Hotel AKA Boston Common

Rebecca the bartender is amazing! Friendly, helpful and an all around asset to the hotel.

Excellent location, excellent service. Sherley and Yary were great.

Solid hotel near the Commons with nice rooms and service.Keyorah was very helpful with check in.

I suppose it’s nice enough. Decently appointed. The design has an air of superiority to it — like your wealthy but ill-mannered cousin who just discovered Design Within Reach and won’t stop talking about “textures.” It’s conveniently located near Boston Common and, if you enjoy the soothing ambiance of construction equipment, traffic, and confused tourists standing in bike lanes, look no further. I was traveling for work, and my reservation had been fully prepaid as part of a group booking. About ten of us were staying there. My four-night stay totaled just under $2,000, all covered by the company master account. At check-in, though, I was asked for a credit card for “incidentals.” Fine. Standard procedure. Then they informed me they needed a $100-per-night security deposit. Four nights = $400. I explained that everything should already be covered. They clarified that the room, taxes, and meals were paid for — but apparently civilization itself would collapse unless they also held $400 hostage against the possibility that I suddenly developed a passion for minibar Pringles and long-distance phone calls circa 1997. It was late. I had to be awake at 4:00 a.m. for work. After roughly 30 minutes of discussion and a call to the manager, we reached a compromise: I would pay $100 that night so I could access the room that had already been paid for, and settle the remaining $300 the next day. The next morning I left before sunrise, worked all day, and returned exhausted to find my room key no longer worked. At the front desk, the same agent from the night before casually explained: “Yeah, you need to pay the remaining $300 to get back into your room.” So naturally I asked: “And if I don’t?” I was told my reservation would be canceled and I’d be checked out of the hotel. I then asked the obvious follow-up question: “Would I at least be refunded for the remaining three nights that were already paid for?” “No,” they explained, because that would count as my cancellation. Incredible. Truly elite-level customer service. A protection racket with eucalyptus-scented lobby candles. The manager from the previous night came out and confirmed that yes, if I couldn’t produce $300 immediately, I would be removed from the hotel and lose the remainder of the prepaid reservation because “the system won’t allow” them to check me in otherwise. We had reached a beautiful little corporate stalemate where a fully paid guest was effectively being held hostage over hypothetical incidentals. At this point, the person who had booked and paid for my room happened to walk into the lobby. I had to awkwardly explain that despite the room being fully paid for, I was apparently moments away from becoming homeless in downtown Boston because my card had been declined for the incidentals deposit. She handed over an Amex. Bonny and Clyde at the front desk ran the card and suddenly my room keys worked again. And just like that, their entire tone changed. Now that I was a verified member of society again, they warmly asked if I’d like some bottled water. “No thank you.” (If you’re from Boston, you understand this translates roughly to: “Go fu** yourselves.”) Back in the room, I settled into the bed, which I’ll admit was genuinely comfortable. Unfortunately the toilet was running, and the construction workers directly outside my window were passionately debating music choices at full volume. True story. Sadly. Spend your money elsewhere.

Rebecca is a wonderful bartender! Very personable, top notch service, great drinks. 10/10, highly recommend!