whynotfly

The Marriott Longwharf is a great location. Witness all the other posts. Being on or near the water is more the Boston experience. If you take the boat (water taxi) from BOS it stops right next to the Marriott. Best of all, keep in mind that Boston is a compact city and very easy to get around if you use the subway and surface rail. Between 4pm and 6pm find a comfy spot and stay put until all the maniacs have made it home.

ymcarthur2

Have you considered the Marriott Custom House? They are suites in an historic building next to Quincy Market. I think they are comparable in price to the Marriott Long Wharf. It is very impressive and luxurious. Every Friday at 6:00 there are complimentary appetizers and wine/beer.

belle3388

Ok, Long Wharf it is for this time. Will definitely try out Courtyard Copley when I do not need to impress during my next visit to Boston.

Thanks again to each and everyone who had responded above with your kind and helpful advice. ^

belle
p/s Btw, I did check the Custom House, the rate was way too high.

fritz1

I have stayed in all of the marriott properties in the Greater Boston Area many times.

All are very nice in there own way.

You asked for Impressive. Go Custom House.

Each Room is a Suite, get a high floor and look down at all the hotels listed in the POST...

dash

Did you look at the Marriott Copley Place?

This location is just around the corner from the Courtyard, It is a full service Marriott attached to Copley Place an upscale shopping area.

The feel of this hotel is much nicer than Long Wharf.

It really depends on location preference, price point and how much time you expect to spend in your room.

Dash

general45

The one downside of the Marriott Copley Place is the concierge lounge is closed on weekends. Upgrades, in my experiences, come a lot harder there also. On my first stay there, (it was a weekend stay) I was told by the clerk at check-in that I had been upgraded to the concierge lounge floor. ^ The downside was the lounge was closed. IMHO the LW is closer to a lot more attractions that the city has to offer than CP.

dcpaul

Long Wharf is prettier. Courtyard in Copley is well, a Courtyard. But, the Long Wharf is in the aquarium area. A PAIN to get to. Copely better location. Besides you'll never be in the room. And the 40 bucks can get you a nice dinner at Turner Fisheriers at the Marriott Copley. Hope this helps.

general45

Have you been to the Long Wharf since the overhead roadway blocking access to the other portions of the city has been dismantled? I admit the LW was a pain in the butt to get to before, but since the deconstruction is a breeze when you take into consideration all the negatives of trying to drive in Boston. For me coming from the north now, it's exit 23, than 2 traffic lights, a Uturn on to Atlantic Ave and 5 blocks to the LW; so much easier than it used to be.

belle3388

Well, the Long Wharf was nice but not as 'impressive' as I thought. I would rate it a Cat 5 though. The location, however, was ideal for first time visitors. Comparing to Copley Place, Long Wharf was a better choice for me and my guests. We walked everywhere! One big plus is the subway is right in front, and it is only two stops to the airport. How convenient!

Thanks again for all the helpful responses above.

dinger

Has anyone stayed at this property? It is significantly cheaper then any other area property for a June weekend stay. I know it has only been in the Marriott family for a short while, but I can not find any reviews of it.

Thanks in advance.

BeantownFlyer

This is an old hotel which was restored about 15-20 years ago. It has some spectacular common space (their ballroom is amazing) but the rooms themselves are for the most part small (and my recollection is dismal as well). Even the Marriott website describes the rooms as "Quaint European style guest rooms". The hotel also has limited amenities; there is no pool, and I do not believe that there is an on-site restaurant (the Marriott website says they have a Courtyard breakfast buffet; I suspect this is something set up in meeting space). Location wise, the hotel is in what a few years ago would be described as a marginal neighborhood, but today is much improved. It is located directly across the street from the Wang and Wilbur Theatres, and adjacent to the Shubert. There is a street level restauarnt in the hotel (it keeps changing, so don't ask me what it is right now!), and the hotel is about 2-3 blocks from the Four Seasons Hotel and the end of Newbury Street. It is next to the Park Square area of Boston, which has become a bit of a restaurant haven, so within a 5 minute walk you have some very good restaurants, including the restaruarants at the aforementioned Four Seasons, as well as Bonfire, Davios, Smith & Wolensky, Via Matta, Excellsior, Legal Seafoods, Flemings, and more. The Boylston and Arlington subway stops on the green line are within a 3-5 minute walk from the hotel. I suspect the lower room rate is tied to the fact that the hotel fronts on a busy street which itself does not have any upscale shops or restaurants, and the smaller rooms and lack of a recent renovation or any amenities, but I do not think it would be a bad choice.

