Boston Hotel Guide: Boston Hotels

Back Bay Hotel
Located on the site of the former BPD headquarters, the Back Bay Hotel (formerly Jurys Boston) is a far cry from the holding cells of yesteryear. Guests are welcomed by a two-story wall of trickling water, sparkling elevators, a lighted glass staircase, and a helpful staff. The Stanhope Grille, serving sophisticated American entrees (blackened angus burgers for lunch; filet and grilled mahi mahi for dinner), and Cuffs, the hotel’s pub, perfectly blend luxury and relaxation.

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Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro
With both modern convenience and historical significance, the Beacon Hill Inn is the perfect choice for a classic Boston visit. Off the brick, gas lamp-lit streets of the neighborhood’s main drag, the small inn features dedicated staff that lavishes attention on guests, and a homey bistro that serves exceptional French cuisine—and a great weekend brunch. 
 
Boston Harbor Hotel
This luxury hotel takes pride in its magnificent harbor views. Terraces allow guests to wander outside and relax as tall ships, whalers, and yachts pull in and out of the marina below. If you’re looking for a different sort of water therapy, the excellent Spa at Rowes Wharf offers a full array of body treatments and facials.

The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers
The Park Plaza’s Bacarat crystal chandeliers, balconies, and floor-to-ceiling windows will have you thinking you booked a room at Buckingham Palace. A member of the Historic Hotels of America, the place gleams with classic European style. Be sure to have afternoon tea in the Swan Café and a memorable dinner at celebrity chef Todd English’s in-house Bonfire Steakhouse.

The Chandler Inn Hotel
Located on a tree-lined street in one of the city’s coolest neighborhoods, this South End boutique hotel manages to be simultaneously hip and historic. Its early 20th-century façade houses 55 decidedly contemporary guest rooms decorated by local designers like Dennis Duffy and Eric Roseff. Easy access to the T’s Back Bay stop and proximity to the South End’s acclaimed restaurants makes the Chandler Inn a perfect spot. 
 
Charles Street Inn
This elegant bed and breakfast evokes the old-fashioned charm of Beacon Hill—but also offers non-Victorian amenities like whirlpool bathtubs and HDTVs. With only nine guest rooms, the hotel promises exceptional attention and the utmost privacy.

The Charles Hotel
Few hotels can boast politicians, dignitaries, and celebrities among their clientele. The Charles can. The Harvard Square hotel houses jazz and martini bars, a renovated presidential suite, a multimillion-dollar art collection, and two award-winning restaurants. The J. Crew–uniformed staff is discreet and efficient, while the down comforters, lavish minibars, and Origins bath products in the rooms are simply the icing on the cake.

Colonnade Hotel
Located among Boston’s finest cultural venues and shops in the heart of Boston’s historic Back Bay is the Colonnade Hotel. Its interior design demonstrates clean modernity with geometric lines and sophisticated color schemes. Its services and appliances are just as savvy. Be sure to bring your floaties for the rooftop pool! (It’s the only one in the city.)

Eliot Hotel
Austere lobbies and high-tech doodads certainly make an impression, but too many new luxury hotels try to conceal poor service behind flashy interior decorating. The Peter Niemetz–designed Eliot, outfitted with restored antiques, toile fabrics, and plush linens, has nothing to hide and much to offer, including 79 stately suites, 16 rooms, and a staff who seem to remember every repeat guest. And like the pre-upgraded Eliot, the Back Bay cornerstone still houses celebrity chef Ken Oringer, who heads the acclaimed Clio and Uni on the ground floor.

Fairmont Battery Wharf
It’s hard to decide which to mention first: the hotel’s harbor views, its world class spa, or Sensing, chef Guy Martin’s in-house restaurant dedicated to nouvelle cuisine. In the end, though, the hotel’s location itself may trump all other amenities—it’s just steps away from some of Boston’s top attractions, including the USS Constitution, Freedom Trail, Institute of Contemporary Art, and North End neighborhood. 
 
The Fairmont Copley Plaza
Classic and elegant, the Fairmont sits in the city’s shopping epicenter, close to Newbury Street, the Copley Mall, and the Prudential Center. When all the spending leaves you famished and exhausted, retire to the hotel’s famed Oak Room for a drink and an excellent steak.

