Boston Common Hotel and Conference Center

Disgusting. The bathroom sink had hairs and soap scum in it. I ran the water in the shower to let it heat up– went to step in and immediately knew I would come out dirtier than when I stepped in. There were more hairs and other floating things in the tub– I decided no shower was a better option. Awful, small, uncomfortable «queen» bed with dollar store sheets. Just. stay away from this place.

I stayed here as a single, 20 something woman, and I’ll be returning. $ 100 for a great area of Boston. For the price, it’s as good as it gets – the room was clean, the lobby is elegant, and the staff was very kind. Internet worked fine in my room. If you want an updated, luxury hotel in Boston, take out your checkbook. If you want a comfortable, clean room in a classic hotel in a great neighborhood at a great price, then this is it.

I was nervous to stay here after I read the reviews but really… it’s not that bad. Come on, guys.
3 stars not because this place is bad — just because it’s a no frills hotel that didn’t go above and beyond for 4 or 5 stars but still was good for the price.
The staff was helpful and nice and let us check in early. Yeah, the entrance lobby looks like I’m checking into American Horror Story Hotel or The Shining but that’s just cause the décor is outdated. The whole building is old and hasn’t been updated in decades, which is why I imagine so many people have a problem with it.
They only guarantee wifi in the common areas but we had no problem getting it in our room. The room was a fine size with a queen bed with clean sheets. The furniture was pretty beaten up but I hardly cared. The bathroom has some wear and tear — you can tell that there’s some black in the grout of the bathtub — so while it wasn’t gross to me, it’s not like you will have the illusion of being the only person to have ever used the restroom. If you are picky and hate this sort of thing, this hotel isn’t for you. If you can look past it, you will have a cheap hotel right in the heart of town that will be a fine, pleasant experience. Only complaint I have really in the entire experience was that my room was super drafty and was pretty cold even when I turned the heat up.
Other thing to note: continental breakfast every day until 9:30 (it’s just bagels and cereal and fruit so you won’t be blown away but for people on a budget it does provide a meal), fast walk to Copley Square MBTA stop and shopping on Newbury St.

I should have just slept on the side of the road, it would have been cleaner…
The room was disgusting, A/​C didn’t work, there was no lid on the toilet and the TV was a tube TV from 1993. The front desk workers were useless and didn’t care. We didn’t use the showers while we were there since we would have caught a disease or gotten dirtier at the least…

A nightmare
Had reservation for double they insisted when I arrived I ordered single… my travel agency even validated but they refuse to work with us and claim they are sold out.
Thought I would give it a try
Room bed was width of a pillow and my feet reach 1 foot from end of bed
Dirty clothes behind curtains and smells like previous resident cooked food in it
Went to leave after looking at room and they refuse to release charge even without my staying.
Please avoid this place. All of downtown Boston is sold out so I will über 18 miles to stay in Danvers double tree for less money

We walked in and walked right back out. The room was FILTHY, there was HAIR in the bathtub, and the room with a view they promised us turned out to be a BRICK WALL. Even though we were there for a total of 20 minutes they still wanted to charge us for the night, and we couldn’t speak to a manager because «no manager was available» 4^th of July weekend in Boston?! Disgusting on all accounts.

This place is a great location with low luxury. from the airport you can easily jump on the Logan express to back bay to get to within a block of the hotel and from there you’re close to the parks, the freedom trail, and great restaurants.
The staff was friendly and the place was clean but very out of date and not well kept. The hotel has lots of character but if you’re bothered by rust in the tub, don’t stay here. They offer a basic continental breakfast and WiFi in the lobby but not in the rooms.
I’d stay again for a night or two because of the price and location but not for more than that.

