Arcadian Hotel

I stayed at the Arcadian in Brookline regularly for three years, and every visit before this one was great. That’s why this experience was so disappointing. I’d booked for the week of 1.26.2026 but had to cancel because of the severe winter storm in Boston. The hotel first resisted canceling, then made an exception and promised a full refund within five days. On day seven, it still hadn’t arrived. When I called to follow up, customer service hung up on me five times, each time right after I mentioned the refund. There was no explanation or solution. I also contacted Marriott because Sonder is advertised as having some kind of partnership with them, but Marriott had no record of it and no idea what I meant. The way everything turned sketchy and unprofessional as soon as I asked about the refund has completely changed how I see this hotel. I won’t stay there again, and I’d strongly caution others to pay attention to how refunds and customer service issues are handled. Extremely disappointing and unacceptable.

The lobby was a great place to work before check-in: it’s huge, busy throughout the day, has a lovely skylight and excellent free coffee all day, and offers plenty of outlets and different kinds of seating. I also worked comfortably at the nice desk in my room. The T is literally across the street, and the staff were kind and responsive. I found it a great deal and would recommend it to anyone looking for value in an accessible part of town. I’m pretty persnickety about hotels, but I was very comfortable here. The property used to be a drive-in motel, which explains the unusual layout; it’s now enclosed, updated, and modernized. The room was quiet, modern, clean, and well appointed, and I had full control of the thermostat, which adjusted quickly. I booked an interior room and slept exceptionally well. If you want to wake up to sunrise, book an exterior room.

We loved being able to walk to nearby coffee shops and restaurants and explore the area without driving. Our room was very clean. The one inconvenience for us as walkers was that none of the side doors opened with a key card, so every time we came back we had to walk all the way around to the main lobby. It’d be much more convenient if even one side entrance worked with the room key. We stayed two nights and had a wonderful experience. Jen at the front desk made it special: she was friendly, attentive, and really helpful with all our questions.

The staff were so friendly, with great energy and personality, and deserve recognition. The clean, organized interior had simple but appealing decor. It was close to the event I was attending, and there was free breakfast and a gym. The rooms were pretty standard, with prepackaged toiletries, and the towels felt a little rough. I was excited to cast my streaming services to the TV, but it didn’t work, which was a bummer. Parking is available onsite for $45 a night, on top of the $30 facility fee and taxes, so the costs start adding up.