World City Guide

Hotels

All hotel bills are subject to 12.45% tax, which is usually added to the bill at the end.

The prices quoted below are the starting prices for double rooms, excluding breakfast and excluding tax, unless otherwise specified.

Business

Boston Harbor Hotel
Anchoring the gentrification of the waterfront, the handsome architecture of BHH has become a Boston landmark. The hotel, popular with businesspeople, is within steps of the Financial District. The impressive executive services at the business centre include private office spaces, the full range of telecommunications facilities, computer rental, courier, translation and even calligraphy services. While the 230 luxuriously appointed rooms are comforting, the hotel offers many activities, hosts concerts and exhibitions, has an outstanding health club and spa and a marina. There is accessibility to yacht charters for sightseeing or sport fishing. Chauffeur service available.

70 Rowes Wharf, Harborside/Financial District
Tel: (617) 439 7000 or (800) 752 7077. Fax: (617) 330 9450.
E-mail: reservations@bhh.com
Website: www.bhh.com
Price: From US$220-425.

Colonnade Hotel
Centrally located, across from the Prudential Center, this friendly lodging works hard on its personal service. Comfortably furnished guest rooms are accented in forest greens, burgundies and earthy tones. Marble bathrooms have French doors, pedestal sinks and rubber duckies. Many first editions, which are signed by the author, are one of the special touches in the huge Author’s Suite. Even if you don’t plan to get wet, check out the rooftop pool. It is a great place to escape the stresses of the day, as is the state-of-the-art workout room. A no-nonsense menu at award-winning Brasserie Jo, the hotel’s art deco-designed restaurant, is the perfect place for a business lunch.

120 Huntington Avenue, Back Bay
Tel: (617) 424 7000 or (800) 962 3030 (reservations). Fax: (617) 424 1717.
E-mail: reservations@colonnadehotel.com
Website: www.colonnadehotel.com
Price: From US$225.

The Eliot Hotel
Located in a residential area just around the corner from the Newbury Street and the Hynes Convention Center, this European-style hotel attracts such celebrities as Christy Turlington and Sigourney Weaver. Antiques and soft colours decorate the restored 1925 mansion, which perfectly combines business and luxury. Each of the 95 one- or two-bedroom suites has an Italian marble bath, private pantry (in green marble) and mini-bar, two TVs, personal fax and high-speed Internet connection, goose down comforter and pillows, plus complimentary newspapers, robes and slippers. There are conference and meeting rooms available, plus full secretarial services. Baby-sitting is also available. The Clio restaurant is one of the best in Boston for French-American cuisine.

370 Commonwealth Avenue, Back Bay
Tel: (617) 267 1607 or (800) 44ELIOT/443 5468.
Fax: (617) 536 9114.
E-mail: email@eliothotel.com
Website: www.eliothotel.com
Price: From US$315.

Hotel Marlowe
Stars, compasses, planets and diamond/harlequin patterns are part of the ‘discovery’ motif at the funky and fun Hotel Marlowe. Around the faux-marble fireplace of the tufted-velvet walled Living Room there are complimentary evening wine hours and Wednesday evening poetry readings. Comfortable crimson and gold guest rooms are accented with velvet, leopard-print carpets, furry blankets and amenities that include state-of-the-art electronics, Aveda toiletries and leopard-patterned terrycloth robes. Even four-legged guests are regaled with leopard print collar tags, treats and other pet services. The inviting American-styled brasserie, Bambara, is adjacent to the hotel.

25 Edwin Land Boulevard, Cambridge
Tel: (800) 825 7140 or (617) 868 8000. Fax: (617) 868 8001.
Website: www.hotelmarlowe.com
Price: From US$189.

Millennium Bostonian Hotel
This boutique luxury hotel, adjacent to Government Center and close to the picturesque Quincy Market and the North End, is included among the world’s best hotels on the Condé Nast Traveller Gold List. Rooms are large, many have balconies and working fireplaces, all have fresh plants. A dozen rooms have been designed for women travellers, with note cards, scented drawer liners and lighted make-up mirrors. Aromatherapy and facial pamper packs by Aveda can be purchased. On the business side, full services are available, including audiovisual, translation and conference planning, and all rooms have voice-mail, two-line telephones and modem points. There is complimentary 24-hour fitness suite within the hotel as well as limo service.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace, 26 North Street, Financial District
Tel: (617) 523 3600. Fax: (617) 523 2454.
E-mail: bostonian@mhrmail.com
Website: www.millennium-hotels.com
Price: From US$149.

Luxury

XV Beacon
Thoroughly sophisticated, this boutique hotel is located across Beacon Street from the State House, close to Government Center and the Financial District. There are 61 rooms, many with fine views over Boston Common and all with fireplaces for cosy winter evenings. Amenities abound, from heated towels in the bathroom to current releases for the outsize entertainment centres, while guests are provided with business cards listing fax and telephone on arrival and a complimentary limo service. There is an on-site fitness centre, but further health club facilities can be arranged. The Federalist restaurant is one of the most opulent in the city, with an outstanding selection of wines and liqueurs. Private dinners can also be arranged in the handsome wine cellar.

15 Beacon Street, Beacon Hill
Tel: (617) 670 1500. Fax: (617) 670 2525.
E-mail: hotel@xvbeacon.com
Website: www.xvbeacon.com
Price: From US$395.

