The Bostonian Hotel Review: A Perfect Choice for Exploring Downtown Boston

The writer was hosted.

When looking for a place to stay in Boston, location is one of the most important considerations. Do you want to stay away from the city center and commute in for the activities and exploration you want to do? This is usually a less-expensive option but adds the time and stress of either parking downtown or figuring out public transportation.

If you’d rather stay right amid the historic buildings, shopping and convenience of downtown Boston, the Bostonian Boston by Millennium Hotels is a terrific choice. I recently stayed at the Bostonian and found it to be a great option, especially for a single, female traveler.

Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves with fireplace, chairs, coffee table and ottomans on a carpeted area of the lobby at the Bostonian Boston hotel. — Cozy sitting area in the lobby. Photo credit: Deb Steenhagen

Bostonian Boston Highlights

Amazing downtown location close to shopping, the harbor and historic sites.
Spacious rooms
Many rooms have a Juliette balcony and beautiful views of downtown Boston
Free disposable water bottles
Lobby lounge area with fireplace and bookshelves

View from 7th floor of the Bostonian Boston hotel, showing North Market and tall downtown buildings, including the Custom House Clock Tower. — View from the juliette balcony of my room on the 7th floor. The shorter building with many chimney stacks is the North Market, right across the street from the hotel. The blue and green umbrellas are Margaritaville-Boston, where live music plays most nights. Photo credit: Deb Steenhagen

Where is the Bostonian Boston?

This 4-star hotel is on North Street, where it intersects with Blackstone Street and across from Clinton Street. This puts you right in the heart of downtown, with amazing views of the city. Across the street you’ll find Faneuil Hall Visitor Center and the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. The marketplace is a pedestrian shopping area which encompasses the North Market, Quincy Market and South Market buildings. You’re also only a block away from the Freedom Trail where you can explore Boston’s historical buildings.

The Bostonian Boston is also only an easy 5-minute walk down to the waterfront area along Boston Harbor. This is where you can find Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, The New England Aquarium, and the meeting point for several boat tours and cruises.

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Front facade of the Millenium Hotels Bostonian Boston, facing North Street. — Front of the Bostonian Boston on North Street. The hotel entrance is inside the courtyard, entered under the flags and ‘The Bostonian’ sign. Photo credit: Deb Steenhagen

Is the Bostonian Boston a good choice for families?

While this hotel is a great choice for a solo, girlfriend or couples trip, it wouldn’t be among my top choices for a family stay, unless you really want to be downtown or have older kids. Here’s why:

No pool
There’s outdoor live music across the street almost every night (even weeknights) which could make it difficult to put small children to bed.
The maximum number of guests in any room is 4, which means that larger families would need more than one room.
There’s an on-site restaurant but it doesn’t have a kids menu.
No in-room refrigerators.
No in-room microwave (although there is one on the 3rd floor you can use).

7th floor open-air lounging area with chaises at the Bostonian Boston hotel. — Open-air outdoor lounging area on the 7th floor. Photo credit: Deb Steenhagen

What amenities does the Bostonian Boston offer:

Deluxe rooms have a Juliette balcony with great views
On-site restaurant/bar and room service
On-site fitness center and gym
Meeting rooms and event spaces
Paid self-parking and valet parking
Free Wi-Fi
Business center
Open-air lounge area with chaises
Free cold water bottles in lobby
Lounge area in lobby with fireplace, comfortable chairs and coffee table

The hotel has an open-air courtyard with central fountain for drop-offs and pick-ups. This was very convenient for traveling by Uber since the car could pull off the street and not block traffic while picking up or dropping off.

The lounge area in the lobby has an old-world library kind of vibe with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with books, plus comfy seating and a fireplace. It was the perfect place to meet up with our group before heading out to each activity.

King-sized bed with headboard, plus easy chair and ottoman and night tables with lamps on either side. — My room had a king-sized bed and cozy armchair and ottoman. Photo credit: Deb Steenhagen

What are the rooms like?

I stayed in one of the Deluxe rooms with a Juliette balcony. The room had a king-sized bed and was very spacious. There was a bureau with flat-screen tv on top and a minibar underneath, a desk and rolling chair, plus a comfy upholstered chair and ottoman.

