We visited Charleston during the week in September and chose the Lodge Alley Inn for the incredible rate we got through VRBO compared to everything else around. The pictures of what was shown on VRBO was just like the loft-style room we stayed in. The room was extremely clean and well-kept and had way more amenities than we knew we were getting (full kitchen). The staff (and everyone in CHS for that matter) were extremely friendly. We could not beat the location - it was super easy to walk to a lot of bars and restaurants, take the water taxi across the harbor, and explore the charm of churches, old homes, and historical places by foot. We only ventured out via car on 2 days to get to places further out of town.
We read some complaints in reviews about noise and paying for valet parking, and here is our take on it: yes, when we were quiet and did not have the TV on, you could hear other guests in hallway or next door. However, I wouldn’t expect anything different from an older building given the historical part of town it is in. It was quiet during evening and morning hours when we were in the room, and we were never bothered by it, but we are easy-going. Valet parking was about $40/day and to us it was worth it! The parking situation in Charleston is chaotic, and it was much easier to let the valet drivers take our car and call for it 15min prior to when we wanted to leave, then try to find public parking ourselves that was close enough to walk to it.