19 Best Hotels in Boston, Massachusetts

One of the growing number of lodgings clustered along Boston's ever-expanding Harborwalk—a pretty pedestrian path that runs from Charlestown to Dorchester—the Battery Wharf Hotel looks more like a gated community than a chain hotel. The four guest and residence buildings are accessible by water taxi ($10 from Logan Airport); inside, savvy decorators resisted the obvious nautical theme and went for a "manly modern" look, which translates to tons of polished nickel, maple, and granite, with sparkling contemporary glass sculpture by artist Nikolas Weinstein. Rooms offer what you'd expect at this price point, including marble baths, flat-screen TVs, ergonomic chairs, European linens, and high-tech coffeemakers. On-site Battery Wharf Grille features a seasonal menu with views of Boston Harbor on its breezy open-air terrace, and Cafe Amalfi is a sleek grab-and-go patio café. The hotel is also home to Exhale, a 13,000-square-foot upscale spa that includes Zen-inspired rooms for massage, acupuncture, and other energetic therapies, a salon for hair and nail services, New England's only Turkish co-ed hammam, and a temple-like studio for award-winning barre, cardio, yoga (outdoor waterfront practice is also available), and core cycle classes.

The chic, newly renovated Copley Square Hotel offers cushy mattresses, mini fridges, high speed Wi-Fi, and eco-friendly toiletries—not too shabby for a place that opened in 1891 and has provided respite to a century of celebrities like Babe Ruth, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday. The mod rooms are so clean and streamlined that you just might overlook the fact that many are teeny. Nevertheless, the old-meets-new vibe is fun, and the neighborhood couldn't be livelier. To maximize your Zs, get a room in the back of the hotel, preferably high up, where traffic noise—and the rowdy partying—isn't so audible.

Since 1912, this decadent, unabashedly romantic hotel has welcomed guests in style, immediately impressing as they enter under the huge black awning, flanked by golden lion statues, into the lobby decked out in Italian marble, stunning coffered ceilings, and gorgeous crystal chandeliers. Rooms are equally elegant, with soothing colors and upscale amenities. The OAK Long Bar + Kitchen is the place to sip an after-work martini or enjoy dinner and great people-watching. Those who really love pampering should book the Fairmont Gold floor, an ultradeluxe club level offering a dedicated staff, free breakfast and tea-time snacks, and a library. A rooftop fitness area spans 3,000 square feet and is open 24/7. Shoppers will be happy with the hotel’s close proximity to Newbury Street, the Prudential Center, and Copley Place. If you're missing your dog, the hotel’s Canine Ambassador, Cori Copley, the in-house Labrador retriever, is available for a walk around the neighborhood.

Quiet rooms, competitive prices, and the only hotel actually connected to the airport make this Hilton a good choice for in-and-out visitors to Boston. Guest rooms feature an air-meets-sea aesthetic, soundproof windows, and desks with ergonomic chairs. Fitness center has free weights, cardio equipment, and 40-foot lap pool. The Hilton operates a complimentary shuttle bus every 15 minutes to all airport terminals, car-rental agencies, the water taxi, and subway.

Formerly the Kimpton Nine Zero, this boutique hotel is sleek, sleek, sleek—all smooth lines, neutral tones, wood, and leather, and then bam! sudden bursts of vibrant color and pop art. It's great for families and those looking for a romantic getaway in the city. Travelers with pets: no problem, there's tons of amenities. But, if it's all about location for you, this spot offers easy walking access to Beacon Hill, Downtown, Boston Common, and Government Center.  The hotel also focuses on fitness, with yoga mats in every room, complimentary bikes for you and scooters for kids, and 24-hour fitness center. Request corner rooms (ending in 05) or Skyline View Rooms for the best city and river views.

Luxury and service without pretense make this hip spot a solid choice. Spacious rooms, which overlook Kenmore Square or Fenway Park, have marble baths, large windows, separate work areas, and flat-screen TVs. Contemporary schemes enhance the urban luxe lodgings, and king- or queen-size beds are piled with down pillows and Italian linens. The wildly accommodating staff is an added bonus.

Fresh off a renovation, Hotel Indigo takes up a small plot in the West End with just under 100 hotel rooms. It recalls the neighborhood's working class residential history with exposed brick inside (like the West End's brick tenement housing that's been turned into bars and shops) as well as antique industrial furniture and manufacturing illustrations on the walls. Guest rooms include Smeg mini fridges, desks, and free internet service. There's also a business center and 24-hour fitness center.

Across the street from Faneuil Hall, this coveted spot from the trusted brand is literally steps away from dozens upon dozens of Boston landmarks, parks, and restaurants. The decor is simple yet effective, a potential nod to the city's preppy fashion sense (think plaid walls and halls alongside houndstooth winged chairs). Grab a corner room for the ultimate city views: two walls of windows overlook the hustle and bustle below. Enjoy a 24-hour fitness center, room service, and high-end amenities like 55-inch flat-screen TVs with Chromecast streaming capabilities, Drybar Buttercup blow-dryers, and BeeKind bath products.

Hyatt Regency Boston sits amid the colorful Downtown Crossing neighborhood right on the edge of the Theater District and just steps away from world-renowned cultural attractions, businesses, and universities like Suffolk and Emerson. Understated, earth-toned guest suites are equipped with Hyatt's signature Grand Bed, Keurig coffee machines, and windows that open. For guests who want to keep up with their fitness regimen, the hotel features free access to a 24-hour StayFit gym and a 52-foot indoor lap pool. The Hyatt is also pet-friendly. Bonus: the hotel is fairly green—among other things, it composts leftover food and uses energy-efficient lighting, including motion-detector light switches.

