Neighborhoods

Downtown

"Downtown" means most of the Freedom Trail and the neighborhoods like the Waterfront, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, the Financial District, and Downtown Crossing. The few accommodations in the moderate price category are mostly bed-and-breakfasts.

The Waterfront & Faneuil Hall Marketplace -- At all hotels in these neighborhoods, ask for a room on a high floor -- the Big Dig is more or less complete, but construction continues throughout this area.

Financial District & Downtown Crossing

Besides being great for business travelers, the hotels in this area are closer than their Waterfront competitors to the major shopping areas and the start of the Freedom Trail. All offer excellent weekend packages, especially in the winter.

Beacon Hill/North Station/North End

Less expensive lodgings in this neighborhood are mostly B&Bs.

Very Expensive -- The boutique hotel at Battery Wharf, off Commercial Street at Battery Street, was in search of a new operator at press time. Visit www.batterywharf.com for information about the property, part of a luxe-plus condo-hotel-retail development projected to open in late 2008. The only hotel in the North End, it has 150 units, abundant water views, lavish facilities (including an 18,000-sq.-ft. spa), a three-star Michelin chef in the kitchen, and prices to match.

South Boston Waterfront (Seaport District)

The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Seaport World Trade Center, Institute of Contemporary Art, and Waterfront Silver Line bus (which connects South Station to the airport) are just a few of the factors helping push this neighborhood from up-and-coming to genuinely desirable. It's not quite there, though -- there's no shopping or entertainment to speak of, and dining options are multiplying but still far from numerous. Access to the airport is excellent, but downtown is some distance away by bus and subway or on foot (Faneuil Hall Marketplace, for instance, is at least a 15-min. walk). If you're in town for a convention, thank your corporate travel agent; if you're sightseeing, budget time for public transit, money for cabs, or both.

Copley Square/Hynes Convention Center

Very Expensive -- The Hong Kong-based Mandarin Oriental chain's first New England property was under construction on Boylston Street at Fairfield Street as this guide went to press. The 148-unit Mandarin Oriental, Boston (tel. 866/526-6567 or 617/531-0888; www.mandarinoriental.com/boston) is slated to open in the fall of 2008. The property is part of a 14-story hotel-condo development connected directly to the Prudential Center. It has a 16,000-square-foot spa, two restaurants (including the relocated L'Espalier), a lounge, and the ultraluxurious brand's over-the-top appointments and service.

Estimated to reopen late 2008, the Copley Square Hotel, 47 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02116 (tel. 800/225-7062 or 617/536-9000; www.copleysquarehotel.com), isn't just under renovation -- it's closed, with walls in much of the seven-story building stripped to the studs. Opened in 1891, the 143-unit hotel is leaping straight from elaborate Edwardian decor to $14 million worth of streamlined style executed in tasteful neutrals. After the overhaul, guest rooms -- some of which are quite snug -- will have pillow-top beds and the latest tech accouterments; expect prices to match.

Expensive -- Hotels in this neighborhood and price category are catnip for tour groups, especially during foliage season. Consider a different location or a smaller lodging if big crowds wearing nametags bother you -- but don't count on avoiding them completely.

Outskirts & Brookline

What Bostonians consider "outskirts" would be centrally located in many larger cities. Brookline starts about 3 blocks beyond Boston's Kenmore Square. Staying in this area means essentially becoming a commuter to downtown Boston (unless you're in town only to visit Fenway Park or the Longwood Medical Area). It's not a great choice if your destination is Cambridge because of the unwieldy public transit connections.

Moderate -- The 188-room Brookline Courtyard by Marriott, 40 Webster St., Brookline (tel. 866/296-2296, 800/321-2211, or 617/734-1393; fax 617/734-1392; www.brooklinecourtyard.com), is off Beacon Street in Coolidge Corner. The eight-story hotel has a breakfast cafe, an indoor pool, an exercise room, and shuttle service to the nearby Longwood Medical Area. The double rate is $159 to $399, which includes high-speed Internet access.

Inexpensive -- A summer-only hostel occupies a former Howard Johnson hotel just outside Kenmore Square: Hostelling International -- Boston at Fenway, 575 Commonwealth Ave. (tel. 617/267-8599; fax 617/424-6558; www.hifenway.org; T: Green Line B, C, or D to Kenmore). The 485-bed hostel offers well-equipped accommodations in a building that doubles as a Boston University dorm during the school year. Rates are $35 per bed for members of Hostelling International-American Youth Hostels, $38 for nonmembers. Private rooms for one to three guests cost $89 to $99.

Cambridge

Across the Charles River from Boston, Cambridge has its own attractions and excellent hotels. Graduation season (May and early June) is especially busy, but campus events can cause high demand at unexpected times, so plan ahead.

Expensive -- The Courtyard Boston Cambridge, 777 Memorial Dr., Cambridge, MA 02139 (tel. 888/236-2427 or 617/492-7777; www.marriott.com), a former Radisson, opened in 2008. The 203-unit, 16-story hotel is across the street from the Charles River, meaning the views are great but public-transit access isn't. The property has a restaurant and an indoor pool; the best accommodations have private balconies. Rates for a double start at $149 and peak north of $300 in high season.

Moderate -- The Hampton Inn Boston/Cambridge, 191 Msgr. O'Brien Hwy., Cambridge (tel. 800/HAMPTON or 617/494-5300; www.bostoncambridge.hamptoninn.com), is a 5-minute walk from the Green Line Lechmere stop. Rates at the 114-room hotel start at $159 for a double in high season and include parking, expanded continental breakfast, and high-speed Internet access. The Hampton Inn is a block closer to the T than the Holiday Inn Express, but on the opposite side of a busy street from the station.

At & Near the Airport

Expensive -- The Embassy Suites Hotel Boston at Logan Airport, 207 Porter St., Boston, MA 02128 (tel. 800/EMBASSY or 617/567-5000; www.embassysuites.com), is a 273-unit hotel with an indoor pool, exercise room, and business center. Each suite in the 10-story hotel has a living room with a pullout couch. Room rates, which start at $169, include breakfast, high-speed Internet access, and shuttle service to the airport and the Airport T stop.

Moderate -- If you can't get a room at the Comfort Inn, consider the Hampton Inn Boston Logan Airport, 2300 Lee Burbank Hwy., Revere (tel. 800/426-7866 or 781/286-5665; www.hamptoninn.com), on a commercial-industrial strip about 3 miles north of the airport. A free shuttle bus serves the 227-room hotel, which has a pool; rates start at about $139 for a double and include continental breakfast.