I won a free night a the Boston Park Plaza hotel not too long ago. Even though I live in Boston, I figured it would be fun to stay there and check it. Based on the name I guess I anticipated it to be a little more luxurious than it turned out to be. "Park Plaza" sounds so regal. Anyway, the lobby is gorgeous with high ceilings and chandeliers (for photo and info see http://www.bostonparkplaza.com) which was deceiving and led me to believe our room would be equally as charming. Our room, however, was very basic and quite dark, nothing like the lobby. It was a very cookie cutter hotel room with one queen sized bed and a small, motel-basic bathroom. It had no charm whatsoever and was even a little depressing. Our view was the side of the building next door. There was nothing actually wrong with the room, there was just nothing special about it. I have heard, however, that just last month the hotel finished some huge room renovations so if you do decide to book here be sure to ask for a renovated room.

There is a horrible bar/lounge behind the lobby with a pirate ship theme. This makes no sense at all to me at all. The lobby has this huge chandelier, beautiful carpets etc. and then you go to get a drink and you find yourself in this "Regal Beagle" type lounge. When we went there was a very drunk, obnoxious wedding party that basically took over the place. Annoying. There are three very new bars next to the hotel, however. Two are Irish (McCormick and Schmick's which is also a great seafood restaurant and M.J. O'Connor's Irish Pub) and can be found half a block down if you take a left out the back of the hotel. The other is to the right of the hotel’s main entrance. It is called Whiskey Park and is one of the newest, most popular bars in Boston. It is owned by Cindy Crawford's husband. The line is usually pretty long, but it is worth it.

The hotel's location is fabulous. It is right on the corner of Arlington and Stuart Street. You are a 5 minute walk from the theater district on one side and Copley Square and Newbury Street (best spots for shopping in Boston) on the other side. The Boston Public Gardens is two blocks away and is great for picnics, laying in the sun and feeding the ducks in the spring and summer. This is where the swan boats are that you see in all those postcards.

If you are looking for a moderately priced hotel in Boston the Park Plaza is a decent option for you. Don’t expect luxury, though. It is not the type of hotel where the room is so nice you just want to relax and lounge around and call room service. There are two ballrooms and 36 conference rooms which leads me to believe this is where a lot of their business comes from. It wouldn't be so bad to be booked here for a conference if the company was paying, I guess. If you are going to Boston for a vacation, consider staying somewhere with a little more charm. Other hotels in this same general area that I would recommend are:

The Newbury Guest House (fantastic location: 261 Newbury Street 617.437-7666)

The Fairmont Copley Plaza (beautiful! http://www.fairmont.com/Hotels/Index_B.html).


Recommended: No