Room was cramped and gross! A $ 100 rate quickly jumped to $ 160 when the desk clerk lied to our faces about parking being free
Paint chipping off furniture, disgusting bathroom and overall dingy feeling.
I was in town for a surgery at BU med center, we were told at check-​in that parking at the lot next door was free. After about an hour and a half I had to head back to the hospital and upon leaving the lot was held up and charged 28 dollars saying it was a «hotel rate» for 24 hours, yet as soon as you leave the garage the 28 dollar fee is reaccessed. For somebody who was very ill and back and forth between the hospital and my oversized closet of a room, this was a complete ripoff and misleading.
Upon bringing my issue to the attention of an employee, they assumed no responsibility for lying to me and simply said «we dont own the garage»
I’d never stay here again

I love Boston. I think Boston is one of the country’s greatest cities. This hotel is a blight on this gorgeous place.
To be fair, it isn’t that expensive of a hotel for the location. The neighborhood is fabulous and everything close at hand. I just don’t think that’s enough to stay here, I just don’t.
I accidentally booked this hotel thinking it was another one with ‘Boston Common’ in the name. I thought it would be okay until I researched it and almost decided to throw the money away rather than stay here. I should always trust myself.
This hotel is old. Not ‘Boston’ old, just old, rickety, rundown, ugly and gross.
Your first experience with this hotel is finding it. Good luck. It’s buried back behind an art store and Dunkin Donuts. I would hope this would keep people from staying here but clearly it hasn’t.
Next you drag your 50 lb. bag up stairs just to get to a front desk where you’re instantly treated to an unsmiling clerk who apparently likes to give a hard time for the fun of it, but without a smile even. I got there super early and needed to check in and was told my room wasn’t ready. I had called the evening before and was told one WOULD be ready, but she didn’t get that message. She told me there were no clean rooms and that mine was a ‘suite’ and they were all occupied. First, if my room was a suite then I drive a Ferrari and live in Beverly Hills. Or, they have no idea what a real suite is because they don’t even function like a real hotel. No room service, no person to take your bags to your room, no smiling clerk… nothing.
I finally got to my room and noticed that it was straight up out of the 80’s. I haven’t seen a TV that big (yet small) in a very long time. Technology is not for this hotel, no sir. The bed had no headboard and even the pictures were hanging slanted on the wall and up very, very high. I don’t know who decorated, but it wasn’t anyone with talent.
Went to the bathroom and the bath actually had hair all in it. Not one hair, many hairs. I gagged noticeably.
Forget about internet, you won’t get it consistently. They don’t even guarantee it for the rooms, only the lobby.
I could tell you a million reasons why not to stay here, but if you do, dont’ say I didn’t warn you because I TOTALLY AM RIGHT NOW.

I found a good deal for this hotel on
, $ 95 a night for the Standard Room 1 Queen bed. The hotel is well located, right next to the Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library, 2 blocks away from the Copley metro station that takes you to the main tourist areas in 15 to 20 min.
The room is ok, the WiFi doesn’t work well at all, they just guarantee the WiFi connection in common areas. I would rather to stay in this hotel that in an Airbnb place, because the prices are similar and here you have the privacy and comfort of a hotel.

After reading reviews I actually tried to cancel my booking at this place. I’m glad they didn’t allow it as they’ve clearly picked up their act.
Hotel is in a great location, it was clean, staff were very friendly and they had everything listed on their website which is about what you’d expect for the price.
Breakfast was basic but included. Wifi free in the lobby area and rooms were very neat and tidy. Sure it’s not the newest hotel but I’d happily stay there again.

Honest to goodness, the most disgusting place I have ever stayed at in my entire life.
Everything smelled, everything was dirty and/​or rusted, and it was just honestly the most disgusting place. I’m feeling sick just thinking back to it now… ew!
I could not wait to get home and shower, because I felt dirty from having stayed here.
Thankfully, we had family staying at another hotel, so we didn’t have to spend too much time here, but, ugh, just yuck. yuck. yuck. YUCK!

