By Tammy Quinn Mckillip
If you're headed to downtown
Boston, you'll find plenty of luxury hotels within walking distance to many of the city's famed attractions. Whether you're headed to the thriving Theatre District or want to visit the Public Garden and Beacon Hill, these hotels will place you in the heart of the action and offer exclusive accommodations and amenities.
Four Seasons Hotel
The Four Seasons Hotel has park views and bay windows overlooking the city.
This centrally located hotel offers park views and casually elegant surroundings with Old World charm. Its guest rooms and suites are decorated in a Modern New England design, with a bay window that opens to the sites of the city. Each room provides a glass desk, two phone lines, high- speed Internet and high-backed chairs. The bathrooms have marble counters and offer premium-brand toiletries. The lobby has complimentary pastries for guests, and rooms include a safe, makeup mirror, private bar, Terry cloth slippers and robe, hypoallergenic pillows and twice-daily housekeeping services. In-room spa services are offered, and the on-site Bristol Restaurant and Bristol Lounge offer a varied menu in a quiet, understated setting. Full-menu in-room dining also is available.
The Four Seasons
200 Boylston St.
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 338-4400
fourseasons.com/boston
Nine Zero Hotel
The Nine Zero hotel offers plush elegance in a central location.
With its limestone and red brick exteriors and chrome, glass and steel interior design, this hotel offers luxurious accommodations in the heart of downtown Boston. The hotel prides itself on being "pet-friendly" and invites its guests to bring the pooch along. The on-site restaurant is open until 10 p.m. (as of July 2009) and serves a variety of steaks, chicken and fish. The adjoining tap room is open until midnight (as of July 2009) most nights, but guests are invited to join the staff and their temporary neighbors for a complimentary glass of wine each evening in the hotel lobby. In-room spa, yoga and fitness services are available, as well as 24-hour room service and full-menu in-room dining.
Nine Zero Hotel
90 Tremont St.
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 772-5800
ninezero.com/index.html
The Ritz-Carlton Boston Commons
The Jer-Ne bar and restaurant inside the Ritz-Carlton Boston Commons offers American cuisine.
The Ritz-Carlton Boston Commons is steps away from The Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall Marketplace and the Theatre District. Its rooms are designed with grace and comfort in mind. The rooftop sports club is an oasis of modernity, with buffed pine floors and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. It houses the city's most comprehensive fitness center and offers more than 120 group fitness and yoga classes weekly. Guests can enjoy light fare and cocktails in The Galley, located in the lobby. The hotel also offers a large selection of champagnes, wines and ports, as well as signature mixed drinks. Jer-Ne is a full-menu American cuisine restaurant that has a full bar. The hotel's guest rooms feature amenities like in-room dining, 24-hour concierge service, same-day laundry and dry cleaning, deluxe bedding, complimentary morning newspapers, huge marble tubs, a bath butler, three telephones in each room, including one in the bathroom, dual-line telephones with voicemail, a refrigerated honor bar and twice-daily maid service. Their children's program includes a scavenger hunt through the hotel, coloring books at the restaurants, special infant bedding and changing areas, healthy-foods kids menu, strollers and high chairs.
Ritz-Carlton Boston Commons
10 Avery St.
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 574-7100
ritzcarlton.com
Omni Parker House
The historic Omni Parker offers modern conveniences with a historical flavor.
A landmark in downtown Boston since 1855, the Omni Parker House is luxury at its finest. From the ornate sculpted bronze entrance, to the 551 guest rooms and suites, this building is dripping with Old World charm and elegance.
The hotel is filled with history and living legends. For more than a century, it has been a favorite haunt for writers, actors and artists. Its Parker's restaurant created Boston cream pie and Parker House rolls. It was designated a top 10 American historic hotel by AAA inspectors in 2009, a year when it also earned the Green Eco-Leaf rating for its many green initiatives. It recently underwent a complete renovation and restoration to revive its luster and bring it up to date with the most recent environmental and green-living standards.
Located at the foot of Beacon Hill and across from Boston Commons, the Omni Parker House offers modern comfort in a historical setting. Guests can expect the finest service, including 24-hour room service, a full concierge staff, daily housekeeping, express check-in/out, high-speed Internet, in-room fitness, dry cleaning, parcel post services, currency exchange, translation services and a kid- and pet-friendly environment. The Sensational Kids program provides littlest travelers with suitcases filled with books and games, as well as plenty of activities and a menu that will have them feeling right at home. The guest rooms have plush robes, triple bed-sheeting, extra blankets and pillows, a duvet, a laptop-sized safe, iron and ironing board, coffee makers and complimentary newspapers.
Omni Parker House
60 School St.
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 227-8600
omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/BostonParkerHouse.aspx
Resources
About the Author:
Tammy Quinn McKillip has written extensively in print and online publications about pets, parenting, theater, design, health and environmentalism since 1999. She is the editor of the Macaroni Kid National Family Safety newsletter and publisher and editor of "Macaroni Kid," a local family-friendly weekly events newsletter. She is pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at City College of New York.
