Under new management in Boston - The Seaport Hotel
Written: Mar 04 '03 (Updated Apr 23 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Top-quality. Superb atmosphere. Service inclusive. Central Boston location. Incredible gym!
Cons: Boston traffic/construction. You pay for the quality!
The Bottom Line: Up-scale hotel near Logan Airport and the wonderful North End. Expensive, but service inclusive. Highly recommended.
|
|
|
| pilotpat's Full Review: Seaport Hotel |
The new Seaport Hotel is a top-quality establishment. You won't find the overstuffed pillows, cherry furniture, and other opulence like a Ritz-Carlton, but you WILL find modern upscale rooms, top-quality service, and a relaxed, professional hotel atmosphere.
Getting to the Seaport from Boston Logan is easy via commercial transport, which allows you to use the commercial tunnel. Driving yourself is tricky, and requires a knowledge of the quick turns that perpetually construction-plagued Boston is famous for. You also get to deal with the infamous aggressive Boston drivers (demolition derby experience is helpful) that remind me of those in Naples, or perhaps the Tuk-Tuk drivers of urban Thailand. Underground parking is sufficient, although you may drive a bit finding a spot, and will cost you a daily fee.
Entering the Seaport gives you no doubt that it is upscale in nature. The hotel blends well with the World Trade Center Boston buildings and the lobby is spacious, modern, and well-appointed.
Front desk staff are neatly uniformed, politely professional and friendly, and uniformly well-trained in etiquette and diction as well as hotel policy. Each staff member, from the front desk manager to the bellhop, concierge, waitpersons, and even bartender, reminds you that the hotel is Service Inclusive and that tips are not required.
A bellhop took my bags as I checked in, arriving moments after I arrived in my room. On the way up, I was able to read the latest headlines on the in-elevator news screens. The room was spacious and modern. Phones with dataports graced both the bedstand and work desk. Complimentary ethernet was available at the desk as well (a cable was even provided in the well-stocked minibar), which included a comfortable working chair. In one corner was a similarly comfortable high-back upholstered chair. The king-sized bed was comfortable. TV with cable and some movie channels was provided. Boston tourist magazines were arranged nicely on the coffee table. An iron and ironing board were provided. Same-day dry-cleaning is available as well.
Everything in the room was spotlessly clean. My room faced the city, and though there is no balcony, the window on this high-rise afforded what will be a pleasant view once the "T" terminal is complete. Other rooms have a view of the pier and ocean, but some rooms are graced only with a view of the adjacent WTC Boston building.
The bathroom was tiled with quality fixtures, thick terrycloth robes, and lush towels, and included a hairdryer and lighted makeup mirror. Like many higher-end hotels, it had a phone in the bathroom (which I still have never used). Name-brand lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and soap was included. The shower had hot water and good pressure, especially considering the floor I was on (14, if I recall correctly).
Room temperature was adjustable by an electronic thermostat, and the heating/cooling was relatively quiet. The hotel environment is well-secured with a vigilant security staff, and the doors have sturdy electronic locks with a privacy lock-out function and flip-over latch.
In the morning, USA today (USA "Yesterday" is more appropriate) arrived at my door, which I exchanged for a copy of the Wall Street Journal, a stack of which was available on a side-table near the elevators.
The concierge desk is more than willing to help with directions, reservations, tickets, and the like (service inclusive, of course). This included helpful tips such as, "I recommend you spend $10 on a taxi to the North End restaurant you are going to - it will be less frustration than driving around for a half-hour before finally paying $10 to park 5 blocks away." We of course disregarded the advice and drove into the North End, circled for a half-hour, and then drove back to the hotel, parked, and took a $10 taxi to the front door of the restaurant. The following nights we just took the cab.
The hotel is within minutes from Boston's North End, and a short walk to the superb (and very reasonably priced) no-frills "No Name Restaurant" on the pier.
The in-hotel restaurant serves a high quality fare. We sampled only the breakfast, which included cooked-to-order pancakes, omelettes, waffles, a large variety of fruit, cereals, yogurt, fresh-squeezed juices and much more. The individual-sized bottles of Vermont maple syrup were welcome companions to my pancakes.
My laptop was acting up a bit, but fortunately the lobby had a computer with complimentary high-speed Internet. The business center was available with more computers for use, as well as printers, copiers, and the like.
The fitness center, pool, and health spa are absolutely top quality. Professional coaching/training is available for a charge. Spinning classes, aerobic classes, and other services (including manicures/pedicures, I understand) are available. There are aerobic rooms, a large cardio area, weight machines, and free weights. Equipment is ultra-modern and meticulously cared for. The rooms themselves are spacious, so you're not banging into the person on the weights next to you. It's like a medium-sized quality gym with a much smaller crowd.
Overall, a superb up-scale hotel. Expensive, but you get what you pay for. The service inclusive nature means you don't have to keep a wad of bills in your pocket to dole out to every staff person you bump into!
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
pilotpat
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Pat
Location: World Traveler
Reviews written: 96
Trusted by: 41 members
About Me:
"Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now."
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.