The Liberty Hotel

It amazes me the properties Marriott deems “luxury” by placing them in The Luxury Collection portfolio. In my opinion, luxury hotels are brands like Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, and most St. Regis properties. While The Liberty is a nice hotel, it is certainly not a luxury hotel. I would consider their staff as the only thing luxury about the hotel. The staff was SUPERB. From the front desk to the wait staff in Clink during breakfast, and even the super sweet housekeeper on the 15th floor during my stay. The team who designed this hotel went way too far with the former jail theme. It is over the top gimmicky, with every last detail relating back to the jail theme — from do not disturb signs that are overly designed to the room furnishings, to the wallpaper in the bathroom, to the names of the restaurants — they just took the jail theme too far. The good: - The staff - every single one of them I encountered. The welcome beverage is a really nice touch also. - Room comfort - the bedding, pillows and sofa were all very comfortable and the AC worked very well - Clink restaurant - breakfast was great — and what a generous offering for Titanium elites ($35 credit for one person, $70 for two, excluding alcohol — one of the most generous welcome gift breakfasts I’ve seen). And the wait staff, again were great. - Location - this one is a double edged sword, as you are steps away from historic Charles Street and Boston Common as well as the rapid transit trains. On the other hand, you’re basically sharing the block with a major hospital which takes away from part of the charm of the area. The not so good: - The over-emphasis on the jail which I’ve gone on enough about - Room furnishings are showing wear, from nicked up furniture to pieces that are showing age - Broken fixtures in the bathroom — one of the soap dispensers in the shower was falling apart - Nightlife scene - the hotel has a DJ in the lobby on weekends. While you couldn’t hear it from the room, it just doesn’t fit the luxury category. Additionally there is a club-like atmosphere in the bar on the first level. If that’s your thing, you’ll love it. - Package acceptance fees. These should really be illegal. You have a package shipped to the hotel and are forced to pay a $5 handling fee. This is not disclosed at all when booking and you are forced to pay it to receive packages. I’m finding this a more and more Marriott properties — and this isn’t even a convention center hotel. Overall, a nice weekend stay — not luxury, but nice.

I worked with the Events team at the Liberty for a recent meeting and cannot say enough good things about the experience and service. Devon, Chris, Brian, Tom and the whole team were professional, responsive, anticipated our needs and were flexible when some things changed last minute. They were a pleasure to communicate with and executed a professional and smooth-running event. The hotel is well-located and well-appointed, with excellent food and lovely rooms. I would absolutely plan another event at the Liberty.

What a great tour of a stunning hotel nee jailhouse. You get to learn all about the substantial renovations, history of the jail and all the amazing programming offered at the hotel. Definitely worth the visit. Thanks, Mirko, for showing us around The Liberty.

The rooms we booked were not allocated to us on arrival. With aggravation I got us moved but we had to wait several hours for this which is not ideal after a long flight. The AC is very very noisy. It is an old building and is very querky. The restaurant served lovely food. The gym was very poor.

I wanted to share our wonderful experience feedback with this hotel. Our Liberty Hotel experience was very different from other hotel stays. From the moment we arrived, everyone (and I mean everyone) had a smile on their face and greeted us with a pleasant hello… from the doorman/valet, to the front desk person, to the housekeeper who helped us after we arrived to our room… to the Liberty Bar staff where we enjoyed most evenings of our stay. We ate at the Clink for dinner, and the food was exceptionally good. Many times, hotel restaurants are fine but nothing special. The food and atmosphere here was excellent. The wait staff was personable and very welcoming, accommodating our various food changes due to allergies or interests. All through our stay, all the hotel staff continued to be welcoming and friendly - everyone always had a smile and pleasant attitude… we especially loved how dog friendly your hotel is. We would definitely stay at the Liberty Hotel again. Thank you for a wonderful stay!