Everything was perfect. The rooms were incredibly clean, the staff was above and beyond friendly, and the newly completed renovations look absolutely beautiful. Norman and Deneke provided a warm welcome each time I entered the hotel.
Also, the new restaurant, Lucie, was wonderful. Great food and ambiance.
Look forward to returning in the (hopefully) very near future!
-Lucy
Comfort InnBooking.com
Taking safety measures
Expedia.com
This hotel has very comfortable beds and a great shower. The location is fine but that’s about where it stops. Our room was on the 5th floor. All we wanted to do was sleep in - but no. We were close enough to the gym (on our floor) such that we got to fully experience all of the treadmill running beginning at 6am - constant thumping - until about 9am. We called at 7:30am to complain- our phone handset did not work. So we used the scratchy speaker phone. The first person we reached transferred us to someone who hung up on us. The second call took us to a nicer person who took $100 off our bill. We stupidly ordered breakfast since we were up and hungry. $75 for a bagel so doughy you could make animals out of it like play dough, charred inedible potatoes, steel cut oatmeal that was tasteless, runny gruel. The bacon was good. And the air conditioner in our room ran loud enough to rival a jet engine.
The Colonnade in Boston’s Back Bay has been my home away from home multiple times while my daughter has been a college student in the area. With each visit has been clean, comfortable and customer-focused, yet friendly and relaxed. Doorman Norman is the best! He is a model of excellent service, always anticipating guests’ needs with a kind smile. Rooms and common areas are all nicely updated. All rooms have big windows, quality beds and bedding, strong AC, lots of amenities, modern bathrooms. Enjoy the roof top pool/bar, activities, and a great new restaurant on site. And hotel’s location across from the Pru is amazing - easily walk to a few campuses, the symphony, major museums, convention center, Fenway, many restaurants, Newbury St, parks and downtown Boston. Close to Amtrak trains and the T. The Colonnade can’t be beat for all it has to offer!
We stayed here for 5 nights during the Boston Marathon in a Superior King. The room was lovely & comfortable & the hotel was in a perfect place for the Marathon, walking distance to the expo, bus start & an easy walk post finish.
The staff were lovely & the hotel was decorated with Boston Strong as well as the staff all wearing jackets in the final few days.
I was surprised that breakfast was not served until 7am on the day of the marathon which was too late, but the cafe across the road was open from 5am and on all other days we ate at Thorntons just down the road where the breakfasts were fantastic & you often had to queue.
The bar & restaurant was lovely for an evening.
Overall this was one of the best value hotels in a central location for the marathon & I would thoroughly recommend.
The Colonnade Boston is a nice place in a nice location, but not really any different than three or four other places within a bock or two. It is located right across the street from the Prudential Center and it’s great shops and places to eat and drink. There is a Green Line train stop just outside the front door (which does switch to other more popular Green Line trains if you can figure out where to switch). Norman might be the best doorman/concierge in Boston. And Thorntons is a block away for breakfast and the house restaurant Lucie is great for lunch and dinner.
Those pluses are great, mind you, but get ready for lots of families and conventioneers which seem to make the hotel staff a bit cranky and unfriendly. Our room seemed a bit small — although small is the standard in Boston — and getting service like wash cloths or extra towels was slow or non-existent.
We recommend the Colonnade for its pluses, as we said, but you can get pretty much the same (except for Norman) at other places.
I spent some time at the Colonnade Hotel. My most memorable moment is being greeted by Norman upon my arrival and every day the he was working. He is a gem for the hotel. The restaurant was adequate. Unfortunately, my room was not up to expectations. When I first arrived, I was exhausted and had a hectic schedule, so I missed somethings early on. When I finally had a moment to take in the room, I was a bit disappointed. Some things of concern: the bathroom had several areas of peeling paint. There was limited counter space in the bathroom. The grouting could have been redone. A couple of times, the sheets had multiple holes. The restaurant was ok. The food was ok. As a hotel, I would give it 3 out of 5-stars. Norman is a 5-star hospitality team member. He gets it. He knows how to make guests feel appreciated, welcomed and special. A couple of times, I went to the front desk and the staff kept talking to each other and when on the phone, would not even acknowledge that I was waiting. It has potential, but has some work to do.
