10 of the best hotels in Boston, from a glamorous five-star property to budget-friendly options

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).

In the 19th century, Boston was nicknamed ‘The Hub of the Solar System’ such was its importance at the heart of the young American nation. Ask any of the passionate locals — especially Red Sox baseball fans — and they’ll say it’s still an accurate description. The star at the centre of this particular galaxy is a compact 400-year-old downtown, home to a collection of historic sites that form the core of the Freedom Trail, and the harbour where the Boston Tea Party protest took place 250 years ago. You’ll find most of the best hotels in the Back Bay or South End areas, both flanking the downtown and close to the culinary and cultural action.

1. Boston Harbour Hotel

Best for: all-rounder
Anchoring the oceanfront Rowes Wharf, this heavyweight hotel is the host venue for the Boston Wine & Food Festival, a three-month event that kicks off every year in January. It’s also home to one of the city’s finest seafood restaurants, Rowes Wharf Sea Grille, which serves a memorable lobster fried rice. The bright, recently renovated rooms have blue tones and maritime art that pay tribute to the setting; the ones marked with even numbers have a guaranteed sea view. There’s an enormous pool beneath reception, hotel boat trips out to the harbour islands and live music on a floating barge every evening. Add the fact that the Children’s Museum and Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum are within easy walking distance, and you have a true all-rounder. Rooms: From £485. 

 2. The Revolution Hotel

Best for: bargain hunters 
In Boston’s lively South End, the Revolution styles itself as a ‘boutique micro-hotel’, akin to a luxury hostel. All guest rooms are private, but there’s a remarkable range of shapes and sizes available, from ‘quads’ — four bunk beds, each with its own privacy curtain and USB port — to spacious loft suites with kitchenettes. The prices remain low across the board, largely because 70% of the rooms rely on shared bathrooms, but even these are no great compromise: the showers are connected to handy in-room indicators showing when they’re occupied, so guests don’t have to queue. The onsite restaurant hits the right notes with its classic Cal-Mex menu, from shrimp quesadillas to roast chicken fajitas, while the basement has a cafe and co-working space perfect for nomadic types. Rooms: From £85. 

3. The Whitney

Best for: active trips
The Whitney sits at the confluence of three key neighbourhoods: buzzy West End, pretty Beacon Hill and scholarly Cambridge, a quick stroll across adjacent Longfellow Bridge. This 65-room boutique property has made a name for itself with its impossibly comfortable mattresses — they come from a small local supplier and are frequently sold to guests at check-out — and Sardinian restaurant Peregrine, where highlights include the paella-like seafood fregola. For active guests, there are free hotel bikes and easy access to rental kayaks for trips on the neighbouring Charles River in the warmer months, plus cross-country skis for the winter, when the river freezes solid. Rooms: From £295. 

4. Sonder 907 Main

Best for solo travellers
Across the Charles River in Cambridge, this brownstone has generous rooms at generous prices. Check-in is done via your phone, which then becomes the room key for your stay. No hotel staff are on site before 8am or after 6pm, and there’s no breakfast — though that’s hardly a drawback when you’re by the cafes of Central Square. The Scandinavian-style rooms are flooded with natural light, but the real star is perched atop the property: the beloved Blue Owl, the only rooftop bar in Cambridge. Rooms: From £125. 

5. The Newbury

Best for: peace seekers 
Hidden in plain sight opposite the city’s lush Public Garden, this grand dame brings warmth and tranquillity to every space, be it the airy rooftop Italian restaurant or the park-facing Street Bar, all dark wood and leather sofas. The beloved lounge has served a who’s who of guests over the last century, from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to author Tennessee Williams, who wrote part of A Streetcar Named Desire while living at the hotel. Guest rooms invite relaxation with a neutral palette and plenty of natural light. Many also have their own fireplace and access to a dedicated ‘fire butler’ for hot cocoa and kindling. Meanwhile, the cosy library off the lobby is the perfect place to curl up with a cocktail and good book. Rooms: From £490. 

6. The Lenox

Best for: traditionalists 
When the Lenox was built in 1900, it was the tallest building in Boston. Its grand entrance on Exeter Street, in buzzing Back Bay, leads to a wonderfully intimate lobby with marble floors, velvet sofas and a crackling fire. Many of the rooms, decorated in warm golds and creams, have working fireplaces of their own. It’s only a block from the upmarket boutiques of Newbury Street. Despite the air of luxury, the hotel’s three dining options are all casual; Irish-themed gastropub Solas is the pick of the bunch. Rooms: From £230. 

7. The Envoy

Best for: cocktail hour 
The big story in Boston over the last five years has been the reinvention of the Seaport District from a cluster of crumbling warehouses to an attractive waterside hub. At the centre of the renaissance is the Envoy. The 136 bedrooms blend snug minimalism with design quirks, such as TV stands on bike wheels, while ground-floor Cuban restaurant, Para Maria, is the brainchild of TV chef Tatiana Rosana. The Lookout Rooftop, its seventh-floor bar with harbour views and craft cocktails, is considered the best in the city. Rooms: From £210. 

8. The Liberty

Best for: original style  
The Liberty leans heavily into its history as the former Charles Street Jail. Its lobby is encircled by the original metal catwalks and the main restaurant, Clink, is framed with cell doors. The rooms also play up to the theme with lock and key motifs, and mock bank safes as bedside tables. With criminal irony, the catwalks once patrolled by prison guards now host free fashion shows, while the ‘drunk tank’ jail cell has been transformed into a cocktail lounge. The building’s last unwilling guest was released in 1990, but travellers can still stay in one of 18 remaining ‘jail rooms’ for a night, albeit with a king size bed and en suite. For more space, opt for a newer ‘city view room’, which sits in the connected hotel tower and offers skyline views. Rooms: From £325. 

9. The Langham Boston

Best for: art-lovers 
Housed in Boston’s former Federal Reserve Bank, The Langham maintains the gravitas of an austere financial institution with high ceilings, marble floors and lofty brass-framed windows. But a two-year, $200m (£165m) renovation unveiled in 2022 injected an element of fun and colour, most noticeably through the hotel’s art collection, which pays homage to the building’s heritage and location. Visitors will find more than 300 pieces on display, curated by Boston’s Copley Society of Art — the oldest non-profit art institution in the US — and rotated every four months to keep things fresh. Bedrooms are bright and elegant, with panelled walls, marble-topped furniture and walk-in showers. The facelift also included a new English-inspired cocktail lounge, The Fed, where innovative signature drinks include the ‘Beatrix Potter’, with mezcal, peach and house-made salted strawberry cordial. Rooms: From £405. langhamhotels.com

10. Four Seasons Hotel Boston

Best for: all-out luxury  
Once the site of the Boston Playboy Club, this redbrick titan on the major thoroughfare of Boylston Street has come up in the world. Now arguably the city’s most luxurious five-star property, the local outpost of the Four Seasons is also home to one of Boston’s best French restaurants, Coterie, serving an unmissable lobster pot pie with truffle and cognac sauce. The spacious guest rooms and suites have wall-length picture windows, some with commanding views over Boston’s Public Garden and on to Boston Common, with armchairs cleverly positioned to best enjoy them. The hotel’s latest refurbishment was completed in 2023 and has given the place whimsical touches, from comfortable boltholes in what was once a cavernous lobby to colourful ‘snack vaults’ — complimentary pantries — on every floor. There’s even a toy closet behind reception to entertain kids. Rooms: From £650.