Best Hotels in
Boston

Boston's most buzzed-about recent opening occupies the 1927 Ritz-Carlton building on Newbury Street, with rooms reimagined by Champalimaud Design that honor the Beaux-Arts bones while delivering contemporary luxury. The rooftop Contessa restaurant with views over the Public Garden is the finest new dining room the city has seen in years.

• Back Bay
• Luxury
• Couples

A modern luxury flagship on Boylston Street that pairs the Mandarin's legendary spa and service standards with a location steps from Copley Square and the Prudential Center. The 148 rooms balance Back Bay's residential elegance with contemporary Asian aesthetics, and Bar Boulud on the ground floor brings Daniel Boulud's French bistro classics to Boston.

• Back Bay
• Luxury
• Spa

The grande dame of Boston hotels — open since 1912 and still commanding Copley Square with Beaux-Arts majesty. The Oak Bar and Oak Room have hosted every US president since Taft, and the gilded ballroom remains Boston's most storied event space. Rooms are classically large for New England, and the location between Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library is unbeatable.

• Back Bay
• Historic
• Business

A discreet 95-suite Relais & Châteaux property at the corner of Commonwealth and Massachusetts Avenues, where old Boston money and the international academic community have taken quiet refuge since 1925. The Clio restaurant has been one of Boston's most respected tables for two decades, and the suites are remarkably spacious for the neighborhood.

• Back Bay
• Boutique
• Couples

An independently owned Back Bay landmark since 1900, the Lenox sits directly on the Marathon finish line on Boylston Street with a warmth and character that chain hotels struggle to match. Original working fireplaces in many rooms, an excellent on-site restaurant (City Table), and genuine pride in Boston identity set it apart.

• Back Bay
• Boutique
• Solo

America's longest continuously operating hotel (since 1855), where the Boston Cream Pie was invented and Charles Dickens gave his first American reading of A Christmas Carol. The location on School Street is steps from the Freedom Trail, the State House, and Faneuil Hall — and the history embedded in every corridor is palpable.

• Downtown
• Historic
• Budget

Converted from the Charles Street Jail (1851) where suffragettes and abolitionists were once imprisoned, The Liberty is Boston's most dramatically repurposed historic building. The original granite cell blocks form the atrium, guest room doors retain iron bars, and the Alibi bar in the former drunk tank is Boston's most memorable cocktail room.

• Beacon Hill
• Historic
• Boutique

Across the Charles River in Cambridge, the Marlowe offers a Kimpton-signature combination of playful design (animal mascots, nightly wine hour) and MIT/Harvard proximity at prices 20-30% below comparable Back Bay options. Request river-view rooms for Charles River panoramas and Cambridge skyline.

• Cambridge
• Value
• Boutique

Smart, efficient micro-hotel in the Theater District that optimizes every square foot with adjustable SmartBeds, rain showers, and tech-forward amenities — all at prices that make neighboring luxury hotels blush. The rooftop bar and Mission Park restaurant attract a young creative crowd from across the city.

• Theater District
• Budget
• Solo

The anchor hotel of Boston's Seaport Innovation District, with harbor views, a direct connection to the Seaport World Trade Center, and 428 rooms that balance business functionality with genuine New England maritime character. Its conference facilities and proximity to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center make it the city's top meeting hotel.

• Seaport
• Business
• Views

A sleek 136-room boutique that punches above its size in Boston's Seaport district, with a rooftop bar (Lookout Rooftop) that is consistently ranked among the city's top outdoor drinking destinations — featuring Boston Harbor views and a menu from James Beard-nominated chefs. The lobby doubles as a gallery for emerging New England artists.

• Seaport
• Boutique
• Views