This is another Lonely Planet recommendation and is an arty sort of place with different themes and art work in each room. To be honest, it really wasn't my style and I didn't like the pictures I found on the hotels.com site but I trust the suggestions of Lonely Planet and I thought it was good to try something completely different. Initial impressions were not good, the place felt aloof and pretentious and it had a cold atmosphere. In addition, the front desk staff were downright odd to begin with. I wasn't crazy about the clientele that the hotel attracted either but that might be more a problem with me than them. The room was impeccably clean, overlooking a very quiet street outside. The bed was firm (almost too firm) with crisp linen and a mattress that I suspect (forgot to check) was 190cm rather than 200. There was plenty space to move around and the room was a pleasant enough place to rest and relax in. There was decent desk space, adequate storage and a fridge which did not work (the front desk happily stored my purchased Italian cheeses and meats in their fridge). The bathroom contained a real bathtub and a shower with a slightly weak water flow, as well as the usual amenities and a decent number of good quality towels.
My room in the Boston Art Hotel
Every room has a completely different art themed decor
The front desk staff didn't have any interesting suggestions as to where to eat or have "aperocena", but as time went on during my stay they seemed to warm to me and made regular jokes. They even offered late checkout which I was happy to accept because my train to Novara would leave at 13h54. At breakfast I nearly had a panic attack because it was so noisy and there were far, far too many people there, all milling around in the wrong directions and I truly HATE that at hotel breakfasts. I note that some guests had ordered room service, presumably to avoid the chaos and noise in the airless breakfast room. This, IMO, is always going to an issue at hotels where the breakfast is included in the price (think, Holiday Inn Express). However, it wasn't an issue at the Jet Hotel at Turin airport, which did offer breakfast included in the room price, presumably because I came down later to breakfast and there were fewer guests.
A look at the bathroom of the room in the Boston Art Hotel
Reception area on the ground floor
The rate at the Boston Art Hotel was really reasonable, a godsend given that most other hotels in Turin were ridiculously overpriced or far away from the center. It was also very clean and well kept. As for the ambiance, each to his own. To get there you need to walk about 15 minutes to the southwest of Porta Nuova railway station through pleasant enough but lifeless residential streets. Around the hotel there are very few restaurants so you would need to walk 20-30 minutes towards central Turin.
The streets just beside the Boston Art Hotel, a normal residential area just 2km from the center
Exterior of the Boston Art Hotel in Turin