Cool Boston is often referred to as a cultural and artistic capital of the U.S. (don’t tell New York), the ‘Athens of America’. Which isn’t surprising, seeing as it’s packed with impressive architecture, housing great collections of art and antiquities, orchestras and theatre companies, and libraries. Which makes it a great choice for a city break. But that downplays Boston’s appeal for sports fans, and foodies, and for those interested in America’s history. Now, to cater for such a wide variety of visitors, Boston has an equally wide variety of accommodation, spread throughout the city, but if you’re looking for the coolest hotels in Boston then you’ll find the highest concentrations of hip hotels in Downtown Boston, Back Bay, South End, Boston Harbour and North End. Or, if you want to speed your search even further, you can keep on reading…
Hip Boston City Break Hotels
- W Boston offers cool decor and huge windows, with incredible views over its Theatre District spot. We’re talking design that’s too considered, and packed with too much detail, to be minimal, but still definitely walks the line of style on the tasteful and understated side. Letting those views do most of the talking. The restaurant is excellent and the cocktail bar is super cool.
- The Envoy Hotel is a 136 room design hotel on Boston’s Waterfront at Seaport. There’s too much detail here to call the decor minimal, but the lines are pleasingly simple and the details are cool — think TV frames that look like bike frames, bathroom mirrors with embossed maps, comfy leather sofas and a hint of the nautical. The floor to ceiling windows are a huge bonus, and the roof terrace is a fantastic place to hang out.
- Nine Zero is on the eastern corner of Boston Common, just two blocks from Beacon Hill, and with incredible views of the city and the water. The Nine Zero has 190 rooms and suites, with a great range of configurations for families, and decor that is simply stylish, with Eames Lounge Chairs and other icons of design. Some of the rooms have views so good there’s a telescope. Plus there’s a gym and spa, complimentary bike hire, and welcome packs for kids.
Cool Hotels in Downtown Boston
- The Sonder Hancock Suites are a collection of 11 studio and one bedroom apartments in elegant Beacon Hill, a distinct neighbourhood in Boston’s Downtown area, known for its brownstones, shopping and green spaces. This is a really great part of Boston to stay in if you want to be within walking distance of major sights. These apartments mirror the stylish area, being elegant, with hardwood flooring, quality kitchens and design furniture.
- The Godfrey Hotel is a big, boutique-style hotel in Boston’s theatre district, with chic rooms decorated in minimal monochrome — the best of the 242 rooms and suites have fantastic city views through their big windows. There’s a cool Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant and bar, which looks like it would make a great date venue, and elegant public areas. It’s difficult to think of a cooler part of Downtown Boston to stay in.
- The Boxer is a cool, and cool coloured, boutique hotel in the historic Bulfinch Triangle area of Boston’s West End. The building is full of character, and the decor has a masculine, industrial feel and that cool colour palette, that gives the accommodations the air of a desirable loft-style apartment, especially when you consider the views. The location is ideal for shoppers, sight seers and museum goers, and there’s a great restaurant and cocktail bar specialising in American classics.
For a chic luxury stay
- Sonder Pierce Boston is a collection of just six self-catering apartments. There are one, two and three bedroom options, and they all share a games room with some old skool pinball treats, and stylish, minimalist decor. All have kitchens to rival the best home kitchens, designer furnishings, floor to ceiling windows and bespoke art. I think many of us would love to live at Sonder Pierce. It’s grown up cool.
- The Newbury is a big, grand dame style hotel in Back Bay, overlooking the beautiful Public Gardens. There are 286 spacious rooms and suites, the best with views of the gardens, and they all have huge beds dressed in luxurious white linen and muted neutral details. The Italian rooftop restaurant is a memorable place to dine.
- The Four Seasons One Dalton Street is another Back Bay hotel overlooking the gardens, and much of the rest of the city from the rooms on the top 40 odd floors of its 61 storey tower of glass. This is a luxury hotel with all the trimmings, a choice of three elegant restaurants and as many bars, a spa and pool, all sorts of treatments, and most of the 273 rooms and suites have floor to ceiling windows.
