XV Beacon: Old School Boston
Full Disclosure: During our visit to the XV, staff did not let us take photos of the property (huh?). This is the first time we have been banned from flash photography since that Motley Crue concert in 1988. Usually when we visit, we shoot our own photos. The photo you see at the top of this story is from the XV website, and we can confirm that while the terrace is sweet, it is not always blue skies and green plants up there :)
One of the most highly touted boutique hotels in Boston is XV Beacon.
This property made the Conde Nast "Top 100 in the World" list, and is a regular on "Best of" hotel lists around the globe. All this great press has enhanced the boutiques reputation and allowed the hotel, which opened in 2000, to charge approximately ~$395 rack rate for its smallest room. Is your jaw off the floor yet? Yeah, that is a NYC rate for a room in the Hub. Sure, if you search around a bit we bet you'll be able to find a room for bit cheaper, but the question on our minds was, is it worth it?
Granted, we didn't stay at XV, but we did get a tour, talked to some guests, and think we have a fairly accurate take on this property.
The property, a former school committee building, sits beside the state house, between Boston Common and Beacon Hill. In January 2000, developer Paul Roiff finished gutting and renovating the old school building and opened XV Beacon. At the time, Mr. Roiff said what separated XV from its competition was its bent towards the new business traveler. 4-inch LCD TV's in the bathroom, Ethernet access in every room, and a digital control panel by the bed to control everything, including the gas fireplace. Sound cutting edge? Maybe in 2000, but a lot changes in four years, especially for the business traveler, and if you walk into the XV Beacon today, high tech is not the first thing that pops to mind. The property is minus wireless, minus flat screen TV's, and minus an updated sound system.
This is not to say the XV falls flat on its face, and we will get to the can't misses about this property, but don't go there expecting a high tech environment fit for today's business traveler, or you will be highly disappointed.
Ok, now on to the good points. The décor of the hotel does a great job of mixing Federal sophistication with modern design. The rooms really do feel like stately bedrooms at the old house of some Boston dignitary. One cool feature is the in room safe. Usually in room safes are clunky and kind of useless, not at the XV, where the in room safe can easily fit a lap top computer. Very cool.
The wine cellar, under the critically acclaimed hotel restaurant (The Federalist) is also worth a look. The property has collected an amazing array of wine, and the cellar feels very old money. We kept looking around for a cigar bar, which would fit in perfectly at the XV, but alas, there wasn't one.
The rooms don't have extremely good views, but the real view treat at the XV is the rooftop terrace. The terrace offers a great view out over the Charles and the rest of Boston, and it is room enough to hang out up there for a while. We are suckers for a good rooftop terrace.
In sum, the XV Beacon is a very swank, masculine, old world meets new, hotel. A place that feels very Boston, and makes no bones about it. Seems like a place you might find Bruce Wayne hanging out at, and if that is the type of place you are looking for go for it, but make sure you have enough room on your credit card.
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