Before I give you my impression of the Hyatt Harborside, let's discuss a few things first:

What the hotel is not for:
This hotel is not for a tourism experience, those wanting a vacation experience in Boston, those wanting convenience to town amenities, or ease of getting into and out of the city. It is not for those who want to be ooh-and-aahed over, or who want a view of the city.

What the hotel is for:
Spending the night before an early flight, or after a late flight..... convenience to the airport is key here. Read on....

I ended up at the Hyatt, spending the night before an early flight out of Logan. There are two hotels located on the airport property, the Hyatt being one, the other being the Hilton. Using direct web-rates from each of the hotel's respective websites, the rates are pretty similar. The Hilton is a little more pricey, but is nicer, and directly connected to one of the terminals via a walkway. You will need to take a shuttle from the Hyatt to the airport. What pushed the Hyatt over the top, however, was a park-and-fly rate.

I paid a park-and-fly rate of $169 at the Hyatt. This included one night's lodging and up to 7 days of parking. With garage parking at the airport running $22/day, and economy parking running $80/week (I was going to be gone 6 days), this was really a deal. Especially since the hotel parking is a nice lot, directly in front of the hotel - and piece of mind is priceless. I had absolutely no reservations about leaving my vehicle there for the week (and since I drive a rag-top, that's saying a lot). Hilton offered a similar package, but at $299.

This is a nice hotel, a little loud, but it is on airport grounds. Front-desk staff were pleasant and accommodating.

Our room overlooked the airport, not much of a view. We had two double beds, as well as a love seat/sitting area, desk, chair, and the usual TV, dresser, coffee service. The bathroom could stand to be updated a bit, but still served up a hot shower in the morning.

As another reviewer noted, it is loud. Not so much from the outside (planes), but rather from the inside corridors. The "slam", "slam", "slam", of the hallway doors of other rooms was particularly loud. If you are someone who really really needs uninterrupted sleep, or a very light sleeper, this hotel is probably not for you.

I did not get to the restaurants or room service. Expect them to be pricey. Boston is pricey, period. But service at a hotel bar/restaurant is always even more expensive. Don't be suprised to spend a healthy $30 on an entree for dinner, or $17 on breakfast. There are restaurants in the airport, which may be slightly less expensive, but who wants to spend even more time in the airport? The common areas of the hotel were nicely done, and a nice sitting area with a wall of windows looked like a nice place to have a cup of coffee.

We checked in the evening before and took the shuttle to the "T" stop (the local subway) to go into town for dinner. We didn't have any trouble with waiting an exorbitant amount of time for the shuttle. You must remember that Logan is a large airport, and the shuttle driver has a specific route he needs to drive to pick up and drop off at all the different terminals. With people getting off and on with their luggage, a complete trip can take 20 minutes, which means, yes, you may be waiting 20 minutes for the shuttle. The front desk staff are very up front about this. If time is a priority, you can get a cab for a few buck to the "T", or to your terminal. It will cost you a bit more to get a cab ride into the city.

For Boston and travel convenience, this hotel is a good deal and a good choice. It was a positive experience and choice for me, but not for everyone. As with everything there are pros and cons. As someone who lived in Boston, I am particularly sensitive to parking deals. In a city where a parking spot can cost the better part of my week's wages (now that I live in NH), I'm more than willing to sacrifice the possibility of some briefly interruppted sleep in exchange for worry-free parking and getting to my 7am flight on time.

Recommended: Yes