Boston is a city rich with history, teeming with colleges (and college students) and organized by neighborhoods in Boston.  With the Charles River, multiple green spaces throughout the city and a collection of cultures interwoven, the city offers the visitor a plethora of options to explore and discover.  For me, choosing the right hotel was tricky because I wanted to see as much as I could but didn’t know which neighborhood was best. With no point options available for the weekend at the Westin, I would have to pay cash so I let my travel agent choose between the two Westin options – Westin Copley Square or Westin Boston Waterfront.   My travel agent said that the Copley Square hotel location was her choice for a first time visitor as she likes the neighborhood so I booked that hotel.

 

Location – Westin Copley Square Back Bay

The Copley Square location was a good base, it felt like it was in the middle of everything.  A block from the Amtrak Back Bay station, next to the Boston Hynes Convention Center  as well as a block away from the subway (T) station.  Two blocks away is shopping on Newbury Street.  More shopping and eating is available in the area – from the chain restaurants such as Panera and Cheesecake Factory to the local restaurants such as Flour and Post 390.

Lobby/Check-In at Westin Copley Square

The hotel lobby and common area is located an escalator (or elevator) ride to the second floor.  The lobby, similar to other Westin hotels was relaxing with the warm colors, furniture and spots of green.  The front desk area was a bit confusing as there are desks on either side, nothing to delineate a waiting area and a bit of a free for all (we were standing in the middle waiting to be called from the left or right when two women just walked up to the desk as another person walked away, clearly cutting in front of us – just confusing).

When we were called, check-in was quick and as a friend was with me, easy to change the room config from king to double/double.  For my SPG Gold Amenity (at the time), I chose the “free internet” option as you could add up to three devices which was good for us.

 

Standard Room at Westin Copley Square

Located on the Preferred floor, our room had a view of the surrounding area (nice not to see a wall or dumpster for a change).  The room was standard Westin -Heavenly Bed, workspace and bath.  Nothing new or exciting in the room but that’s ok, I like the level of comfort that it provided. There were multiple outlets at the desk to work and recharge devices, two bottles of complimentary water and easy to work lighting.

Bathroom at Westin Copley Square Hotel

The bathroom was again standard Westin issue with the green leaf soap and standard toiletries.  The only negative was low water pressure with the Heavenly Shower but I’m not sure if that was an issue with a full hotel or just our room.

Restaurant Bar10 at Westin Copley Square Hotel

There are a few restaurants on the property, however, we only ate at  Bar10 on the day of checkout, prior to our flights.  The menu has a good selection of sandwiches and salads with reasonable (yes, hotel reasonable) pricing.  The wine list was varied and should suffice for most.  The rosemary french fries were a surprise with our sandwich – quite tasty.

Welcome Amenity & Concierge at Westin Copley Square Boston

I did not contact the Concierge for this visit.   The hotel’s marketing manager, Anna, reached out to me on Twitter at the end of a travel chat (of course teasing me that it was my first visit to Boston given my other travels).  She was fantastic to send me her list of favorities in Boston – attractions,  bike tour of Boston, restaurants, desserts – so many great options for me to choose from.  She then sent cookies and a welcome note to my room – a wonderful welcome to Boston treat!

Lounge at Westin Copley Square Boston

The lobby lounge area was busy throughout our stay – it is quite inviting and many people seemed to linger.  It wasn’t until after midnight that i could take pictures of the areas when empty.  I was tempted to linger myself but was exhausted from the busy days of exploring the city.

 

Overall – The Westin Copley Square Boston Hotel

The Westin Copley Square in Boston was like visiting an old friend – warm, inviting and who gives you the keys to the house and says “go have fun”.  I had little interaction with staff at the hotel,  I had my keycard and went forth to have fun.  For my first trip to Boston, the Back Bay neighborhood was a wonderful base from which to explore the city.

My weekend rate was $259 + tax per night as there were no point options available.  Boston is consistently busy (it was parents weekend at Boston College during my visit) and therefore, in my opinion, expensive year round, so best to plan ahead with points or non-refundable rates.

Note: If you use Hotel Tonight and the hotel is available, my discount code is SWOLKO1 (subject to terms/conditions for your first booking)