Thanks for a great post. I am staying there in May using points and am going to use the hotel for a Sox game. You answered all my questions about going to and coming from the T.

same here, but it's your only *wood option in the area... it's fine for early-... flights out of Logan and I'm staying there on points next week for that reason because getting to Logan from Lowell is a huge p.i.t.a. that early with the I-93 traffic.

I've stayed there before. Not great, not awful, but meh.

[QUOTE jake jarmel would love your extensive use of exclamation points. NOT. :)

Guess he'd be surprised to discover that I'm a high school AND college English teacher!!! :eek:

Tourist in Boston. Westin Copley or AMAZING rate @ Sheraton Commander?
 

My wife and I will be spending a three night long weekend in Boston for Early June. We have the option of staying @ Westin Copley Plaza on a government rate of $168 per night (excluding taxes & service fees). We also have the option of the Sheraton Commander for a TOTAL upfront fee of $350 for all three nights. It's my understanding that Plats. do NOT get breakfast at the Westin, at the Sheraton they dol. My biggest concern is that the Sheraton is just to far from downtown and all the tourist spots. For such a great rate we would consider the Sheraton, however we're concerned that it's just to far. What are your thoughts?

just jump on the 'T'

nothing in very from each other on Boston. Cambridge is just a hop across the river er rivah! :)

I'll add my 2 cents for the Westin. In a nutshell, there's something I really very much like and appreciate about the Westin's premiere location for Boston sightseeing. One is literally steps from much of what the city has to offer.

I have stayed at every Starwood Boston property time and time again and I do not care for the Sheraton Commander. I have no other reason to be in Cambridge and I much MUCH prefer to be able to step outside of my hotel and walk to Newbury Street in no time.

Just my thought. After a nice late dinner, I really like walking up any of the streets to the Westin and NOT having to grab a brightly lit subway car to the other side of the river.

i second that emotion. a rate of less than $200/night at the westin is pretty good and the location can't be beat. unless you have a reason to be in cambridge, stay in boston at the westin. it's a nice hotel.

I'm staying at the Westin right not and I'd recommend that hotel. I thought I did well by getting 50% off the rack rate but at the price they're asking of you I think it's an easy choice. It's really a very nice hotel with a great location.

Your rate is a differential of about $40 per night. To me it's a no-brainer - stay at the Westin Copley. As far as no breakfast. . .there are plenty of Dunkin' Donuts in Boston! :D

the commander
 

i stayed at the commander this year and needed a suite for a stay. i booked a regular room and called the front desk manager, and they hooked me up with an amazing 2br suite as a platinum upgrade and they did it ahead of time

they give tix for breakfast

for sightseing, u will surely be going to harvard square if u r visiting boston, and this is right next to the square.

save the money, boston is very walkable, and cambridge is nice and u can, if u like to walk, just walk down mass ave and over the river to boston...

also, while youre here, a good restaurant to try is the helmand, an afghan place in cambridge, owned by hamid karzai's brother, great food, prices r not bad at all.

I still maintain that for the average out-of-state occasional visitor to Boston, the place to be is in Boston proper, not Cambridge. If one had a week in town, or visited every year or so, that's a totally different story. Cambridge has much to offer.

But, again, for someone asking for assistance in determining the key hotel to select for a short getaway trip to BOS, I can't imagine recommending anything above hotels (of any brand) in the Copley area. For Starwood, this includes both the Sheraton and the Westin. Marriott also runs a great hotel adjacent to these two.

It's the difference between cheapest and best value - something lot's of us get mixed up. You've got a great rate at a smart central hotel - go for it. With all the elites you list it seems a strange question to ask.

AA - PLATINUM
HILTON - GOLD
STARWOOD - PLATINUM
HYATT - DIAMOND

I stayed on points for a family vacation two years ago. We had the same decision to make. Copley at that time was 10k and Commander was 7k. However, we had a rental car (we were going to Maine) and Copley wanted like $40 a night to park it. Commander was nominal parking.

We chose Commander for this reason. Copley is MUCH better location, but we were able to see Harvard, we got breakfast, and did not miss much.

Have stayed at the Copley as well as Sheraton downtown. Copley is good, but nothing special, except for the location for tourists. Not a bad choice among the two you have.

I've stayed at both and prefer the Westin you cant beat the location and it is a class hotel. Have you looked at the new Westin Boston Waterfront? I havent stayed there yet but it looks nice.....

Westin Waterfront is in the middle of nowhere, except for the Convention Center and the businesses in and around the Boston Seaport World Trade Center. At least the Commander is right in the heart of Harvard Square, so there's lots walkable right there. And it's an easy Red Line T trip to downtown Boston.

Westin Copley is a great location, but I'd give the Commander a strong 2nd place in terms of good locations in Greater Boston.