Approaching Boston's newest swank hotel, The Liberty Hotel, is not a simple proposition. The hotel is directly behind the new Yawkey Center at Mass General Hospital and you are bound to run into squealing ambulances, harried doctors and Charles St. Brahmans as you enter.
However once inside the old Charles Street Jail you are immediately blown away by the atrium architecture and escalator mural, which includes mug shots of actual former inmates. Our first impression is that MTM Luxury Lodging did a good job of shutting out the chaotic surroundings of the Charles St. T stop and turning this old jail into a 298-room hotel.
We know that if you are going to pay $300 to $350 a night (ouch) for a room here you want to know what it is like inside. Luckily for you this hotel video tour is a Friday double feature.
Last fall it was announced that a former Charles Street jail in Boston would be converted into a luxury boutique hotel. The hotel estimated a Summer 2007 opening date and guess what? The Liberty Hotel has opened today.
However, you can't stay overnight there until Sept. 7 but when you do you can expect room rates to start at $275 for a 400 sq.ft. Fantastic Double Double. A Ultra Fantastic King starts at $305. Looks like someone borrowed from the W Hotels room descriptions.
The hotel also has three restaurants/bars in the works including a "jail" bar in the lobby that pays homage to the building's former life. A casual restaurant and bar will be on the second floor and a fine dining restaurant is also expected.
The first line of Stuart Emmrich's review for the NY Times of the hotel Nine Zero goes like this:
Finally, a hotel for dog-loving, yoga-practicing, environmentally conscious history buffs.
If that's not enough to let you know it's a Kimpton Hotel, then we don't know what other clues you would need.
Nine Zero's been open for a while but in this day and age everyone seems to be look for a green hotel during their travels and Nine Zero definitely lives up to the expectations with its eco-friendly cleaning products and fair trade coffee.
Emmrich loved the place from top to bottom. This was actually one of the most positive reviews of a hotel we've seen from NYT all year. Not that they are too harsh on hotels in the first place but still, Emmrich only mentioned one thing to avoid: hanging out in the lobby during the hotel's daily wine-tasting hour.
However, judging from this picture we may make our own suggestion: Avoid the lobby during the week when business travelers of the male persuasion are hanging out in the lobby. Sheesh, where are the ladies at?
Oh you gotta love the America. Where else can you be the mayor of Providence, head up a city racketeering scam, go to jail and then have a luxury hotel job awaiting you upon your release?
Vincent "Buddy" Cianci will get out of federal prison next week where he has been serving a five-year term for corruption during his term as mayor of Providence. Cianci will be released to a halfway house on May 30 but he is already set to assume a role at the Fifteen Beacon Hotel in sales and marketing, thanks to his part in revitalizing much of Providence. Said George Regan, a spokesman for hotel owner Paul Roiff:
"He's going to have an office right inside the hotel. He's obviously an expert in sales and marketing. Look what he's done for downtown Providence," Regan said. "We think he'll be a great addition."
Cianci will have a celebration party on his first day and should be a good candidate to understand Fifteen Beacon's luxury status (rooms start at $400 a night) since he was known to camp out in the Presidential Suite of the Biltmore Hotel during his term as mayor. Let's hope he doesn't force his marinara sauce on everyone.
Recently, we decided to check out what was up at one of Boston's newest "conventioner" hotels, the Westin Boston Waterfront.
Flat panel televisions in every room, a pleasantly lingering new hotel smell, a big, wide open lobby, and that earthy tone decor that gets everyone at Westin so excited these days.
Want the downside? It is in Southie, so South Station is walkable, but kind of far and on-site parking is $36.00 a night--convention suckers. However, if you know the area--D Street cough--you can find a good meal at a reasonably priced restaurant within a couple blocks of the hotel.
Want to know what it is like to walk into this hotel? Well we attempt to show in in the hotel video above. And the answer is no, we did not take that valet's wallet, even though he gives us a look like we are about to pick his pocket.
If you're headed to Boston for this St. Patrick's Day weekend, you may want to stay overnight at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. But if you need to iChat with your friend in Dublin, just remember this place has wickedly slow WiFi.
However, this is a place to stay if you want to get in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day--which is drink your face off, wear ridiculous green clothing, stuff your face, sing some songs and then pass out/urinate in public.
That's because next to the hotel is M.J. O'Connor's Irish Pub, supposedly one of Boston's finest hidden Irish pubs.
On the menu, the bar serves "authentic Irish specialities" like Irish Stout Onion Soup, Guinness Beef Stew and of course, Shepherd's Pie. Luckily, you can get a regular old cheeseburger and fries if you wish, as well as a California Wrap.
However, keep in mind the place is upscale with actual table seating--not just bar stools--and finished mahogany wood furniture. There's no billiards table in the middle of the restaurant and instead of dartboards on the wall, M.J. O'Connors has hand-painted murals. So make this your pre-game stop and try to score one of the stone built hearths for some cozy seating.
Back in 2007, hotel concierges were real-life human beings and they worked from a platform commonly known then as a "desk."
If you are thinking about a career as a hotel concierge, think again. The Seaportal wireless concierge system has made its debut at the The Seaport Hotel in Boston and this could be the next big hotel trend.
Seaportal consists of a freestanding, flat-panel computer monitor with wireless mouse and keyboard that will do many things for you--the first being free wireless internet access. You can also dial up housekeeping, room service and the real-life concierge twiddling his or her thumbs in the lobby. The Seaportal even offers free VoIP calls (provided by BlueNote Networks SessionSuite) and allows you to access information about local attractions and entertainment.
Seaport Hotel is certainly excited about this new feature as they expect to outfit all 100 rooms in the hotel with it by the end of the year. We are all in favor of something like this which is complimentary and allows us to get on the web without forking over ten bucks everyday but we have some questions. Can this computer get us hard-to-get sporting event tickets? What about dinner reservations? How about special "company" for the evening or better yet, live sex on-demand?
Hotel restaurants want our attention. They want us to eat desserts and it's hard for them in a world when skinny is the word. "It's like fashion" according to Alejandro Luna the executive pastry chef at the Langham Hotel in Boston.
So what's the trend then? We've seen the most luxurious desserts the eye could dream of in hotel restaurants. But as of late, things like Krispie bars are appearing on menus. What gives? Luna explains:
"What's past is not forgotten, even in desserts. Chefs are bringing back classics in a more innovative or original way." His colleagues in the kitchen agree: They're looking back to move special-event desserts forward. Sky-high, over-the-top culinary confections have given way to desserts that stay closer to the plate, and hit closer to home.
Luna's answer lie not in Krispie Bars but rather Snickers. He creates a chocolate bar at the Langham's Café Fleuri and allows guests to help create the perfect Snickers bar.
If this trend continues, are we to soon see hotel lobbies offering Tang and Ritz Crackers too? How far will they go to make us feel like a kid at home again?
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by markj