As you enter the private courtyard set back from bustling Kendall Square, say "hello" to Celeste, a 25-foot-tall armillary sculpture that serves as a centerpiece surrounded by plush couches that fill up in the evenings for live music and cocktails. The hotel's extensive guestroom redesign was recently completed, taking inspiration from the academic and literary history of the neighborhood. The relaxing, paired down room decor directs more attention to staring out of the floor-to-ceiling windows for vast views of the Boston skyline, the courtyard, or the Charles River. Get out and enjoy all you see with use of the hotel's bikes and kid-sized Micro Kickboard scooters. The amenity fee also allows fun add-ons, such as GoPros and Polaroids, nightly movies in the courtyard, summertime kayaks, wintertime snowshoes, and more. And don't forget to stop by the nightly wine tastings held in the lobby, a trademark for a Kimpton hotel.

The former headquarters of the Boston Police Department houses the sleek Loews Boston Hotel, which boasts a cool glass-and-marble lobby and a stylish restaurant, Precinct Kitchen + Bar, and manages to combine the building's history with 21st-century amenities. Rooms feature heated towel racks, Frete down comforters, free bottled water, and free in-room Wi-Fi. You'll receive a complimentary VIP tour of Boston Harbor Distillery during your stay (the perfect time to take advantage of the hotel's babysitting services).

There's more than a century and a half of rich and varied history within these walls, where JFK proposed to Jackie and Charles Dickens gave his first reading of A Christmas Carol. It's America's longest, continuously operating hotel, so you can steep yourself in Boston history while enjoying today’s modern conveniences. As with many historic city lodgings, guest rooms are a tad small, but they're nicely turned out with cherrywood furniture, red-and-gold Roman shades, ivory wall coverings, and cushy mattress covers. It's also rumored that the hotel's former owner haunts the place—you be the judge. The Parker House’s iconic, original Boston cream pie (it was invented in the hotel) is available 24 hours a day.

Adjacent to the World Trade Center and not far from the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, the Seaport Hotel is awash with badge-wearing, convention-going suits. Guest rooms (hypoallergenic available) are outfitted in soothing, warm tones, and feature dreamy bathrooms complete with marble floors, rain showers, and Gilchrist and Soames BeeKind toiletries. Business travelers will appreciate the complimentary Wi-Fi. Fitness center offers strength and cardio equipment and a heated pool.

The stately 1927 Harvard Square landmark overlooking Cambridge Common park features classic furnishings (hello four-poster beds) in handsome, warm tones, but it's the hotel's signature bright-red neon sign towering overhead that really puts it on the map as a Cambridge classic. In the lobby and common spaces, lovely architectural touches include grand arches and a bi-level ballroom with a carved ceiling and gilt mirrors. The on-site Nubar Restaurant & Lounge is the perfect place to escape into a stylish setting with a cocktail.

Few places in town can rival the soaring lobby—ringed by several layers of revamped metal catwalks—of the chic Liberty, formerly Boston's Charles Street Jail. The rooms, either in the original granite building or an adjacent 16-story modern tower, feature comfortable beds, deep brown leather lounge chairs, and views of the Charles River. As far as hotel amenities, expect bikes you can borrow in nice weather, free workouts, music, and fashion events, and a half-dozen on-site restaurants and bars.

The Westin is connected to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and provides comfortable accommodations and exceptional service. While the property does seem to be dominated by convention goers, it's also a refreshing oasis for leisure travelers from the moment they arrive in the sunlight-filled atrium lobby. Most guest rooms have water or skyline views. The WestinWORKOUT Fitness Studio and heated indoor pool are a plus.

This luxury boutique hotel fits right in with its Beacon Hill surroundings, views of which you can enjoy while you relax in-room in a plush Frette bathrobe with a cup of Nespresso coffee. Complimentary amenities come in abundance—including Wi-Fi, shoe shine, bicycle use, loaded mini fridge, and top-of-the-line fitness center—which is nice, given the hotel has some of the highest nightly rates in Boston. You won't have a bad time here. 

If the idea of sleeping in an upscale mall appeals to you, the Westin is a great bet; it boasts its own pod of retail shops and restaurants and is also connected by a covered skywalk to Copley Place (more high-end shopping) and the Hynes Convention Center. The top-floor rooms of this contemporary 36-story hotel have some of the best views in Boston—of the Charles River, Copley Square, Back Bay, the South End, Boston Harbor, and Boston skylines (especially gorgeous when a-twinkle at night). When a run outside isn't in the books, the nicely appointed fitness studio complete with TRX training and Peloton take over. Guest rooms are spacious and feature wildly comfortable beds and plush linens.

The 1903 Beau-Arts exterior of this intimate, luxury boutique hotel is a study in sophistication and elegance. Inside, dark chocolate mahogany sets the tone with bold splashes of red, brightened with recessed lighting and abstract art. Rooms—which, by the way, most are spacious—are done up in soothing, neutral shades, and each has a gas fireplace, cashmere throws for comfort, Frette linens and bathrobes, and heated towel racks in the bathroom. The 24-hour fitness center features state-of-the-art cardio machines. Property concierges have won prestigious Clefs d'Or honors. If your stay coincides Boston's July 4 celebration, make your way to the hotel's roof deck (open from May through October) for unparalleled fireworks viewing.