NOTE: This is a review of the Summerfield Suites Hotel in Waltham (near Boston), and it used to be categorized as such. I just noticed that this review now shows up as a review of the completely unrelated Mosser Hotel in San Francisco (?). This is an error on the Epinions site. Another review which is also of the Summerfield Suites in Waltham appears to be affected in the same way. At the moment (11/10/05) there does not seem to be an entry for the Summerfield Suites Waltham on Epinions anymore.

Location

The Summerfield Suites Hotel is located in Waltham in a cluster of several hotels right off an exit of I-95, close to several high-tech companies, which are probably the main source of guests for these hotels. One might also consider it for tourist visits to Boston as a cheaper alternative to the often very expensive downtown hotels. The drive into Boston can take less than 30 minutes, if there is little traffic, but up to an hour or more during the peak commute times. Going to Logan Airport takes about 40 minutes off-peak. (Note there is no hotel shuttle contrary to what the hotel's web page might suggest - they are really just referring to a van service which you can book and have to pay for. For two people a taxi is probably cheaper - roughly $60.)

The hotel's location is actually very quiet, near the top of a small hill, with not much else in immediate vicinity (apart from the other hotels), and I-95 certainly far enough away to not be heard any more. Parking is free and easy.

Rooms

All rooms are suites, either one bedroom or two bedrooms. The one bedroom suite I was in was extremely nice and very spacious. Everything was spotless and looked very new. The suite has a true separation between bedroom and living room (there is even a door). The bathroom is off the bedroom, which is kind of unusual even for a suite hotel. The suite had a full-size kitchen with a stove and a full-size fridge.

The furniture was top notch. The chair at the work desk was one of those really fancy office chairs that sell for $700 or more apiece. It was very comfortable, but so was the sofa.

I have been to quite a few hotels, including lots of first-class and some alleged luxury ones, but I would give the Summerfield Suites in Waltham the prize for best-furnished and most comfortable room without a second thought.

Facilities

We didn't do much at the hotel, so I can't say much more about the facilities than the hotel's web site says itself. The front desk sells some beverages and even some groceries, which can be quite useful.

The breakfast buffet, which is included in the room price, is not spectacular, but certainly adequate. The orange juice was quite watery.

There is a "social hour" with free food in the afternoons Monday through Thursday, but you might be out during that time. There is no restaurant on the premises. Presumably the large Westin Hotel, which is part of the hotel cluster, has a restaurant. Otherwise you'll have to drive to get to one.

Price

The hotel had several different rates available at the time of booking, and it certainly paid to compare. We actually got one room for our parents at an AARP rate of less than $90 on average per night. This rate was apparently only available on Yahoo! Travel. The other room was $119 per night, which was a "corporate rate" booked directly on Wyndham's web site, also well below the rate for other Boston hotels. The nearby Sheraton was $139 per night for the same dates, and its rooms are not nearly as nice as the ones in the Summerfield Suites, and they are certainly a lot smaller.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a hotel in the western Boston suburbs, this is the one. If you need to go to Boston at short notice when all the downtown hotels have only $250 rooms available, it might be worth considering, but it's still quite a drive into the city.


Recommended: Yes