I stayed five nights at the Boston Marriott Copley Place for a conference at this hotel. I'm more of a mid-range kind of guy, though I must say this was a great experience, from booking to check-out. Given the government shutdown, I opted to take the train from Philadelphia. The Marriott is within easy walking distance from the Bay Bay Boston train station, so I had no need for an Uber.
Jerry checked me in, and he immediately made me feel welcome. Even though I had made a mistake on my booking dates, he helped me fix this - it could have been a problem, but he handled it like it was routine. Thank you!
The elevator system is straight-up cool. Select your floor from a touch screen, and you are directed to the car that will deliver you to there most quickly. The room was quite comfortable. I did have a couple of technical problems (the remote not working, the light near the closet not working). I believe it was George who came and diagnosed both problems and fixed them quickly.
My suit did not enjoy the train ride to Boston, and I was in danger of looking unkempt for my talks. I was able to get next-day service (same day is available if you are early enough) to have my suit cleaned, pressed, and delivered to my CLOSET for a very reasonable price (management, please don't look at this, but I think I pay more at home).
There is an on-site restaurant, but I did not try it because I was traveling alone. #sad, but there is a supermarket (StarMart) right across the street with plenty of lower-cost food options, including prepared food. I did try some other places - it's Boston - there are more restaurants and bars within walking distance than I could possibly sample in a short trip. There's also plenty of shopping (from very high-end stores to more down-to-earth) that you can get to without going outside, if you are into that.
The conference center is one of the best I've ever attended and used. The rooms were easy to navigate, had ample seating, and were well-equipped for presentations. I'm not sure if the technical staff worked for the hotel, but they were totally on the ball.
It is my custom to comment on fitness options for travelling athletes. I'm going to give Marriott Boston Copley bonus points for this one: in the hotel fitness center, there are printed handouts about two local running options. **Why doesn't every hotel do this?** Maybe because not every hotel is close to the Charles River trail. It's about 0.4 miles from the front door, and the views are gorgeous. The flyer was for an 8 1/2 ish mile loop, though I'm pretty sure you can stretch it out for more. There is a short indoor lap pool (I estimate 15 yards), and plenty of treadmills, but I took advantage of the beautiful days to go outside.
In summary, I felt that the Marriott people had taken notes from travelers like me over the years and designed a hotel to make a stay as good as it can possibly be. The staff was focused on making sure I had the best experience possible. I'd be very glad to stay here again, even if I need to buy my breakfast. :)
