The Charles Hotel

The location worked well for Harvard, restaurants, and shopping, and the rooms were spacious and nicely equipped. Housekeeping was very attentive during the first two days of our five-day stay, then the service slipped. Once we left the room so it could be cleaned and came back to full trash cans and dirty towels. We also couldn’t stream video to the TVs, the air and heat didn’t circulate well between the bedroom and living room, and the mattress wasn’t as comfortable as I’d expected.

Harvard Square is an easy walk from this upscale hotel, and its bars and restaurants seem to draw plenty of people as a gathering spot. I liked the room, though I could hear the guest above me walking around and taking a shower. With that noise and the high price, it was still a nice hotel overall.

The breakfast team and their food were the bright spot of our stay. The location is handy for Harvard Square too, and there’s a cheaper parking lot next door, since parking at the hotel is steep. We paid more than $300 a night and left disappointed. At check-in, the front desk was polite, but came across as distant and snobbish, leaving us feeling like the sort of guests they didn’t prioritize. No one asked for an Amex card for incidentals. The next morning, a note under our door said we “must” use Amex for FHR benefits. Amex confirmed to us that the benefits apply when a booking is prepaid through Amex Travel with an eligible card. If this was the hotel’s own policy, it should have been explained upfront instead of presented as an Amex requirement. It also should have been handled professionally at check-in, rather than by an impersonal letter the next morning. The check-in staff training seems lacking. The room was small, with bed frame corners that stuck out and felt like a constant hazard. The mattress seemed worn, the pillows were very flat, and some basics didn’t work. The shampoo dispenser was broken, which we only found out while bathing our young daughter. Help took over 20 minutes, and the first item brought was the wrong one. Then the staff member insisted on coming into the bathroom to replace the bottle fastened to the wall, even though our daughter was still inside. That felt intrusive and unnecessary. Turndown was baffling too. We had booked for two adults and one child, and there were clearly two beds, but staff left just one bath towel and one pair of slippers. There weren’t extra slippers in the closet, and the bedside tables had no water or glasses. The effort felt careless and incomplete, as though the hotel assumed we wouldn’t notice. Half-done service only made the lack of attention and sincerity more obvious. With the inconsistent service, poor communication, and basic comfort issues, we don’t plan to return.

The mattress was extremely comfortable, and the room was spotless. The bathroom was compact but not cramped, with good fixtures and a roomy shower. The sink faucet pressure was a little weak, though the shower pressure was fine. The coffee maker took some figuring out but worked fine after that. Dinner at Henrietta’s was tasty with excellent service, and room service was quick, efficient, and very good. Parking costs $50 a day, but that’s Cambridge. I’d rate the stay closer to a five than a four.