Great hotel-but looks were a bit deceiving.
I stayed at this hotel because of a business seminar I was attending was being held in the hotel conference area. The initial impression was quite stunning from the time I drove up. The outside was beautiful and the lobby was a massive modern expanse of glass, stone and wood-quite typical for most Westin hotels these days. Check in was a snap and the staff were very friendly.
My room was not overly impressive. I had reserved a double queen room (my family was traveling with me this trip) and it was quite small. I also usually requested a high floor room far away from the elevator and I was given a mid floor room right next to the elevator. Obviously my SPG preferences were overlooked for this reservation. The in-room refrigerator was also not working so maintenance had to bring up another one, but instead of removing the bad one they simply set the replacement next to the old one and plugged it in, therefore leaving even less space in an already small room. Otherwise the room was well appointed and featured the common Westin touches (the heavenly-branded products) throughout.
For recreation & fitness, this hotel had an awesome workout facility-one of the best I've experienced. Lot's of cardio and weight equipment to choose from and the room was kept cool so overheating was never an issue, despite the indoor pool located in the next room. The pool itself was quite spacious but was in need of minor repairs and cleaning during our visit, but nothing that would keep me from swimming in it.
For amenities, it's obvious this hotel caters to business travelers and meeting goers. There is a large business center to do work, a gift store with a multitude of essentials (toothbrushes, etc.) to help in case you left something at home, a shoe shine station, and even a Starbucks just off the lobby. And yes, it was an actual Starbucks location that offered gourmet coffee drinks, breakfast sandwiches and snacks; although beware, several staff members were quite grumpy during all of my visits and this was a little unpleasant.
Food and beverage offerings were somewhat limited as well. There was an on-site Irish restaurant (try the beer battered fish & chips or chicken strips appetizer-some of the best I've ever had) as well as an adjacent cocktail lounge and the traditional lobby bar serving martinis, cocktails and bar snacks into the wee hours of the morning. The offerings were far from spectacular, but I would rate them as good and the staff I encountered were all pleasant and attentive. There were also outdoor seating areas for all locations which was a nice touch considering the weather was wonderful during our stay. We did not sample room service during this visit.
The meeting facilities were also quite nice. The rooms were well lit and the chairs and tables were all comfortable for the two days we were there and this was appreciated. There were also multiple large restrooms in the near vicinity that enabled our large group to avoid lines while using the facilities.
Overall, I would say that my experience was fairly good and if I had any negative comments it would be directed at the housekeeping staff. The housekeeping was terrible during this visit and was very substandard for a Westin property. On day one, the room was not cleaned by the time I arrived back my seminar at 4:30 so I called to have somebody take care of this. An hour later it had been done, but only the beds had been made and the trash emptied. Floors had not been swept and the bathroom had not been wiped down. On day two, the room had been cleaned by 1pm, but the toilet was plugged and housekeeping had not caught this during their visit so I had to call maintenance to get it fixed.
From a location standpoint, this Westin is very convenient for the business traveller. It is a quick 10 minute drive from Boston's Logan Intl. Airport (via the Ted Williams Tunnel) and there is easy access to the surrounding hotels, eateries and meeting facilities. If venturing into Boston is on your list of things to do, it is only a 15 minutes drive into the historic Faneuil Hall area of downtown where you can check out the Freedom Trail and numerous other Boston city landmarks.
The next time I travel to Boston I would consider staying at this hotel if on my own, but would not take my family back here. It's obviously set up for business travelers and not so much for kids