What hotels are really the most convenient for shopping on Newbury St? Is Copley Place far from Boston Common and Newbury-it looks like an easy walk but I haven't seen a good map yet. Thanks.

Any of the following, in my approximate order of preference:

Four Season -- two very nice blocks from one end of Newbury Street
Ritz Carlton Boston (not to be confused with the RC Boston Common) -- on the corner of Arlington and Newbury
The Eliot -- a boutique, mostly suites hotel one block from Newbury Street
The Fairmont Copley Plaza -- a beautiful old hotel two blocks from Newbury Street
Westin Copley Place -- in the Copley Place mall, three blocks from Newbury Street
The Lenox Hotel -- small but nice hotel one block from Newbury Street
Marriott Copley Place -- also in the Copley Place Mall
Sheraton Boston Hotel -- at one point their flagship property, about two or three blocks from Newbury Street

There are many other options, but this should give you a good variety to choose from.

Thank you so much for the detailed answer-wanted to stay at the FS but the Fairmont suites were much better priced so I'm happy to hear it's an easy walk to NS.

Thank you so much for the detailed answer-wanted to stay at the FS but the Fairmont suites were much better priced so I'm happy to hear it's an easy walk to NS.

Here's part of an email I often send people whao are looking to stay in the BB, (which is the area I almost always recommend).

In the same vicinity as the Sheraton is a Westin, Marriott, Hilton etc. For swanky smaller hotels I recommend the Eliot Hotel on Comm Ave - that is very close to the Sheraton and the other large chains - very nice and plush. The Fairmont Copley Plaza is another Grande Dame which I would say is slightly less nice than the ritz or the 4S or the eliot, but you can't beat the location of the fairmont for shopping etc. - better locale, but not by much than the Eliot. Also, with re: the Fairmont, it really depends on the rooms as it is a really old hotel. On the other side of the park are three hotels worth note: XV (read: 15) Beacon which is a plush high end boutique that again really depends on the room, Nine Zero is a funky boutique that has a swanky rock n' roll kinda vibe. There is also the "new" Ritz which is 5-10 years old which is very modern for a Ritz, but again its on the other side of the park. The area where XV, the new ritz and Nine Zero are are not quite as good for wandering around, but they're great hotels nonetheless and the neighborhoods are more than safe and nice - just not the charm of the Back Bay. All of the hotels I mentioned are going to be very, very nice and a step up from the National "regular" chains.

Thanks very much and I have decided on a 1bdrm suite on the Gold floor at the Fairmont as, supposedly, they are 800sf and well priced for our dates, although we'll still need to get a rollaway. I'm certainly going to try and take a look at the Eliot while visiting just in case my son does end up going to college in Boston.

Thanks very much and I have decided on a 1bdrm suite on the Gold floor at the Fairmont as, supposedly, they are 800sf and well priced for our dates, although we'll still need to get a rollaway. I'm certainly going to try and take a look at the Eliot while visiting just in case my son does end up going to college in Boston.
Can't go wrong, especially with the location and knwoing you have a large room. As I previously said some of the rooms in Fairmont are pretty darn small.

The Eliot arguably isn't in as good of a location, but they are pretty close and comparable.

Thanks very much and I have decided on a 1bdrm suite on the Gold floor at the Fairmont as, supposedly, they are 800sf and well priced for our dates, although we'll still need to get a rollaway. I'm certainly going to try and take a look at the Eliot while visiting just in case my son does end up going to college in Boston.
If you're a dog person, you can call the concierge and make a reservation to spend some time with the house dog, Catie.