For Cool Couples
- The Verb Hotel is going for a late 50s cool vibe, having been decorated and restored with vintage and retro details to fit in with the musical heyday of its location, Fenway. Arranged around a central pool, these 94 rooms and suites have big coloured-glass windows, typewriters and music-themed posters and details. You’ll know it because of the airstream camper out front. And Fenway today is a hip proposition.
For Families
- Yes, the Revere Hotel Boston Common is, broadly speaking, a Paul Revere themed hotel. Only in the sense that they’ve taken the revolutionary hero as a starting point for their art and design, with geometric Paul Revere head pillows, a sculptural cannon in the restaurant, and lots of stars and stripes. It’s certainly not overpowering, though, and doesn’t get in the way of the overall design aesthetic, which is neutral, minimal design chic. There are 356 rooms and suites, and there’s a huge range of sizes to choose from, which is why this is our pick for families. There’s also great facilities for kids and an incredible rooftop bar. Plus, the location is great for sightseeing.
- The Inn @ St Botolph is a 16 room apartment hotel in a beautiful brownstone in hip Back Bay. This is the sort of place cool cats want to live, so you can fit right in with the locals at their cafe haunts, local farmers' markets and cool shops. The decor features a lot of stripes and monochrome prints plus shapely furnishings and full kitchens.
Fun Hotels in Boston
- Staypineapple Boston is a quirky, 55 room hotel in hip South End. The name might make you double-take, but yes, it is one word, and one of the words is ‘pineapple’, but it’s not just a gimmicky name, they’ve actually managed to add a pineapple theme to the otherwise comfortable, minimal rooms — this one needs a photo. The bar and restaurant on the ground floor are hip and pineapple free, and they offer nice perks like free bike hire and complimentary morning coffee and afternoon snack. Our Guru didn’t say if it’s pineapple or not...
- Moxy Boston Downtown isn’t everyone’s cup of cool, but it’s really fun! And if you pare back the fun the 340 loft-like rooms in an excellent Theatre District location are simple and stylish, and some of them have truly memorable views. There’s also a 24-hour market-place restaurant and rooftop bar. If you can get down with a perky slogan cushion and a sugar rush then you’ll be in seventh heaven here, but if the extra pizazz is too much then retire to your stylish room and enjoy the rest of Boston’s cool.
- Yotel Boston has 326 rooms in the ‘space age’ style of modern decor, with rounded edges, lots of white, and pops of space-age purple and grey. The smaller rooms are like cabins, but with the comfort of memory foam mattress and a resident robot. Other facilities include in-room meditation videos, a gym, and a roof terrace with a fantastic cocktail bar and 270º city views.
For foodies
- The Liberty Hotel has been converted from an iconic Boston jail, and they’ve kept some of the historic elements for fun, like ornate ironwork, and some original jail bars in the CLINK restaurant. But the 300 odd rooms are now extremely spacious, and luxurious, with big windows overlooking the Charles River and waterfront, and huge bathrooms. There are three restaurants, and a bar occupying the central atrium, plus a rooftop terrace with incredible city views.
For great value
- Boston’s citizenM Boston North Station delivers all the best of the citizenM brand: comfortable rooms with big beds, cool, functional bathrooms and big windows, a great 24hour restaurant and a cocktail bar with a rooftop view, and lively design features. And all for their brand-famous great value.
- Unfussy and affordable, with an industrial edge and a great workspace and gym, the Hotel Indigo Boston Garden is in Boston’s North End. This neighbourhood is often referred to as ‘Little Italy’ because of its Italian delis, cafes, bars and restaurants, and it’s close to the centre of town and by the water. There are 72 rooms and suites at the Hotel Indigo, in good range of sizes, and all with bathrooms. The bar and restaurant are good too, but there are loads of cool spots to discover locally.
Still not sure where to book?
