Even less than I expected ...
I was in town for a conference and because it was a last minute decision, I didn't get a room in the conference hotels. However, I did get a good rate at the Holiday Inn, and despite what I envisioned from the neighborhood, was willing to give it a shot since I've had good experiences at other Holiday Inns lately. Boy, was I wrong ...
First, the location. It's true that it is directly across the street from Boston Gardens. It's also true that it's across the street from several very seedy bars and the street itself is very scary looking. The street noise alone should make you stay away from this place. 
I will say that the staff was very nice and tried to be as accommodating as possible, and the one positive thing I can say about the room is that it was clean (despite the fact that there I killed four flies!). It didn't make up for the room. I think I may have had the worst room in the hotel. I was in a suite, which despite the fact that it is very large, was not very useable. The living area was atrocious. The window shade was broken with a sign on it indicating not to use. The chair had a broken leg and was sitting lopsided, so I didn't even take a chance at sitting on it. The couch was horrendous and looked like something out of a frat house. Even the desk chair was worn out and falling apart. There was one teeny lamp to light everything! Despite the fact that there is a kitchenette area, there wasn't even a light in that area. 
When I got to the bedroom area, it was just as bad - although there are two lights in the bedroom, one was broken. The bed was like sleeping on concrete and the "assortment of pillows" were mostly worn and lumpy. One was so thin that I had to triple it. The noise level in the rooms was very high. I could hear multiple TVs until very late at night. The A/C was so loud that I had to turn it off - it sounded like a jet engine!
With all due respect, when I rattled off the list of things that were wrong with the room, the GM did offer to refund my money (and did). However, I seriously doubt there is anything that will make me ever want to stay at this hotel again.