A team of Oyster reporters spent weeks exploring 48 top hotels in Boston. We slept in the beds, ate in the restaurants, tested the service, and scoped out the neighborhoods, all with an eye toward selecting the most distinguished properties. If you're in Boston for a sporting event, here's our list of the best places to stay.
Hotel Commonwealth is two blocks from Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. The 148-room Hotel Commonwealth is one of the most well-rounded boutique hotels in Boston. With its classical (if slightly dowdy) furnishings, large rooms, and impressive array of services, it captures the spirit of the city like few other hotels can.
Just a block from Copley Square, the Lenox Hotel has a prime location at the corner of Boylston and Exeter Streets, which, in addition to being near shopping and the Public Garden, is perfect for watching the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Plus, corner rooms have a bird's-eye view of the race's end.
TD Garden, home of both the Boston Bruins and the Boston Celtics, is just a five minute walk from the Onyx Hotel. Though somewhat removed from Boston's other tourist attractions, the Onyx is a relaxed boutique with a free nightly wine hour -- perfect for some classy pre-game boozing.
Each October, more than 75,000 rowers head to Boston's Charles River to compete in the world's largest two-day regatta, and up to 300,000 spectators come out to watch the rowers compete in 55 different race events. The Hyatt Regency Cambridge sits on the north bank of the Charles, just a five-minute stroll along the water to the Boston University Bridge where the races kick off. The hotel's quality on-site features (pool, fitness center, shuttle to Cambridge sights) and a charming, secluded location on the Charles River make the Hyatt Regency a great value for those headed to the regatta, even if rooms are pretty standard and the vibe is mostly business.