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Surf and Skype from The Web Cubes at The Charles Hotel

Where: 1 Bennett Street [map], Cambridge, MA, United States, 02138

You already know how much we love geek hotels and free WiFi but we really love hotels that offer free WiFi and cool technology all-in-one, like The Charles Hotel in Boston's Cambridge nabe.

This techy hotel (they had TV mirrors in the bathroom back in 2006) has web cubes on six of their seven guest floors that serve as a mini-work station. They offer complimentary internet access and printing and they've recently been upgraded with web cams and full Skype capability. (TBH: Skyping in hotels is our newest obsession.)

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Hotel Veritas Is Busy With Harvard Parents But Still Has Rooms For Labor Day

Where: 1 Remington Street [map], Cambridge, MA, United States, 02138

It's move-in week at Harvard, and Cambridge's newest boutique hotel is brimming with proud parents. But forget Back to School for a second—we still have summer holidays on our minds, and a few of our Twitter followers asked us about hotels available for Labor Day in Boston. The good news is: the kids will be settled in by then, the folks back at home, and Hotel Veritas has rooms available for the holiday weekend.

Queens (like the one pictured here) are $199 a night, Kings $219 and Doubles $239.

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Hotel Veritas To Open in Cambridge on May 23

Where: 1 Remington Street [map], Cambridge, MA, United States, 02138

Doesn't this look cozy? What we're looking at here is the Simple Truth Lounge inside The Hotel Veritas. And just like your term paper, it's running a tiny bit late—not too much, of course, professor. The boutique has gone from a potential May 17 opening date to a May 19 date, and now apparently, May 23 is the big day.

We're certainly keen to have a new place to pop into when wandering around Cambridge pretending we're smart, and the Simple Truth Lounge looks like it would be most inviting on a crisp fall evening with a glass of vino in hand.

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Hotel Veritas in Cambridge to Open May 17

Where: 1 Remington Street [map], Cambridge, MA, United States, 02138

When we last checked in with the GM of Cambridge's new indie 30-room property, Hotel Veritas was on track to open by about May 15. But if the dates on the online rezzie system are right, the first date you can book is actually May 17.

As for the room rates? Well, let's just say that if you (or moms and pops) can afford that Harvard tuition, you can probably spring for a room here as well. Regular rates start at $379 a night for a Queen, and $399 for a King.

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Is Boston's Hotel Veritas Still Opening in May?

Where: 1 Remington Street [map], Cambridge, MA, United States, 02138

We've been curious about The Hotel Veritas for awhile now, especially after the GM told us that decor would be "as if a hip couple inherited their great aunt’s Cambridge home and made it their own." But when exactly does the hip couple ... er, us guests, get to finally check it out?

Back in the winter the ETA was March, give or take a few weeks, and then we heard May. What's the latest?

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Katie Couric in a Charles Hotel Bathroom

Where: One Bennett Street [map], Cambridge, MA, United States, 02138

Salacious sounding isn't it?  Yesterday HotelChatter took a bit of a field trip to the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square to check out the newest in hotel bathroom excess--in-mirror televisions.  Yup, the Charles installed Séura televisions in all of the bathrooms. Séura has developed a system that combines an LCD television with a specially-designed mirror in which the screen appears in the mirror when turned on and vanishes when turned off.

So as we chatted with Charles staffers about the benefits and shock value of this technology we were able to watch Katie Couric say her final Today show good-bye.

These in-mirror flat screen televisions are now in all 294 guest rooms. This technology is part of a bigger room redux at the Charles, which when it is completed in August, will include remodeled bathrooms, flat screen televisions (both in mirror and outside mirror), local artwork, and cool wall clocks from the Institute for Contemporary Art.

We have first look preview photos of the renovated rooms in the HotelChatter photo pool.

Our big question:  Does the in-mirror television fog up when you take a long hot shower?

Related Stories:
· HotelChatter Photo Pool [Flickr]
· The Charles Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]

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Charlest Hotel: Hunting For Hotel Whales

Where: One Bennett Street [map], Cambridge, MA, United States, 02138

Two years ago, Harvard's unofficial official hotel, the Charles, spent $1 million to renovated its 293 guest rooms and public spaces. This week, the Charles unveiled their latest $1 million renovation, the 1800-square-foot presidential suite.

The Charles Hotel's presidential suite is definitely one of the best in Boston. Includes an 85' long living room, dining room, two sitting areas, King size bed, wet bar, baby grand piano, two fireplaces, and Jacuzzi.

Oh, and there is more, including five flat-screen TVs, a security camera to monitor people at the door, and an iPod docking station. There is a custom $10,000 king-size bed, and the bathroom has a giant eight-jet shower.

However, at $3,500 a night the question is still $1 million on one room...how do you make those nubmers work?. The answer, according to the Boston Globe, is you don't.

As much as 80 percent of the time, presidential suites are marketed as a freebie or at heavily discounted rates.

So what is the goal with these loss leading rooms? To capture those rare super rich whales, of course. Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, world leaders, corporate CEOs, these are the folks the Charles Hotel, and other hotels, are hoping to nab with rooms like the presidential suite.

But those whales can only be counted on for 20% occupancy in any given year. What we need to figure out how these hotels dole out that tricked out suite the other 80% of the time...and how do we get on that list.

Related Stories:
·   Hotels Spend Millions on Rooms Few Will See [Boston Globe]