Four Seasons
This local institution’s unflappable service, prime location overlooking the Public Garden, and stellar restaurants keep visitors and locals alike coming back. A recent makeover replaced timeworn furniture and outdated décor with flat-screen TVs and marble-topped dressers.

Hotel 140
A member of the National Register of Historic Places, Hotel 140 offers 55 guestrooms in a building that dates to 1929.  In addition to its historical value, guests enjoy reasonable rates, a prime Back Bay location, and classic American dishes at its Stuart Street Grille.

Hotel Commonwealth
After a long night of Red Sox pandemonium at Boston’s beloved Fenway Park—or a full day of shopping on Newbury Street—you’ll eagerly collapse at this nearby gem. The red-painted rooms boast European décor, while the hotel’s brasserie, Eastern Standard, is one of the city’s favorite nightspots.

Hotel Indigo
Located in the quiet suburb of Newton, this upscale hotel has urban flair. The poolside cabanas, clean-lined design, and BOKX 109 American Prime restaurant draw even dedicated cityphiles—thankfully, Newton’s Riverside T stop is just steps from the lodging’s front door.

Hotel Marlowe
Hotel Marlowe’s views include panoramas of the Charles River and the Boston skyline. The Cambridge hotel also prides itself on its dedication to “green” practices and eco-friendly behavior.

Hyatt Regency Cambridge
Situated on the Charles River, the Hyatt Regency Cambridge boasts a dramatic atrium-style lobby and the Riverview restaurant, equipped with a water-facing patio that practically requires patrons to nurse a cocktail on lazy summer evenings.

Inn at St. Botolph
Brownstone on the outside, luxury boutique hotel on the inside, this inn shares its name with the patron saint of travelers. Like its sister property, the renowned XV Beacon, the Inn at St. Botolph features modern interior design that’s unique in every room. Thanks to a partnership with nearby wine shop Albert Winestein, you can arrange for wine and cheese on arrival.

InterContinental Boston
Considering the onslaught of just-opened and recently renovated hotels, it’s a good time to be a guest in Boston (if a somewhat nerve-wracking time to be a hotelier). How to stand out among the expected 300-thread-count sheets, Frette robes, designer bath products, and 24-hour room service? The glossy waterfront InterContinental outshines the competition (literally—its wavelike structure is swathed in reflective glass) with all of the above, plus a spa, a gym, three novelty restaurants, and one of the biggest ballrooms in town. The quick, courteous employees are a business traveler’s dream; the mini-esplanade along nearby Fort Point Channel is a stroller’s delight.

Langham Hotel Boston
Formerly our Federal Reserve Bank, the Langham offers the Mediterranean-themed Café Fleuri, an adjacent Chocolate Bar, and proximity to the North End, the Freedom Trail, and Faneuil Hall. 

Liberty Hotel
When the Liberty opened in the old Charles Street jail, following a $150 million building renovation, it was met with the requisite jokes about white-collar inmates and doing time in the Clink (one of the hotel restaurants). Penitentiary puns aside, the 298-room hotel has raised the bar for Boston accommodations: Its 24/7 fitness center, dining, and concierge services are all first-rate, and the rooms—exposed brick walls, Molton Brown toiletries, VoIP phones—are eminently comfortable. The magnificent vaulted lobby is worth a visit in itself.

Le Meridien
Right outside Boston’s city limits in Cambridge’s eclectic Central Square, Le Meridien has contemporary, earth-toned guest rooms and artwork from MIT on the walls. No car? No worries. The hotel offers a complimentary luxury SUV service during the week that takes guests within a mile radius of the hotel’s property and into the heart of Boston.

The Lenox Hotel
With a notable history, two enjoyable restaurants—Azure and Sólás— plus chic hotspot City-Bar, and a location in the center of Boston, the Lenox Hotel promises excitement. The hotel offers classic elegance (think brass chandeliers, mahogany furniture, and crystal lamps) with modern and environmentally conscious touches.

The Mandarin Oriental
The enormous hotel encompasses 148 plush guest rooms, a 380-person-capacity ballroom, and a 16,000-square-foot spa. The building also showcases three of the city’s most talked-about dining destinations: the relocated L’Espalier, the region’s third Sel de la Terre, and Asana, featuring Chef Nicolas Boutin’s American and Asian cuisine. Add in the new minimalist-chic Mizu salon and a ritzy, Zen-inspired spa, and you may never have reason to set foot outside.

