Thanks for taking the time to post this thread. I am particularly interested to learn that this hotel is undergoing what sounds to be fairly significant renovations.

You're also right about this hotel being forgotten much of the time. It's not really in a core area for too many business travellers in the Boston area. It's sort of in the "middle of things" without accomplishing the goal of being "near" anything vital. It borders a nice enough golf club on one side and some not so nice areas on the other. I fully agree with your assessment about this hotel's failure to provide visible, uniformed security patrols at night. This property warrants it [and you can bet if Marriott were running it, you'd have visible security patrolling the lot 365 nights a year and one stationed inside the public areas of the hotel]. In all my stays, I cannot recall seeing any security personnel, but I can recall wishing there was one in that dark parking lot.

On the other hand, this property can often be had for cheap -- most especially when one considers that it's sort of at the doorstep of greater Boston. If one doesn't need to be center city, this hotel can work and often at less than half the price. Knowing that the new owners (sold about 18 monhts ago, I think) have committed to renovations to guest rooms before they were really worn out (my opinion from previous stays) says something.

I also agree with your assessment of all of the hotel employees I've ever encountered there. They are, indeed, zombielike. Just going through the motions. I remember being there last year and heading down to the bar for a drink before bedtime. Walking in to the bar felt like 1974! Very dated feeling and certainly not too clean. The bartendress was surprisingly old (not that I care, but how often does one see elderly bartenders at 10pm in hotel lounges?!?!?), I remember that. She couldn't have cared any less about what she was doing. Just getting through one more night. The bar was 80% empty, but everyone still had to flag her down just to get her attention for the slightest things. Ugh.

I don't have much occasion to stay at this hotel more than a time or two a year, but I'll be interested when I do get back here to see what they've done with the rooms.