The bathroom included a large, enclosed walk-in shower with both a fixed showerhead and a handheld one with a hose. There was also a large vanity with storage underneath, a closet and a small vanity nook with a coffee maker.

Bureau with tv and desk area in room at the Bostonian Boston hotel. — Bureau with tv and mini-bar and desk located in my room across from the bed. Photo credit: Deb Steenhagen

The bed was very comfortable and I slept well over the four nights I stayed there. I appreciated the desk space but also enjoyed the upholstered chair and ottoman to relax in during the evenings before bedtime. The balcony was large enough to stand outside but there was no room for any kind of chair. The view was amazing – I could see the Boston Clock Tower, plus the busy Faneuil Hall Marketplace across the street. With the doors open, I could enjoy the live music from Margaritaville and then close the doors when I was ready for quiet.

The North 26 Restaurant and Bar

I ate on-site twice during my stay. The first night I planned to order room service but it wasn’t available at that time, so I headed downstairs. The restaurant is comfortable and has both booth seating and tables with window views.

I had a Caesar Salad and ordered it with grilled chicken. The chicken came on a skewer on a separate plate, which I appreciated since I could cut it and add it to the salad myself. This made for a delicious meal.

I also had a breakfast voucher which I used on the last full day of my stay. The American Breakfast included eggs, toast, bacon (or sausage) and home fries. The food was good and made for a good start to my day of touring the area.

I don’t drink alcohol but the North 26 bar offers wine, beer and cocktails, along with a limited food menu and a late night snack menu.

Vanity area and toilet in bathroom of room at the Bostonian Boston hotel. — The bathroom had plenty of vanity space and storage. Photo credit: Deb Steenhagen

My hotel experience

I really enjoyed my stay at the Bostonian Boston. It felt exciting to be right in the center of downtown and be able to head right across the street for shopping, live entertainment and to hit the Freedom Trail. That being said, there were a few less-than-perfect moments.

There are two elevators, which works well when both are in service. For two days of my stay, one elevator was out of order, leaving only one elevator for everyone. This slowed things down when wanting to head up to my 7th floor room or head down to get ice or to the lobby.

There is only one ice machine (and one microwave), on the 3rd floor. I got ice every day, which was slightly inconvenient, especially when only one elevator was working. However, the hotel does offer free, cold bottled water in the lobby, so I made sure to grab a few of those.

Faneuil Hall facade with Samuel Adams statue in front and modern Sephora building to the left. — Old meets new – Faneuil Hall and Samuel Adams statue next to the modern Sephora building, across the street from the Bostonian Boston. Photo credit: Deb Steenhagen

On my 3rd night in the hotel, Boston experienced a large rainstorm, which sent a lot of water to the ground very quickly. When I entered my room that evening, I could hear a dripping noise, which turned out to be coming from the light fixture in the shower. I called down to the lobby and they sent up a maintenance worker to check it out.

They couldn’t fix the problem that night while it was still raining, but they did offer to let me switch rooms. They didn’t have a similar room available, so after they assured me there was no electrical issue, I chose to remain. They did give me a breakfast voucher for the inconvenience. Once the rain stopped, the drip also stopped and they were able to get in and fix it.

Small vertical rainbox over red brick buildings and under layer of clouds. — I was greeted by this small but bright rainbow when I first stepped out onto the juliette balcony in my room. The triangular-shaped space below is open down to the hotel’s open-air courtyard. Photo credit: Deb Steenhagen

Final Thoughts

I would stay at the Bostonian Boston again in a heartbeat. I loved the ambiance, the location and the comfortable room. This isn’t a budget option – the price reflects the location and views. But any of the small inconveniences were well worth it overall in my opinion. And Millenium Hotels does have their MyMillenium points program where you can earn rewards that can help save money on your stay. While I probably wouldn’t bring young kids here (mine always wanted a pool at hotels), teenaged or young adult kids would do just fine and likely love the location too. The hotel is also a great option for a solo, couples or girlfriend trip to explore Boston.