Millennium Bostonian Hotel
Located in the heart of Faneuil Hall, Millennium Bostonian Hotel is in the middle of Boston’s most frequently visited attraction. Fresh from a $25 million renovation, the hotel offers proximity to the New England Aquarium, Quincy Market, the Museum of Science, and the North End’s marvelous restaurants, plus a top-notch dining spot of its own, North 26, which serves contemporary New England cuisine.

Nine Zero
The city is smitten with Nine Zero. And what’s not to love? Travelers embrace its classic contemporary elegance, streamlined design, and central downtown location. The spacious in-room workstations and Louis Boston and Armani personal shoppers are reasons to check in; the upscale Mario Russo bath products and soft, luxury bedding is reason to never check out.

Omni Parker House
In a city brimming with history, you can’t do much better than the Omni Parker House. Established in 1855, the hotel has hosted the likes of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Babe Ruth, John F. Kennedy, and Ulysses S. Grant…and employed staff members including Malcolm X and Emeril Lagasse. (Its Parker Restaurant is also the birthplace of the Boston cream pie.) The newly renovated rooms have preserved the original design’s warm hues and classic heirlooms.

Renaissance Boston Waterfront
We’ve found Boston’s version of Atlantis. Between the Renaissance’s sky-high ceilings with shell-inspired designs, the blue and green glass accents that decorate the hotel’s lobby, and the spiral staircase accented by suspended bird figurines, this waterfront hotel boasts a distinctly aquatic kind of sophistication.

The Ritz-Carlton Boston
With 193 fashionable guest rooms, including 43 suites, this Ritz has spent more than 75 years perfecting the art of impeccable service, and it shows in a sophistication and luxury unmatched in this town. From the jocular doorman and white-gloved bellboys, to the panoramic skyline, this Boston landmark is as majestic as ever. Whether it’s with the Sports Club/LA attached to the hotel or the vast menu of amenities ranging from afternoon tea to etiquette classes for children, the Ritz is sure to exceed your every standard.

Seaport Hotel
From its complimentary bikes and helmets to its optimal waterside location close to the Seaport District’s seafood restaurants, the Seaport is perfect for active vacationers. Patrons can enjoy some of Boston’s best ocean views, take a Spin class in the hotel’s Wave fitness center, or hail a water taxi to cross Boston Harbor into the heart of the city.

Sheraton Boston Hotel
Only blocks from Boston’s financial district, connected to the Prudential Center’s 200 shops, and steps away from the boutiques of Newbury Street, the massive Sheraton Boston Hotel is a getaway for businessmen and vacationers alike. An added bonus? Its indoor pool is one of New England’s largest.

Taj Boston
When the Newbury Street Ritz Carlton became the Taj in 2007, Bostonians worried: What would happen to the charmingly faded glory of the city’s most iconic hotel? It turns out: Hardly anything. The Public Garden-facing, 17-story, 273-room Taj still delivers old–school luxury (hello, fireplace butler!) in the form of sophisticated décor, impeccable service, chandeliers aplenty, and an Emily Post–worthy afternoon tea.

W Hotel
Arriving in Boston’s theater district at the end of 2009, the W aims to check off every last item on guests’ wish lists. With 234 sleekly contemporary quarters, a luxe SWEAT fitness center, and a new outpost of the luxury chain’s famed spas, we’re pretty sure it will succeed.

Westin Boston Waterfront
Newly renovated with leopard print pillows and a stone floor carved with fossil prints, the Westin’s chic lobby space now matches the hotel’s impeccable service and great location next to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. For a unique tour of the city, ask the front desk for a Runner’s World map, filled with three-to-five mile runs around the city.

Westin Copley Place
Connected to the Hynes Convention Center by a sky bridge, and a short stroll from the shops at the Prudential Center, Copley Mall, and Newbury Street, the Westin Copley gives new meaning to mixing work and play. The 800 guest rooms are equipped with pillow-topped mattresses and marble bathrooms, and seven eateries, ranging from Starbucks to Turner Fisheries, are just downstairs.

XV Beacon
One of the city’s most luxurious hotels, XV Beacon offers 60 perfectly appointed guest rooms (you needn’t even bother with a spa treatment—every room has a posh “rainforest” shower) and complimentary chauffeur service in a Lexus LS430. What’s even more impressive? The fact that the hotel’s modern steakhouse, Mooo, has wowed even our cynical, steak-weary food editor.