Hostel Takeover

No need to let holiday visitors cramp your spare bedroom. Our cheat sheet for outsourcing guests of every ilk at the Hub's best new (and like-new) hotels.

By Carmen D. Nobel and Emily A. Brown

Scenario 1: You’re allergic to Granny's bichon frisé; Granny's allergic to the city.

It's possible to not have to defend your urban square footage or spend the entire break zonked out on allergy meds. Opened in January this year, Hotel Indigo ($159-$354 per night, 399 Grove St., Newton, 617-969-5300, newtonboutiquehotel.com) has all the benefits of suburbia-free parking, easy access to I-95 and the Pike-while sleek guest rooms and the glitzy Bokx 109 steakhouse ensure a downtown feel. It also welcomes pets for an initial $35 fee. If Nana's pooch is a higher priority than her cityphobia, check her in at the Nine Zero Hotel ($269-$599 per night, 90 Tremont St., Boston, 617-772-5800, ninezero.com), where pets are welcomed with treats, rooms are stocked with water bowls, and pet grooming and massages (yes, pet massages) are available.

Scenario 2: You've slacked off on "greening" your home and need somewhere to stash your eco-maniac uncle.

Avoid the disapproving looks by sending your environmentally obsessed visitors to the eco-friendly Colonnade ($234-$259 per night, 120 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-424-7000, colonnadehotel.com). After a recent $20 million "reinvention," the Symphony-area hotel now offers chemical-free cleaning systems, energy-efficient and soundproof floor-to-ceiling windows, and fuel-saving Smart cars, used to run errands for hotel guests. Alternatively, the nearby Lenox ($195-$5,000 per night, 61 Exeter St., Boston, 617-536-5300, lenoxhotel.com) provides waterless urinals in the lobby men's room and low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint and carpeting in guest rooms.

Scenario 3: Your West Coast cousins came all this way-and won't be leaving anytime soon.

The new 16-suite Inn @ St. Botolph ($129-$249 per night, 99 St. Botolph St., Boston, 617-236-8099, innatstbotolph.com) lets guests make themselves at home for as long as they like. Each streamlined unit is equipped with a kitchenette and entertaining area, which, in conjunction with the South End's countless bakeries, grocery stores, and takeout options, takes the pressure off you to cook. Meanwhile, online booking, virtual check-ins, and keyless entry make these living quarters accessible sans lobby gauntlet and pesky paperwork.

Scenario 4: Your sister can't get enough of the Freedom Trail; your other sister has had plenty of it.

It overlooks Faneuil Hall, but after this year's $25 million renovation, the Millennium Bostonian ($199-$389 per night, 26 North St., Boston, 617-523-3600, millenniumhotels.com) will jibe with more-advanced-than-Paul-Revere tastes. In addition to its chic décor and updated amenities, the hotel is mere blocks from the North End's Italian restaurants, which will please foodies and red-sauce lovers alike. Those looking for harbor views should choose the Renaissance Boston Waterfront ($279-$329 per night, 606 Congress St., Boston, 617-338-4111, marriott.com). Its close proximity to the Boston Children's Museum, Boston HarborWalk, and the New England Aquarium will all but absolve you of tour guide responsibilities.

Originally published in Boston magazine, December 2008