mrow

Why should you get an upgrade? Did you pay for a suite, if not then as a Silver you can hardly complain if you didn't get one. To be offered one for an upgrade fee is good going (depending on the upgrade fee). Even Golds and Diamonds know that they're not entitled to a Suite or any other upgraded room. The upgrades are done based on availability. How you can criticize based on this is laughable!

For the record I've stayed at this hotel twice, once as a Gold and once as a Diamond HHonors member. The service was fantastic, the staff excellent and the rooms offered to me were upgraded on both occasions. First time I got a 3 room suite, the second time I got a 2 room one...however the hotel didn't refer to them as suites (hence the upgrade I guess). I know I was lucky for the upgrades I was offered and I make sure that the staff knew this.

It's a fantastic hotel in my opinion. They certainly look after HHonors members very well in my experience. I'll be back again.

Samiam

Staying here for 1 week @ end of month. Was wondering how the hotel is now for travel with the subway?

sallyerd

I am staying here next week - does anybody have experience with taking a ferry or water taxi from the airport to Long Wharf (Aquarium area) and then walking to the hotel? Thought it would be more scenic than the subway from the airport since I am arriving mid morning.

uchuuace

Stayed at Hilton Boston Financial District on Monday night. I try to be objective and fair when writing about properties, but...

1) BOTH phones in the room didn't work. I had to use a cell phone to call the hotel and tell them what room I was in.
2) The heater was completely broken. The filter was on the floor and it spewed out only cold air.
3) extensive visible wear and tear all over the room. This property is in bad need of renovation...or demolition!

On the plus side, staff was nice and the breakfast was fine. In fact, I quite liked their pastry assortment.

Honestly, I think the only thing this property has going for it is the location. Would not stay there again.

EggSS4

Did anyone stay there on a Priceline or Hotwire stay and have their status honored?

BotB

Hilton Boston Downtown/Financial District Review:

As there hasn't been a review of this hotel for some time I thought i would check it out...

I moved from Back Bay to this hotel for a night to see how it is holding up as it has been a few years since I last stayed and I wanted to break up my week here in Boston…

The location is really quite good actually, very close to the waterfront and the aquarium as well as many restaurants and bars. Plenty to see and do within walking distance in Summer.

The hotel has a fairly Art Deco style interior in the lobby and reception which was classy and has stood the test of time and ages well.

The reception staff were very friendly and quick to check me in, explaining all the necessary info (wireless is free for diamonds and golds…use this code but if it fails then just charge it to the room and we'll cancel it on check out, here is your breakfast coupon which is for continental breakfast but you can upgrade it for an extra $ 10.- if you wish), etc…

There is no exec lounge here and no pool, although there is a work out area. (didn't use it so can't say how it looked sorry).

There are 6 elevators to carry guests up the 15 floors here and I never had to wait very long to get one, which is definitely better than the back bay Hilton where you can wait quite a while.

I believe there are suites on each floor but there was only one on the 15th floor (the presidential suite, which I had booked with cash at a decent rate for the one night).

The suite is very nice, plenty of room and in quite good shape although some pieces of furniture are getting a bit old in the tooth as are some wooden cabinets. Still, very nice. I did find it a bit dark as it was a brilliantly Sunny day outside and I took these pictures at around 3 PM local time which it was still noticeably dark inside even with 3 windows in the main sitting area and one in the bedroom. I found it okay for a bright day but on a dark, rainy day it would not be very pleasant for light levels I think.

The soundproofing is fine as there are stained glass windows on the inside that swing in and then a double glazed outer window that you can open on all windows, this was a nice way to keep some period features while making it modern.

The suite has a guest bathroom (no shower or tub though), the main sitting room, a small 'wet bar' as it is called by the hotel but is really just a small room with a basic sink, cabinets and a fridge / Microwave set up (but no dishes, towels, soap, etc…), a desk for working on, and a sofa bed. The bedroom is a separate room with a locking door. I think that you could make this into a two bed suite or possibly a two double bed suite if they opened the other bedroom door instead of the one I had which was a King size bedroom with ensuite bathroom.

There was both wired and wireless internet and the speeds were quite good, never had to wait to load a page or upload photos, etc…

Both TV's are 42 inch models (one in the bedroom and one in the living room). There are also two clock radios (one in each room). The coffee machine is the usual basic unit you can see in the picture.

There was a mini bar and safe in the room as well as two bathrobes (but no slippers)…I called to ask for slippers but they do not have any at this hotel

Both rooms could be independently controlled for climate and used modern electronic thermostats which did a great job getting the temperature in each room the way I wanted.

There was a turndown service and two bottles of water put in the room.

