Hotels: Timeless luxury and major innovations

True to its image as a city of tradition, Boston has some great hotel legends. One of its most famous establishments, the Lenox, was built in the last century, in 1900, in front of the Boston Public Library. However, the Lenox Hotel doesn't just stand out for its proximity to its illustrious neighbour. Housed in a building designed by Lucius Bloomer, the architect of New York's Waldorf-Astoria, it has all the charm of the great hotels of yesteryear: a hushed lobby, ceremonial lounges, a beautiful swimming pool - a rarity in Boston - and spacious, recently renovated rooms... This 214-room establishment is certainly one of the city's most pleasant and prestigious.

Although... all you have to do is cross Copley Plaza to be dazzled once again. This time by the Fairmont Hotel. It celebrated its centenary in 2012 with a major renovation and is, if not the most 'historic' in Boston as we like to say here, at least the most majestic. Under its gilding, mouldings and chandeliers, in the corridors adjoining its very spacious lobby, a string of drawings and lithographs signed by Chagall, Picasso or Matisse can be seen. In fact, before becoming a hotel, the building was... the Boston Museum of Fine Arts! Today, it houses 383 rooms that have retained their old-world splendour, sublimated by an attractive contemporary feel. But it's also the palatial service that makes a stay at the Fairmont unforgettable, especially for Gold Members who have access to the elegant Executive Lounge on the fourth floor.

Feng Shui and old Boston

However, the Copley Plaza area is not just for hotels of the past. In 2008, the Mandarin Oriental opened its doors, with all the refinement of the Asian brand. With just 148 rooms, it is a small, quiet and discreet hotel that pays particular attention to each guest. The Far Eastern atmosphere is reflected in subtle touches of Japanese contemporary art and sinister painted ceilings, but above all in the recurring presence, in the lobby as in the rooms, of the elements of water, air, earth and fire, the basis of Feng Shui. In fact, the reception counter, which was originally intended to be placed at an angle, was installed facing the entrance on the advice of a Feng Shui master, to improve the circulation of energy. And as in all the Mandarins around the world, all the rooms have a large bathtub as well as a shower... with a view over old Boston, the famous Beacon Street and, beyond that, the Charles River.

In Cambridge, some hotels have also proved their worth. Such is the case of the Marlowe, one of three Boston establishments belonging to the American Kimpton group, voted 'best hotel in Cambridge' by the Trip Advisor website. Opened in 2003, then completely renovated in 2010, the Marlowe is particularly aimed at business travellers with meetings in the Kendall Square bio-tech cluster or at MIT and Harvard. On the banks of the Charles River and facing Boston, it is also just a stone's throw from the underground. Although it does not have a dedicated lounge-busines, it does offer a selection of free morning and evening drinks, which can be enjoyed in your room, in the lounge or in the superbly refurbished Bambara restaurant. Other business establishments in Cambridge include the Charles Hotel, the Hyatt Regency - which has announced a $3.5 million renovation - and soon an AC hotel, which the Marriott group is due to open this summer in the Alewife district.

New Diversity

Boston has long rested on its laurels when it comes to hotels, but things are changing. Since 2015, around forty projects, some already completed and others underway, will provide 5,000 new rooms in all categories in and around the city by 2018. Recent developments include the beautiful Godfrey Hotel, a luxurious 242-room hotel with a café, restaurant, boutiques and spa, which opened in February close to the Boston Public Garden. "These openings will bring diversity to the city"says Cristina Pappas, President of the Open the Door agency, "because they range from small boutique hotels to luxury establishments or those adapted for long stays.".

Most notably, half of the new rooms are planned for the future Seaport district, near the Boston Convention Center. The first sign of these developments came last year with the opening of the Envoy Hotel, a 70 million euro project with a spectacular rooftop terrace overlooking the harbour. Nearby, Aloft and Element, all offshoots of the Starwood group, also opened this year. In the slightly more distant future, a new Four Seasons should make Boston shine. On the Christian Science Plaza, a stone's throw from Symphony Hall...