bostonbali

I had friends of the family who stayed there last week. They were disgusted with the room (although the lobby area was nice, as noted in this thread). They noted that the room was quite small, dark, visibly worn (torn and stained carpet), etc. I'd shy away from that hotel!

SanDiego1K

Thanks to FTers, I learned about this property as well as a discount available to Marriott members, and booked it for a one night stay.

Transportation from the airport

We used the subway to get to the hotel. At the airport, you go outside and take a bus to the subway. There is a bus that picks up at Terminals A and B, and a second bus for Terminals C, D, and E. It is important to know which terminal your airline is in when you return to the airport.

At the subway station, tokens good for one trip cost $1.25. You get on the inbound train, which requires taking the escalator up a flight, walk across the overhead walkway, and come down to the track on the far side. You go two stations to Aquarium. If you were staying at the Marriott Long Wharf, you would leave the subway at the end by the Aquarium. You come out the opposite end for the Custom House. Take the elevator to street level; you are just a few steps away from the entrance to the Custom House.

Custom House

This is a historic building, built in 1837. A 30 story skyscraper was added in the early 1900s. Marriott bought the building to turn it into a time share development in the 90s. It has 84 one bedroom suites. They currently sell for $23K/week for the summer season. There are 2 to 6 suites on a floor, with the number diminishing on the higher floors. There are 26 floors now, with a game room on the 24th, an exercise room on the 25th, and an observation deck that circles the building on the 26th. You get a spectacular 360 degree view of Boston from it.

The property does not recognize Marriott status. We were initially given a suite on the 19th floor, and had a wonderful view of the harbor and airport. Because it is an old building, windows are small and not optimized for the view. We moved to 2102 due to telephone problems in our initial room; this is one of two suites that has a terrace. The terrace runs between two huge granite eagles that are on the outside of the building. The suite is a little ackward though, as there are flights of steps up into the kitchen, up into the living room, and down into the bedroom.

The bathroom is rather small, and does not have a separate shower stall. The bathtub has a shower curtain; a personal dislike. I prefer a sliding door to a curtain.

The kitchen is well equipped, and there is a video player with the TV. There is a corner market by the subway stop where you can supply the kitchen. You can buy some food for breakfast within the hotel, but it is not a restaurant. We brought in our own food.

High Speed Internet Access
There is an internet cable in the living room. You pay $9.95 for 24 hours service. If you have a problem connecting, they use an outside service supplier, who is quite helpful.

Rate
We got an M1l rate, that gave us 25% off the regular rate. This is good Thursday thru Sunday, and currently expires June 20. This rate was cheaper by about $50 than the best available at the Long Wharf Marriott.

Area
The hotel is fantastically well located. You step out the side, across a small road, and are immediately in the market area near Faneuil Hall. There are shops, restaurants, street performers, and food food food.

We ate at Durgin Park, a 177 year old restaurant. I like the scrod and Indian pudding. We also ate at Legal Seafood. There is a branch across the street from the Marriott Long Wharf. The lobster dinner was particularly good value, with clams, mussels, clam chowder, and corn.

ohmark

Thanks for the interesting review, but where did you hear or who informed you that the property does not recognize Marriott status? Was it any particular portion of status (upgrades, plat amenity, c-lounge/breakfast, points?)? Thanks.

SanDiego1K

If you look at the table of benefits for elites, Marriott Vacation Club International is excluded. Ever the optimist, on arrival, I asked the front desk clerk what they offered platinums. She said "nothing, we are a resort".