Four Seasons
The choice of celebrities (for example Pavarotti and The Rolling Stones), the award-winning Four Seasons Hotel overlooks the Public Garden and is perfectly located for both business and sightseeing. The spa and health club are state of the art, while business facilities range from 24-hour business services to multiple meeting rooms. Amenities in the elegant rooms include L'Occitane toiletries, down pillows, at least two multi-line telephones, fax and high-speed Internet connections. There is also a complimentary limo service every afternoon. Kids receive particular care, with their own pool and water toys, planned activities, special ‘Kids at Four Seasons menu’ and even tot-sized robes. The luxurious Aujourd’hui restaurant (see the Restaurants section) specialises in both New American and its own haute-healthy ‘Alternative’ cuisines, while the more informal Bristol serves food and drinks all day, as well as traditional English afternoon tea, Sunday brunch and a nightly Viennese dessert buffet.

200 Boylston Street, Back Bay
Tel: (617) 338 4400. Fax: (617) 423 0154.
Website: www.fourseasons.com/boston
Price: From US$395.

Moderate

Harborside Inn
Converted from an 1850s warehouse, the Harborside Inn is located between the harbour and Custom House Tower, convenient for Faneuil Hall Marketplace and the Financial District, as well as the New England Aquarium and the Freedom Trail. There are 54 guest rooms, surrounding an eight-storey, skylit atrium, which have exposed brick walls, hardwood floors and queen-sized beds. Some have views of the harbour but those opening onto the atrium are quieter. Other amenities include room service, voice-mail and free local telephone calls. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, its restaurant, Margo a bistro, takes a creative approach to classic American cuisine. There is an Aquarium T stop outside.

185 State Street, Harborside/Financial District
Tel: (617) 723 7500. Fax: (617) 670 2010.
E-mail: harborside@hagopianhotels.com
Website: www.harborsideinnboston.com
Price: From US$139.

Newbury Guest House
Ultra-smart Newbury Street is lined with boutiques, galleries and places to eat and is situated close to the Convention Center. The Guest House has 32 rooms, converted from three 1880s townhouses, with appropriately Victorian decor. Architectural details have been preserved, including Tiffany glass panels. Family-run, it is relaxed and friendly, more like an English country house than city central. A continental breakfast is included (in the dining room or on the patio), while a limited number of parking places can also be arranged for US$15 per day. Smaller rooms towards the back are quieter. All have private bathrooms.

261 Newbury Street, Back Bay
Tel: (617) 437 7666. Fax: (617) 670 6100.
E-mail: nghdesk@aol.com
Website: Newburyguesthouse.com
Price: From US$125 (includes breakfast).

Other Recommendations

Harborside Hyatt Conference Center and Hotel
The Harborside perches like a tall glass lighthouse near the mouth of Boston’s harbour – only seven minutes by water taxi (guests get a discount) to the Financial District and downtown. Although it is located very near Boston’s airport, intensive soundproofing throughout assures serenity. Most of the 270 large rooms have dramatic views of the skyline across the harbour, and all are impeccably furnished for business travellers with huge work desks, modem points, voice-mail and video check-out. There are 19 meeting rooms and an amphitheatre for conferences, as well as a business centre. Whether working or not, the spectacular views from the Harborside Grill can be enjoyed all day – a good place for power breakfasts or the evening chocolate buffet. There is also the Midships lounge for relaxation – live music and informal food – as well as a fully equipped private health club for de-stressing. The hotel has one smoking floor.

101 Harborside Drive, Logan International Airport
Tel: (617) 568 1234 or (800) 233 1234. Fax: (617) 567 8856.
Website: www.hyatt.com
Price: From US$109.

Hotel@MIT
The tongue-in-cheek, techy influence of nearby Massachusetts Institute of Technology permeates the Hotel@MIT. In the lobby there is complementary state-of-the-art Internet access, while copies of patents decorate wall panelling behind the reception desk. Robotic models take up much of the public space. Imbedded in the lift carpeting is an atom prototype, and see-through circuit boards serve as lampshades on hall lights. Furnishings are funky contemporary, and room artwork includes cartoons in the loo and photographs of former MIT scientists. The whimsical atmosphere adds rather than detracts from the excellent service, comfortable accommodations and a recently upgraded business centre. For a daily fee of US$10, guests are welcome to use the MIT fitness complex. Expect fine service from the restaurant, Sidney’s Grille.

20 Sidney Street, Cambridge
Tel: (617) 577 0200 or (800) 222-8733. Fax: (617) 494 8366.
Website: www.univparkhotel.com
Price: From US$159.

Marriott Custom House
In the heart of the Financial District, the landmark 1847 Custom House Tower (Boston’s first ‘skyscraper’) has been transformed to a full-service, 80-room hotel by the Marriott chain. Objects from local museums are displayed in the handsome Rotunda, while complimentary coffee is served in the lobby – it all adds up to a luxurious old-world atmosphere. There is a particularly popular cocktail lounge and an outdoor observation deck on the 26th floor with superb views of the city and harbour. Of the 80 guest rooms, some have kitchenette with microwave and fridge, while all are equipped with wet bar and coffeemaker, in-room safe and VCR player.

3 McKinley Square, Financial District
Tel: (617) 310 6300 or (800) 845 5279. Fax: (617) 310 6301.
Website: www.marriott.com
Price: From US$200.