Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro

I didn’t stay at the hotel, just spent some time at the bar while my friends shopped. Molly was an excellent bartender. The place is cool and relaxed without being pretentious, and you’d never guess how busy Charles Street is outside.

The location is great, but there’s no luxury in the service. We booked the penthouse without realizing it meant carrying our bags and baby up three flights of stairs. It took several trips, and we also had to park three blocks away. There’s no valet or baggage service. The shower gave us about ten seconds of lukewarm water, even though the sink had strong hot water. It felt like having a baby with us was a nuisance, especially since we had to pass through the bar to reach our room. The owners should consider adding staff if they want to make the stay feel more luxurious. I’d recommend it to couples traveling without kids. We just hadn’t understood what we were signing up for.

The neighborhood is nice, the rooms are nice, and the staff were nice. We spent the evening walking around Beacon Hill, browsing shops, and having a wonderful dinner, and the hotel’s location was superb. The stay itself was average, though. The noise was irritating, and so was the huge incidental hold. I might stay again, but only if that hold were smaller. They charged a $450 incidental fee on top of the $350 room cost. We weren’t told it would be that much and only found out at an inconvenient point. When I asked the front desk, I didn’t get much of an explanation beyond “sometimes that happens” and that booking through a third-party site could cause it. My wife and I had stayed at several other hotels that week, including a week in a presidential suite at one of Boston’s most prestigious hotels. None held more than $100 per night, and they told us the amount before charging. I’m still bothered by this. The walls are paper thin. The second-floor hallway was loud all night, with a sound like a vacuum constantly running. I don’t know what it was. We turned on the TV to drown it out enough to sleep. Then at 7:30 am, the cleaners were working, and every glass clink, dropped item, and muttered word carried into the room. Breakfast was hard-boiled eggs and fruit, and maybe a bagel or something else. It was pretty lackluster. Still, we hadn’t even known breakfast was included, so it was welcome.

We felt looked after and welcomed like family during our three-night Boston trip. Todd, the manager, Joseph, and Sariah were all so helpful and warm. The decor, food, staff, and location were excellent. The rooms, lobby, bar, and hotel restaurant are beautifully decorated, and the rooftop bar was a treat. Breakfast each day was great, too. You’re a block from Boston Common and the park, with a short walk to the Red Line T. It’s a very walkable area, and we also had an excellent Freedom Trail Walking Tour with Elaina at the Visitor’s Center at the Park. Rates can vary a lot throughout the year, so I’d book early. Highly recommend!