I hope this is of use to anyone thinking of staying in the Boston area. i would come back if I was needing to be in the area. ^

Pictures:


Entrance to Suite by BA_pics, on Flickr


View to room from Entrance by BA_pics, on Flickr


Guest Bathroom by BA_pics, on Flickr


Guest Bathroom amenities by BA_pics, on Flickr


Dining Table area by BA_pics, on Flickr


Stained Glass Inside Windows by BA_pics, on Flickr


View out window by BA_pics, on Flickr


Living Room TV by BA_pics, on Flickr


View to Living Room from Bedroom by BA_pics, on Flickr


Mod Cons fitted by BA_pics, on Flickr


rather less presidential wet bar by BA_pics, on Flickr


Mini Fridge and Freezer w Microwave by BA_pics, on Flickr


View to Bedroom from Couch by BA_pics, on Flickr


View to room from desk by BA_pics, on Flickr


King Bed by BA_pics, on Flickr


Bedroom from Window by BA_pics, on Flickr


Bedroom from Bathroom by BA_pics, on Flickr

Due to the limit on photos I'll continue on the next post...

BotB

Recent review part 2


Bedroom 42 inch TV by BA_pics, on Flickr


Comfy Chairs in Bedroom by BA_pics, on Flickr


Harbour from Room Window by BA_pics, on Flickr


Airport from Room Window by BA_pics, on Flickr


Main Bath Amenities by BA_pics, on Flickr


Shower with Marble tiles by BA_pics, on Flickr


Diamond Breakfast Coupon by BA_pics, on Flickr

EDIT: Using the above coupon in the Nix's Mate restaurant is only valid until 11 AM on weekends (after that they close the buffet and set up for the lunch crowd)…you can still eat breakfast until 12 Noon but won't be able to use your coupon any longer (front desk gave wrong info so beware!)...also note the coupon mentions an older cafe that no longer exists but you can use it in Nix's Mate restaurant.


15th level floor plan by BA_pics, on Flickr

I love the fact that they did not remove this older vacuum tube mail system in the hotel but have decided to leave it...there is also a big panel in the lobby where the mail would be taken out but I didn't get a picture of that.


Old US mail tube in hotel by BA_pics, on Flickr


aka President suite by BA_pics, on Flickr

Hope this is of interest and use.

occasionally flying professor

will be staying here in mid july and wonder if there have been any recent stays and comments?

AnthonyF1227

I stayed for one night about two weeks ago. Hotel's nice, rooms were quite big. Had no complaints. As I said, I was only there for a night, so I don't have much more to say.

I didn't get any upgrades, but I also had two rooms. Also, there's no executive lounge and breakfast is in the restaurant in the lobby. Cold buffet is included for Gold/Diamonds (I'm Gold), but we had to pay $10 per person for the hot breakfast (I think it costs $20 or $25 otherwise).

Location is good, it's more quiet on the weekend, but it's within walking distance of everywhere.

occasionally flying professor

managed to time my stay for the heatwave and was mighty glad for the excellent airconditioning! also happy to be upgraded to a 2 room suite (not the presidential) on the 15th floor where the relatively small windows and dark wood panels were a welcome relief from the glare.
the continental breakfast was sparse in offerings and the lack of real coffee was a bore but I found plenty of nearby options for meals including Trade and the Daily Catch.
have not been back to boston for many years and must congratulate the city for its Big Dig which has created a lovely linear park and transformed South Boston

comptalk

I wanted to book a night at Hilton Boston Downtown/Faneuil Hall on Oct. 10th - 11th and for a basic room Hil Hil wants 183k in points. ...? Isn't this a bit high?

sethb

That's not a standard rate.

sethb

It's Category 7, so the rate should be 60,000 points. The dollar rate is only about 25% higher than the Hilton Back Bay, which is also Category 7 but is 60,000 points for that night.

Looking on the hotel's page for availability, it appears that only premium rooms (and suites) are still available.

ptownca

As I have pointed out in previous threads. Sept/Oct are absolute peak periods in Boston. I worked in the event business in Boston and just getting rooms at any kind of sane rate that time is a real challenge. I consider Boston very under hoteled compared to most US cities. The combination of leaf peepers, conventions, university arrivals and general business travel create a perfect storm for very high occupancy rates, especially in downtown Boston.

Sisosig

If you are a tourist, this hotel is very near to everything - as long as you consider a 5 to 10 minute walk as being 'nearby'. Irish pubs and restaurants are a block away, the New England Aquarium and harbor/whale watching cruises are a five minute walk. (Whale watching season ends around Oct.) Tube lines are five minutes away, Faneuil Hall tourist area and Italian neighborhood are about ten. Downtown is five to ten minutes, Chinatown about fifteen. I bought a seven day public transport Charlie Ticket, but hardly ever used it. The airport has free downtown bus transportation, although it will require a 10 minute walk to the hotel.

My rate was 30k points +$100, but the points and money rate is not available at all times.

BTW When you jaywalk every traffic light - like Bostonians do - you may substract 1-2 minutes from my estimates.