Where to Stay - Boston 2009 - page 87

at first—the views of downtown Boston, the airport and harbor, and the Charles River
and Cambridge are spectacular.
10 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02116. & 800/WESTIN-1 or 617/262-9600. Fax [phone]. www.westin.com/
copleyplace. 803 units. $179-$479 double; $239-$539 suite; $999-$3,300 specialty suite. Extra person $25-$50.
Weekend packages available. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Valet parking $40. T: Green Line to Copley or Orange Line to Back
Bay. Pets accepted. Amenities: 3 restaurants (a branch of New York's famous Palm steakhouse, Turner Fisheries,
breakfast cafe); bar; indoor pool; health club and spa; children's programs; concierge; car-rental desk; airport shuttle;
well-equipped business center; shopping arcade; salon; 24-hr. room service; in-room massage; laundry service; exec-
utive-level rooms. 48 rooms for those w/limited mobility adjoin standard units. In room:A/C, TV/VCR w/pay movies,
high-speed Internet access ($16/day), minibar, coffeemaker, hair dryer, iron, safe, robes.

MODERATE
Charlesmark Hotel In an excellent location overlooking the Boston
Marathon finish line, the Charlesmark has a boutique feel and great prices. It's both
luxurious and—literally, not figuratively—no frills. The sleek, contemporary design
uses custom furnishings to maximize the 1892 building's compact spaces. Guest
rooms are small, but they have pillow-top mattresses and enough space to hold a com-
fortable chair. The Charlesmark's amenities don't challenge the perks of the neighbor-
hood's large hotels, but they're more than sufficient for most business or leisure
travelers. The second-floor lobby holds a computer and printer for guests' use. Rates
include breakfast, light refreshments such as bottled water and fruit, and local phone
calls, all part of management's policy not to pad your bill with incidentals. The only
real drawback is that the building has just one elevator—and if that's your biggest
problem, you're doing pretty well.
655 Boylston St. (between Dartmouth and Exeter sts.), Boston, MA 02116. & 617/247-1212. Fax [phone].
www.thecharlesmark.com. 33 units, most with shower only. $109-$249 double. Rates include continental breakfast.
Children stay free in parent's room. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Self-parking $32 in nearby garage. T: Green Line to Copley.
Pets accepted with prior approval. Amenities: Lounge; access to nearby health club ($10); laundry service; rooms for
those w/limited mobility. In room:A/C, TV, high-speed Internet access, mini-fridge, hair dryer.
Hotel 140 This is a textbook example of a hotel style I call “budget boutique”:
Rooms and bathrooms are small, amenities few, and prices reasonable. In a great loca-
tion in the pricey Back Bay, Hotel 140 is a deal. The contemporary-style hotel opened
in 2005 in a renovated former YWCA that dates to 1929. Rooms are on the fifth
through seventh floors of the 14-story building that houses (among other things) the
offices of the “Y,” which owns the hotel. Each simply decorated room has a full-size
or twin-size bed, without much extra space, but the hotel consistently fills with leisure
and thrifty business travelers. Its main competitor is the John Hancock Hotel, a block
away, which is roughly comparable but more traditional in style.
140 Clarendon St., Boston, MA 02116. & 800/714-0140 or 617/585-5600. www.hotel140.com. 55 units (all with
shower only). $119-$189 double. Rates include continental breakfast. Weekend, theater, and other packages avail-
able. AE, MC, V. Parking $20 in adjacent garage. T: Orange Line to Back Bay. Amenities: Exercise room; business cen-
ter; rooms for those w/limited mobility. In room: A/C, TV, high-speed Internet access, hair dryer, iron.

Value

Value

The John Hancock Hotel & Conference Center In an unbeatable location
on a dead-end street near Back Bay Station, this eight-story hotel is a hidden jewel. A
limited-service lodging with an old-fashioned air and a helpful staff, it books many
groups that use the abundant meeting space. The compact, comfortable guest rooms
were spruced up and had their furniture replaced in 2007. Unlike the large, elaborate
lobby, they're not fancy, but they're well maintained and big enough not to feel claus-
trophobic; bathrooms, however, are tiny. The 1925 building has been a hotel since

Finds