What to expect: Guests enter the Boston hotel through a grand archway where attentive doormen are always ready to hail a taxi. The Boston Harbor Hotel's spacious lobby is adorned with hand-carved wood, Italian marble, and framed historical maps of Boston. Elaborate floral arrangements give off splashes of color and delicately scent the air. At the back of the lobby, huge bay windows look out onto a lively yacht marina and a gold-domed pavilion, which can be booked for private functions.
Amenity highlights: All guestrooms have a work desk, three dual-line speaker telephones, and high-speed Internet connections. The hotel can accommodate intimate gatherings or groups of 500 in its 9,600 square feet of meeting space. Guests can indulge in the 60-foot lap pool or with a yoga class; Swedish massages and herbal body wraps are also available. Traveling pets are welcome to stay in the guestrooms, and all get a free basket of toys and treats.
Insider tip: In summer, the hotel’s waterfront terrace opens for drinks, dinner, and entertainment. It’s a trendy spot, so it’s best to get a table by 6 PM. On warm Thursday nights, the terrace is alive with jazz. On Friday nights, guests enjoy outside dining and a classic movie on an outdoor screen. From January through April each year, the hotel sponsors New England’s largest wine festival; it’s wise to book early because tickets sell fast.

What to expect: Located on 17 wooded acres, the hotel caters to business travelers, conferences, sports teams playing local colleges, and leisure travelers who appreciate its tranquil, riverbank locale. The lobby includes a sitting area, and a separate, spacious living room offers conversation areas.
Amenity highlights: A health club contains a heated, 40-by-20-foot indoor swimming pool, a sauna, and an eight-person spa tub, as well as a 24-hour fitness center with cardio machines, weight machines, and free weights. A 24-hour business center includes an Internet kiosk and a computer with a high-speed Internet connection (surcharges for both).
Insider tip: Down the riverbank 200 yards from the hotel, an independently operated boathouse on the Charles River rents canoes and kayaks in warm-weather months.

What to expect: The lobby, with its wood-paneled walls, gilded and coffered ceilings, bronze elevator doors, and chandeliers, is a glamorous downtown rendezvous. Throughout the Boston Omni Parker House Hotel, paintings and prints depict over 150 years of local history. The Press Room has been the launching pad for countless Massachusetts politicians through the years. Within easy access of Boston’s historical, shopping, financial, and government districts, this hotel draws equal numbers of vacationers and business travelers.

Amenity highlights: Boston Cream Pie, Boston Scrod, and, of course, Parker House Rolls all originated—and are still served—at Parker’s, the hotel’s renowned restaurant. John F. Kennedy proposed to Jacqueline Bouvier at Table 40. Complimentary wireless Internet access is available in public areas.

Insider tip: Start your tour of the Freedom Trail, Boston Irish Heritage Trail, and Literary Trail all from the hotel. Or take a free 90-minute guided tour of the downtown portion of the Freedom Trail, led by National Park Service rangers. Ranger tours are offered daily mid-April through Thanksgiving and begin at park headquarters on 15 State Street, about two blocks from the hotel.

What to expect: Built in 1927 by E.M. Statler, considered “the Father of American Hotels,” this vast hotel has hosted presidents, business leaders, sports stars, and entertainment luminaries through the decades. It is often busy with conventions and meetings, and the lobby hums with activity. Crystal chandeliers sparkle overhead, a mezzanine balcony rings the space, and restaurants and bars line the periphery.

Amenity highlights: The Boston Park Plaza Hotel offers a wealth of dining-and-refreshment options. Swans Café, the elegant lobby restaurant, serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and afternoon tea amid beveled mirrors and potted greenery. Nightclub mogul Rande Gerber’s Whiskey Park lounge attracts a see-and-be-seen crowd. Finale features decadent desserts, including Molten Chocolate Cake. Bonfire showcases steaks with European and Latin American accents, and McCormick and Schmick’s is renowned for fresh seafood.

Insider tip: Just behind the hotel, across Columbus Avenue and Stuart Street, is a charming, little-known neighborhood called Bay Village. Tiny houses, many with flower boxes, line the quiet, tree-lined streets. One feels far from the city in this snug enclave.

