Boston is beautiful but like New York City, it is expensive.  I searched for somewhere to stay in a reasonably good location that reviewed well and wasn’t too expensive.  And so The Revolution Hotel became our accommodation for the next two nights.

Address

40 Berkeley St Boston, Massachusetts 02116, USA

Date stayed

Monday 11th April for two nights

Room Type

Queen room Bathroom in room.

We were allocated a room on level 7 which was the top floor

Price

We paid $485.06 AUD per night for Monday and Tuesday nights averaging $242.53 AUD a night.  This was after finding a coupon online for Expedia which brought the price down by a total of $21.92 AUD.

Location

Located in an attractive part of the south end of town, in a neighbourhood full of culture and Victorian row houses, this boutique 164 room hotel is in easy reach to restaurants, shops and various attractions.  It is about a 20 minute walk to the centre of Boston or Downtown where many of the attractions including the popular Freedom Trail can be found.  It is situated just 4.6 km from Boston’s Logan Airport.

Check-in/Check-out

• Check-in 4pm to midnight
• Check-out 11am
• 24 hour reception
• express check-in/check-out
• Pets allowed (for a fee)
• Cash not accepted
• ID and credit card required on check-in and a holding deposit of just over $100 AUD is taken for any incidentals.  

Parking

There is no on-sight parking at the Revolution Hotel but two offsite carparks for $30 USD or $40 USD per night.  This rate does not allow you to take your car out so once you’ve parked it, that’s it.  We parked our car at the 100 Clarendon St Parking Garage which was the cheaper and larger one of the two.  The other is a private car park a bit closer but can fill up quicker and costs a bit more.  We were given a card at Reception which we scanned at the Garage pay station and that gave us a discount which brought the price down to the $30 USD per night from $40USD per night.

Internet

Free high speed internet is available in rooms and public areas of the hotel.

Room Features

Our room 725 was one with a private bathroom and included:

• A Queen bed quite high off the ground
• Air-conditioning
• A flatscreen TV
• Storage beside and under the bed
• A desk and chair with lamp
• An opening window to let fresh air in
• Power and USB ports above the bed and additional power above the desk
• Plenty of hooks to hang things
• Safe
• Hairdryer and iron
• Concrete floors
• Housekeeping on request
• Small rail beside the beef with a shelf and coat-hanger
• Shower, toilet and small sink
• Amenities included Pure by Gloss shampoo, face bar and body wash and Stem conditioner and body lotion.

Hotel Facilities

This boutique hotel is an interesting place to hang out and discover many of what Boston and surrounds is famous for.  And don’t they have a right to be proud!  Facilities at the Revolution Hotel include:

• Restaurant
• Fitness centre
• Shared lounge and bar (bar closed on the dates we were there) + microwave
• Coffee shop
• Baggage storage
• Three storey sculpture showing a number of inventions from Boston and surrounds
• Mini stall with a small selection of drinks and snacks
• Water and ice machine on every floor
• Interesting facts showcasing all the “firsts” in Massachusetts 

Breakfast

In the foyer there was a small coffee shop called Kohi Coffee Co selling a variety of coffee and other beverages as well as breakfast items to go like oatmeal, breakfast sandwiches, cakes and cookies.  We didn’t try the coffee or food from here but it seemed quite popular.

Things to do in the Area

As our car was parked and would have cost too much taking it out each day, we concentrated on visiting sites we could get to on foot apart from the last day when we checked out and drove to the museum.  Some of the things we enjoyed doing on our visit to Boston were:

• Walking around Boston Common (the oldest public park in the US) and the Public Garden.  As well as the gardens and lake being very picturesque there were interesting animals to see like squirrels, ducks and Canada geese – 0.6 mile (12 min walk).
• Walking the Freedom trail which is a two and a half mile walk that passes by 16 historically significant sites of Boston.  I really enjoyed this – 0.9 mile (19 min walk).
• Visiting the Holocaust memorial – 1.5 miles (31 min walk)
• Sampling some of the foods Boston is famous for like their clam chowder, lobster rolls, Boston baked beans, Boston cream pie and cannolis.
• Wandering through the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum – the highlight of the trip for us was this 1898 Venetian style palace housing a vast collection of Isabella’s private collection of European, Asian and American art.  It also contains a beautiful outdoor atrium supporting a beautiful garden 2 miles (15 min drive).

Pros

• The first was the friendly and helpful Girl at Reception who is in the photo
• The hotel was well priced compared to a lot of others in the area
• The window opened allowing fresh air into the room
• The snacks and drinks they had for sale were well priced
• The room was clean
• The location although not as close to town as we would have liked, was still walkable to a number of attractions and in a nice area.

Cons

• It felt more back packer than I expected
• Corridors were a bit dark
• Rooms a bit rustic
• No bottled water in room
• No on sight parking 
• No tea and coffee making facilities in the room although there was downstairs in the common area
• The bathroom sink is very small

Summary

I gave this place a solid four star rating as a result of the friendly receptionist, the price and it’s boutique character making it interesting and educational, showcasing all Boston’s creations and contribution to technology.  They had clearly put thought into the common areas in their attempt to make guests feel comfortable.  It did feel a little dated and industrial and I would have preferred the hotel to be a little closer to downtown where we spent the majority of our time.  But I was happy with our stay and would happily recommend it.