I normally stay at the unpretentious sister hotel, several blocks away, but since it was closed for remodeling and wasn’t available and I needed to be in the immediate area for business, I had to stay here. The staff, for the most part is wonderful. However, one day, they did “forget” to clean my room. I returned at 3 pm and it wasn’t done, so I decided to let it go rather than vacate the room and have it done.

When I left the hotel the following morning, I asked the front desk to make sure that my room was cleaned as it had not been done the previous day. The female clerk became very defensive and said “Well, did you have your “Do Not Disturb” sign up? No apology. (How about training your staff better?)

My room, although pleasant and fairly clean was showing signs of wear, e.g., flaking paint in places, wall, door frames, especially in the bathroom. The bathtub drain ran slowly, a long shower meant I was standing ankle-deep in water - yuck. The faucet leaked, there was a hair-dye stain on the wallpaper next to the mirror (geez, can’t you at least paint over it?) The grout between the floor tiles was black and I don’t think that was the original intended color. It also reminded me of why I always carry and wear flip-flops!

The room was overheated even with the heater turned down all the way to “Cool". The windows cannot be opened for ventilation and are bolted shut with metal plumbers’ tape to make sure you don’t.

On the plus side: the toiletries provided are of good quality, the mattress and pillows appeared to be clean and were comfortable and there was a nice, clean bathrobe hanging in the closet as well as a large, full-sized umbrella, should I have forgotten mine. Certainly quite thoughtful.

I had to request ice from housekeeping one evening as they came for turndown service (a plus!). There is NO MENTION of ice in the Hotel Directory.

EATING AT THIS HOTEL IS QUITE AN EXTRAVAGANCE! You truly pay for convenience. On the last morning of my stay, it was cold, so I decided, why not have a leisurely breakfast, instead of walking down to the Square? My “$15.95 - Crimson Breakfast” just the usual eggs, breakfast potatoes, toast and ham (albeit a generous portion) somehow morphed into a $30 tab with the addition of a glass of orange juice, coffee, mandatory gratuity and tax. However, at the entrance to the dining area in the Lobby a few feet from where one is sitting, the same coffee (or tea) is complimentary! Save yourself $4! If you insist on having Breakfast here, have your coffee in the Lobby!

The big question - will I stay here again? Probably. The disadvantages are certainly outweighed by the advantages. It is in a quieter location at the edge of Harvard Square, yet still convenient to everything. It is much nicer and luxurious than the sister location, so if I can afford to do so, I will probably stay here. They do run specials occasionally so do check prices before booking.

As someone who attended school in Boston, this is the third time I've stayed at the Inn at Harvard. A few negatives this visit caused me to give the IaH only an "average" review; including my previous stays, I would rate it closer to a "good" than only an "average".

The pluses: fantastic, fantastic location in Harvard Square; wonderful staff members; clean and modern rooms with lovely views of the Square; very good room service.

The minuses: I'd forgotten that these rooms don't provide a coffee maker. It seems like a small thing, but we stayed over the New Year's holiday - and the restaurant in the hotel was closed every day we were there (Dec 30th - Jan 2nd). So, if I wanted tea or coffee in the morning, I had to either pay the $6.00/pot charge for room service coffee or leave the hotel for one of the many coffee shops in the area. Not a huge deal, I know, but who wants to get out of their warm bed on New Year's Day to put on a coat and go get coffee? We had room service two days; the other two days, I got the bathroom sink water as hot as I could and made some lukewarm team.

The other issue with the hotel restaurant closing was that it also, apparently, meant that evening room service was closed as well. As I mentioned, we had room service breakfast twice (and it was quite good and fairly priced, as these things go) but the two evenings we called for dinner room service, we were told that they were closed. Again, not a huge deal, but it would have been nice to know that fact before we booked the room.

However, these few minuses aside - I love the Inn at Harvard overall, and will continue to stay there if possible whenever we travel back to Cambridge.

There are two main places to stay in Harvard Square: The Charles (near the Kennedy School and the river) and the Inn at Harvard (near the Yard and in the middle of the Square). Both are superb. The folks at the Inn at Harvard were especially friendly, however, and courteous, and consistently went out of their way to be helpful.

Do not confuse the Inn at Harvard with the Harvard Inn, across the street from the Charles. Although both are owned by the same entity, the Inn at Harvard is the far better facility. It is more expensive (as is The Charles), but you get what you pay for.

All three facilities are hard to get into when there is a major Harvard event, such as graduation. So, if you are planning to go to a major Harvard event, make your reservations as far in advance as they will let you.

Clean, friendly, and decent breakfast. Walk to good food and bookstores.