What to expect: Guests enter a stylish, wood-paneled lobby with white Italian-marble flooring. Those pressed for time appreciate automated check-in and check-out machines, and 24-hour desk staff. The adjacent Club Room provides a homey feeling, with complimentary coffee, tea, newspapers and magazines, plenty of chairs and couches, a fireplace, television, and two computers with high-speed Internet access. The hotel’s clientele consists of mainly business travelers on weekdays and leisure travelers on weekends.
Amenity highlights: Centrally located in the Financial District, Club Quarters offers high-speed wireless Internet in guestrooms, business/conference center, and public areas, including the Elephant & Castle, the hotel’s traditional English-style pub. Commuting is convenient with limo and Town Car service, taxis, and a T stop one block away.
Insider tip: Travelers in search of nightlife find it three blocks away at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, with its restaurants, bars, and specialty shops. The hotel is a half-mile from the Theatre District, and one mile from Newbury Street designer shops and cafés.

What to expect: The Courtyard Boston Hotel’s clientele includes business guests, leisure travelers, and theater buffs who enjoy the charm of a historic hotel, artistically designed guestrooms, and nearby nightlife. A porter ushers guests into a bold and beautiful lobby with marble flooring, pillars, and coffered ceilings embellished with intricate moldings. Guestrooms were renovated in 1999.
Amenity highlights: Among the three nightclubs on the premises is the Roxy, where guests have priority admission. One of Boston’s premier clubs, it often has lines halfway down the street, and is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights with local and international dance music, concerts, and shows. For shows at other Boston clubs and theaters, the concierge will assist with tickets.
Insider tip: In summer, the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company stages free performances in the Boston Common, only three blocks from the hotel. Guests should bring something to sit on. It’s also a good spot for a picnic.

What to expect: This Boston Doubletree features a 15-story atrium; glass elevators offer expansive views. Upon arrival, guests are treated to a warm chocolate chip cookie.
Amenity highlights: The hotel offers a fitness area with indoor heated pool. There is also a 24-hour business center with computers, complimentary high-speed Internet access, fax machine, and copier. On-site parking is available, along with complimentary shuttle service to/from local area attractions from early morning to late evening.

What to expect: The lobby opens onto an expansive, atrium-style restaurant and lounge area decorated in a palette of green, gold, and purple. This area is the hub of the hotel. Its centerpiece is a large modernist fountain rendered in wood and steel, with three white washboard panels of cascading water representing a ship. An automated kiosk in the lobby is available to facilitate check-in.
Amenity highlights: The Embassy Suites features an indoor pool with floor-to-ceiling windows, a fitness facility, and more than 8,000 square feet of meeting space. Complimentary extras include a daily cooked-to-order breakfast, manager's receptions evenings, high-speed Internet access in the business center, and a 24-hour shuttle to the airport and to the nearby “T” subway station to downtown Boston. The on-site gift shop is stocked with snacks and sundries and is open 24 hours a day.
Insider tip: The New England Aquarium, two subway stops from the hotel, features diverse marine exhibits, sea lion shows, and a six-story IMAX theater. The aquarium is also home to the sophisticated Aquarium Medical Center, which is among the few marine-animal hospitals in the United States. Visitors are privy to behind-the-scenes care of inhabitants, as well as to rescue operations performed on regional wildlife, through exhibits and video links.

What to expect: Walking-distance access to historical and contemporary attractions such as the Custom House (one block) and the New England Aquarium (two blocks) draws visitors to this family-owned and operated inn. Its moderately priced lodgings offer an intimate ambience.
Amenity highlights: An eight-story, skylighted atrium featuring a brick wall dating from the building's opening in 1858 houses a narrow lobby with leather seating and Turkish rugs. Complimentary wireless Internet access is available throughout the hotel.
Insider tip: Three blocks from the Harborside Inn is the Freedom Trail, a 2.5-mile red-brick (or red-painted) pathway weaving though the city and connecting 16 key historic sites.

What to expect: Boston's only downtown Hilton has an elegant and intimate feel, beginning in the lobby with its marble floors and upholstered chairs and couches. The Lobby Lounge is a quiet place to mingle and enjoy a cocktail. The hotel attracts a business clientele during the week and vacationers on weekends.

Amenity highlights: A complimentary shuttle service travels within a two-mile radius of the Hilton. A 24-hour business center is equipped with computer workstations, overnight mail service, and access to a notary public. In summer, guests with children receive a Vacation Station Welcome Packet with information on local family attractions and a special gift for those under age 12.