This is a strange review for me to write, as I have never personally spent a night here.
As much of my family has left Massachusetts, this is one of the first places we check when we need to find someone a hotel room, as happens when we remaining Bostonian relatives have run out of inflatable mattresses or patience.
Because of that, I’ve seen more than a dozen rooms here since about 2005, and heard good and meh feedback.
First, we check Kayak for a bargain on a nicer place. We find that about a third of the time. If we don’t, we then check the Conference Center, as it’s consistently a pretty good deal. We find rooms for under $ 200, every time. No one has ever had the cleanliness problems described on some reviews. Some rooms are pretty worn, with rust stains in the sinks, or threadbare spots in the carpet, but none have been dirty.
This is, by far, the quietest hotel my family stays in. I have a sister and an aunt who sleep like the Princess & the Pea, and they both prefer this hotel to the chi-​chi others because of the quiet. Because people don’t book this place for for weddings or parties, and with no bar or restaurant, this is pretty much just business and budget travelers.
None of my family who wanted to has been able to connect to the wireless in a room. EVER. This is not as inconvenient as it might be if they were here for business reasons, but FYI.
{I just checked the website– it says,“Complimentary WiFI in public areas”}
The biggest complaints I’ve heard have been about the breakfast– supermarket pastries, canned fruit, bad coffee. All this is true. HOWEVER, there’s a Dunkin Donuts in the building– you just have to go out the main entrance & around the corner from the entrance, on Stuart Street. Also, there’s a Shaw’s supermarket 2 blocks away, an Au Bön Pain 1 block away, and best of all, FLOUR BAKERY 1 block away!
Unless they’ve changed– or we just need to request this, but keep forgetting– the rooms never have fridges, which would help (see above: bad breakfast, no bar)
As everyone has noted, the location is great– Copley Square, next to the Orange & Green lines, walking distance to Chinatown, the Common, the Freedom Trail. A longer but pleasant sunny-​day walk to Fenway Park. And for the unreconstructed Catholic, Our Lady of Victories isn’t far. The rest of us heathens will meet you after mass for brunch at Thorntons.
Also, as everyone has noted, this place is pretty well hidden; the first time I tried to find it, I thought, «This can’t possible be right,» and I was working on Boylston Street back then, knew the area pretty well. Trinity Place is a lane connecting Stuart Street with the South station garage. Don’t just map it– look on Google street view or you’ll never find it.
I’m torn between 2 and 3 stars, but am giving them the 3 because the staff has always been very helpful and nice, the elevators, computers, and amenities have always worked well even if they’re old, and they don’t price through the roof during high-​demand times.

If it was not for the location and price, I won’t even…
I arrived a bit after midnight, and the lobby looked exactly like a scene from a horror movie with a guard sitting there almost fallen asleep. When I got to my room, I was like «Shoot! I feel like I have gone 2 decades behind». The bathroom smells a little funky when I turn the shower on, and the wifi signal is so weak in rooms.
Highlight of my stay is the free continental breakfast. And actually being able to walk to Copley Square and Newbury

As I’m sure all other reviewers have mentioned, this place is very, VERY outdated. It actually felt a lot like stepping back in time, but I bumped what would have been a 3 star review to a 4 star one because the bed was unbelievably comfortable. Let’s break it down:
The good:
–the location is great: near Copley Square and the Back Bay T station.
–the price: although still high (I think) at $ 169 a night for a summer weekend, it was significantly less than other hotels in the area.
it’s clean, though it doesn’t exactly look super clean because everything is so old that some carpet stains (for instance) are just permanent.
–the people at the front desk were all incredibly nice.
–there is free wifi in the lobby and sometimes in the rooms. I guess it can be patchy. They do have a business center, though, if you’re desperate.
–the most amazingly comfortable bed ever.
The not-​so-​good/​bad:
–it’s old and it looks old. The room had a tube tv. I haven’t seen one of those outside of someone’s house in a while. I’m pretty sure the hotel is not handicap accessible. At least not that I could see. You have to go up about half a flight of stairs from the street and the door has is pull/​push (which is super fun when you’re hauling luggage around). The carpet desperately needs to be replaced. The bathroom in the room gave me flashbacks to my grade school bathrooms (a combination of the tile, the color, the low-​sitting industrial-​style toiled, the chipped sink, etc.).
–it’s a bit hard to find: the entrance is on the dead end portion of Trinity Street and it looks nothing like a hotel entrance. There is also no place to stop a car out front and unload and check in before parking.
–the front desk staff, although nice, was not overly knowledgeable. Well, in fairness, I only asked one question about there area, but it should have been a simple one: where can we get some dessert like a slice of cake or a brownie to eat up in the room? The best the woman behind the desk could do was direct me (incorrectly as it turned out) to a Shaw’s. Following her directions, I passed right by an Au Bön Pain and got some yummy cupcakes.
–the elevators: they worked flawlessly, but they were a bit frightening. In one you could very loudly hear the chains in the elevator shaft. It really sounded like there was a guy back there pulling on the chains, hauling the car up and down. I named him Pierre.
I know the lists of not-​so-​goods is longer than the list of goods, but I would go back to this hotel in a heartbeat the next time I’m in the Boston area. It’s seriously no frills, but it get’s the job done and I’m going to be missing that bed for a while.

