Unnecessary Greed
Our stay was booked via a third party site, but nonetheless approached 200 dollars a night for a 'twin bed room'. This is an expensive hotel - therefore my expectations were based on such.
Despite the fact the hotel booking was pre-paid, the first demand was for a credit card for 'incidentals', for 'convenient billing'. I suspect the staff fail to appreciate that if the guest finds it convenient to leave a credit card for charging purposes, that is their choice. Demanding a card number for the hotel's convenience though sensible, should be a free choice where the room is pre-paid!
Secondly, as another reviewer tactfully described it: they're out to 'nickel and dime' their guests. No example exceeds this better than the diabolical 'WIFI' internet. Firstly the connection is intermittent, slow and tedious to the point of precluding any functional use in rooms. It definitely precluded any conversation using voice-over-ip e.g. Skype lasting more than 2 minutes. To top this all a $15 a day fee must be paid by credit card before you can try the internet. Furthermore, your $15 a day is for ONE DEVICE ONLY! So if you own a phone and laptop, that's $30 per 24 hour period just to access internet!!! If there are 2 of you and you have 3 devices that is $45 per 24 hours!!! You will not be told any of this (except the price) at any point by the hotel staff or room information.
Once I noted a) the connection barely held together b) was slow and c) associated with one device without a login/password system, I asked for a remedy for the $15 I had paid only to be told there is nothing they can do!
I was offered a free access code to use instead. Although this addressed the issue of my first device not being able to hold a connection, I later confirmed it was a general problem with their wifi as my laptop also struggled to hold a connection. I think it is very disappointing for a company to collect money (for wifi), offer a poor service and then say their is nothing they can do!
Thankfully the Marriott Hotel just down the road where the conference I was attending was, offered free high speed, reliable wifi! I spent most of my day there, returning to sleep at the Hilton. Clearly I know where to book next time. Apparently, the Sherraton (and most good bed and breakfasts, McDonalds, Cafes and various parts of Boston city centre) offers free wifi too.
The room itself was clean and hospitable and to a standard fit for an expensive hotel.
Unfortunately, I had to share a single tea bag between two people despite the room being for 2 people. I guess you don't get much for $200 nowadays!
I don't know which concierge service others were talking about but none was offered on our arrival.
For me personally, my overriding impression was of excessive greed to the detriment of the guest. Wifi costs nothing in this day and age. To charge $15 per device per 24 hours is daylight robbery. To have that internet be intermittent, unreliable and slow is embarassing. To do so on top of a $200 per night room with 1 teabag is disgusting.
Small things matter. The area is full of hotels seeking customer's business. In my opinion, money is better spent elsewhere and I would strongly recommend others try hotels with a better ethos that do not appear so keen to exploit their customers of hard earned money through 'added services'. The comments made about parking charges which did not factor in my stay only serve to reinforce my concerns.