What to expect: This 15-floor hotel is a restored Art-Deco landmark, which opened as a hotel in August 1999. Located in the heart of Boston’s historic financial district, the hotel appeals to business guests and is convenient for leisure travelers who want to sightsee. The reception area, lobby library, and hallways are adorned in rich woods and brass, and furnished with comfortable, overstuffed chairs and sofas.
Amenity highlights: Guests have free 24-hour access to the fitness room, which has treadmills, stationary bikes, stair climbers, and free weights. The hotel’s third floor offers 10,000 square feet of flexible meeting space as well as a full-service business center with copier, fax machine, computers, printers, overnight mail services, and secretarial assistance.
Insider tip: The hotel is perfectly situated for summer and fall activities in Boston. It’s three blocks from the harbor, where whale-watching cruises and trips to the harbor islands are available for exploration and picnics. Faneuil Hall Marketplace, also three blocks away, is great for strolling and watching street performers. A block from there, the Italian North End offers traditional festivals.

What to expect: This upscale Hilton hotel attracts both business and leisure travelers with its stopover convenience, classy decor, and services. The spacious lobby reflects a maritime theme with ship figureheads and blue wingback chairs. Nearby are a coffee bar, Irish pub, restaurant, gift shop, and health club.

Amenity highlights: This hotel makes traveling easy, with 24-hour room service and complimentary 24-hour shuttle service to airport terminals and a subway station. A climate-controlled skybridge connects the Hilton with airport terminals, while a water shuttle provides service to downtown Boston.

What to expect: A black-and-white marble entryway with cherry-wood columns and an exposed-brick wall opens onto a sitting area illuminated by a lofty sloping skylight. Business travelers socialize by a large marble fireplace flanked by torch-like light fixtures. Leisure travelers attracted to the Hilton's 15-mile proximity to downtown Boston frequent the hotel on weekends.

Amenity highlights: A spacious, skylit lobby steps down into a lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows, comfy bench seating, and whimsical light fixtures. Wide hallways lead to the hotel's formal dining room by way of a Starbucks coffee bar. Recreational opportunities abound at the Hilton, from outdoor tennis courts and half-court basketball to the indoor skylit lap pool, upgraded fitness center, and racquetball courts.

Insider tip: The hotel is 5 miles from the entrance to the 7,000-acre Blue Hills Reservation, with 125 miles of hiking trails. Great Blue Hill, with an altitude of 635 feet, is the highest of the 22 hills in the chain and affords panoramic views of the metropolitan area from its craggy summit. Rattlesnake Hill attracts rock climbers, and Houghton's Pond is a popular swimming hole.

What to expect: This is a high-technology lifestyle hotel, where academics join business and leisure travelers in the robot-filled lobby, and where moving sculptures display physics principles and the elevator circuitry is proudly exposed. Guests have free use of two computers for checking e-mail via high-speed Internet access, as well as a library with leather sofas.
Amenity highlights: The hotel's rooftop garden, which can be reserved for private functions, is especially beautiful at night. City parking is a plus, with a 950-car garage connected to the hotel. The hotel's first-floor restaurant offers outdoor seating in summer. On the second floor, guests have access to a full supermarket, which is open until midnight seven days a week, along with a bank.
Insider tip: The Hotel @ MIT is one block from the rich and diverse ethnic community of Central Square, which hosts numerous multicultural events in summer, including the International Food Festival, Charles River Festival, and Greek Festival. The Charles River is three blocks away and this hotel acts as host for rowers and their families during the Head of the Charles Regatta festival each October.

What to expect: Opened in May 2003, the Hotel Commonwealth is popular with business travelers who appreciate its spacious guestrooms, and also attracts leisure travelers seeking a tranquil hotel in the Kenmore Square/Fenway Park area. A second-floor lobby contains high-back upholstered chairs, an elaborately molded ceiling, fresh flowers, bright carpeting, and a large brocade settee.
Amenity highlights: Located in the hotel, a widely praised restaurant, Great Bay, serves "modern American seafood" in a sleek, contemporary setting. Guests enjoy access to a 24-hour business center and 24-hour fitness center and receive discounts at a health club two blocks away.
Insider tip: A variety of ethnic restaurants lie a block east of the hotel along Commonwealth Avenue's grand boulevard.