What an over priced dump. Falsely advertised with pictures of nice rooms and views. Try old moldy bathroom with random pills on the floor uncomfortable beds and views of parking garages. So bad we were forced to pay the second night but went to a new hotel. If you are looking for a great place to stay run the opposite direction. Even the park next to the dumpster is a nicer stay than this place.

This place is on the boarder of unexceptable. As someone who has worked in the hospitality industry it is obvious that no one cares about the upkeep of this property. Please do all you can to avoid staying here. If u need a place by Back Bay Station it is close. I think that is the only upside. It’s so bad they wouldn’t let me put a review on my hotel app so im warning everyone here. Please be warned.

So maybe I’m different here but Boston Common Hotel was amazing to me! I stayed here for an interview I had in Boston. It was my first time in Boston so I was looking for hotel deals. It was between here and the Boston Park Plaza, (which I heard was haunted so that was a NO THANK YOU), and I chose here.
I walked here from south street station which wasn’t too bad but I walked right past it so many times. I walked down trinity place confused as to seeing the Copley Hotel and Copley Plaza but no BCHCC. I finally turned around and there it was in its little corner nook right by some parking garage.
The front desk staff was nice. I went to my room and it was a little small but I was only staying for a day and I was by myself so it wasn’t a big deal. The room was clean and equipped with HBO which was great. Once I left, I realized what a prime location it was in, I was 2 minutes from the orange line and 5 minutes from the green line. CVS was 2 seconds away. So many bars and restaurants were minutes away walking distance. Also the library and other monuments were minutes away walking.
Continental breakfast in the morning was everything. It was standard with bagels, croissants, danishes, tea, coffee, and different types of juices with working microwaves and toasters (which can be hit or miss at certain hotels)
I could see wifi not in the rooms being a problem but oddly enough once I connected to the lobby’s wifi I somehow was connected on the 6^th floor.
I loved my stay here and I definitely would stay here again especially since I can now point it out!

Location is good, near Copley and the T lines/​Amtrak station. Though the actual hotel is on a dead end street with large parking lot which triggers my New Yorker sketchy alert. $ 200 a night is pricey in my book (though cheaper then the higher end hotels around) and I was pretty disappointed. Doors slam rather loudly when closed, so you get woken up whenever someone enters or leaves their room, and no wifi in room. No heat in bathroom, very loud bathroom vent you can’t turn off, room obviously not renovated in at least 30 years. The room and bathroom were clean however. Tv remote didn’t work, and tv made me giggle, it was a 17in CRT with built in VHS. There were holes in the sheets I had. And no one came to make my bed or clean the room for the 2 nights I stayed there.
Breakfast was fine, but no hot food just cereal and muffins and bagel type things. And I really wanted hotel sausage patties! Life’s little disappointments. It was well stocked at least.
I was here for a conference, and the conference hall itself was a little aged but not bad. In fact, I give +1 star for the venue portion and for the catering brought in, that was pretty good.
This place would be fine if it got a renovation… Just some new paint and new carpet and it would be acceptable enough.

Pros:
Near a conference venue. Good downtown location.
Breakfast is good– pastries and coffee and fruits and cereal, does not run out even just before it ends at 930 am.
Comfortable beds and clean bathroom.
Cons:
In the early morning of 8 March 2013, the alarm on the 7^th floor went off because the old service elevator started emitting smoke. Firemen came. We were evacuated to the lobby. We could only go back up half an hour later because the alarms took some time to shut off. There was a smoky smell in the hallway. The building may be unsafe.
The WiFi in our room has not been working for 2 days now and the front desk only said «WiFi is not guaranteed in the rooms.»
Not worth the money.