure quality from start to finish. The end-user experience was considered in every decision, from hotel layout and functionality to the addition of amenities. Three different model rooms were built to help the client decide on materials and finishes for the guest room design. Over the life of the project, 26 mock-ups were created to assess everything from millwork to ironwork and concrete, offering the opportunity for end-user needs to be thoroughly vetted before installation.

Side Story

The Barringer Way

Cost Saving Measures

Through early involvement, our team identified several cost-saving opportunities. We saved $500,000 by phasing the project around revenue-generating events and provided over $1.2 million in value engineering options for the mechanical system to ensure code compliance and budget-friendliness. Additionally, by working with our design partners and subcontractors to use standard, in-stock materials and finishes, we achieved another $100,000 in savings for the client.

“Thank you for helping us budget, design, construct, project manage, engineer, value engineer, install, and do all of the other things on a daily basis that I am probably forgetting. If I could have this team on every project, I would!”

— Richard Betourne, Vice President, RB Hotel Development