What to expect: The stage-like lobby is framed by floor-to-ceiling curtains and furnished with leopard-print seats, throne-like sofas, funky lamps, and a gas fireplace. Hallways decked with intricate compass designs accentuate the hotel’s nautical theme. Marlowe caters to business and leisure travelers attracted to its high-tech rooms, Cambridge location, and pet-friendly atmosphere.
Amenity highlights: Named for English Renaissance dramatist and poet Christopher Marlowe, this hotel pays tribute to its literary origins by hosting frequent readings with notable local authors in the lobby. The lobby is also the site of complimentary morning coffee and a wine hour every evening by the fireplace. The hotel is across the street from the Charles River Esplanade and adjoins the CambridgeSide Galleria shopping center. Complimentary car service to Cambridge and Boston destinations, including the Financial District, is offered weekday mornings.
Insider tip: Guests can borrow one of the hotel’s complimentary mountain bikes and ride along the Charles River Esplanade, a scenic 17-mile loop past bridges, parks, and marinas that afford spectacular city views. The Esplanade’s tree-lined paths, which include both paved and unpaved trails, are also popular for jogging and in-line skating.

What to expect: Both business and leisure travelers appreciate the hotel for its ample business services and city and harbor views. The Harborside is just a seven-minute water-shuttle ride (surcharge) from Boston's financial district and historic areas, and it's a popular spot for weddings and romantic occasions.
Amenity highlights: The spacious fitness room is equipped with treadmills, stationary bikes, stair climbers, and weight machines, as well as a TV and stereo system. Its floor-to-ceiling windows provide views of the hotel's quarter-mile walking path, Boston Harbor, and the downtown cityscape. Adjacent to the fitness area is a heated swimming pool surrounded by lounge chairs, and a spa with the same views.
Insider tip: The Hyatt Harborside is situated for perfect views of Boston's fireworks displays on the Fourth of July and New Year's Eve. And when the city is hot and humid, a boat ride on the harbor is a refreshing option. A water shuttle (surcharge) operates to Boston's Long Wharf, where harbor cruises or whale-watching excursions are available.

What to expect: The 22-story Hyatt Regency Boston is built around four atria with terraces. The large, quiet third-floor lobby, location of the reception and concierge desks, has marble floors topped with area rugs and potted plants. A sitting area and a lounge are just off the lobby. Businesspeople and conferees predominate at the hotel, but the central location near shopping and transport links also attract vacationers.
Amenity highlights: The health club features what is billed as the largest indoor pool of any Boston hotel. A sundeck adjoins the pool. Cardiovascular equipment complements free weights, and the club has both a sauna and eucalyptus-scented steam room. Massage and personal training are available for a surcharge. Wireless Internet access (surcharge) is available throughout the hotel.
Insider tip: The Opera House, located across the street, was an elaborate theater in the early-20th century that fell on hard times. It has now been renovated in opulent style with up-to-date technical equipment. Take a peek at it while in Boston or, better still, take in a show.

What to expect: The lobby is part of an impressive 16-story atrium with glass elevators that rise in front of the Charles River. Interior balconies are lined with planter beds, adding a pleasant natural touch. The hotel is popular with business guests during the week who use the hotel’s meeting facilities for conferences. On the weekends, the hotel attracts couples and families.
Amenity highlights: The Hyatt is designed for meetings and conferences, offering 24,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and a new ballroom. The health club is equipped with treadmills, exercise bikes, stair climbers, and views of the Charles River and the Boston skyline. Free towels and sunscreen are available at the lap pool, as are summer sun and breezes on the sundeck, if the retractable roof is open.
Insider tip: Traffic is barred from a two-mile section of Memorial Drive between 10 AM and 6 PM every Sunday in summer, when it becomes a path for walkers, runners, inline skaters, and cyclists. Guests can take part on foot or on wheels, because the hotel rents 18-speed mountain bikes for adults and children, along with helmets, locks, and maps. In October, the adjacent riverbank is a prime spot for viewing the Head of the Charles® regatta, a huge and popular rowing festival nearly four decades old.

What to expect: Designed for business travelers as well as leisure travelers attracted by Irish hospitality, the Jurys Boston Hotel offers a contemporary ambience exemplified by a stainless-steel staircase with milk-glass steps illuminated in changing colors, and water gently flowing beside and under the steps that ascend to a marble-floor lobby. A collection of Irish ceramics and pottery graces public rooms.
Amenity highlights: A restaurant with an exhibition kitchen offers contemporary Irish fare; an adjacent Irish bar decorated with vintage Boston police memorabilia offers a light menu as well as Irish brews beside a gas fireplace. A vaulted-ceiling living room includes two complimentary Internet-access computers. Wireless Internet access is complimentary throughout the hotel.