The John Hancock Hotel & Conference Center

Frommer's Review

In an unbeatable location on a dead-end street a stone's throw from Back Bay Station, the John Hancock Hotel is a hidden jewel. A limited-service lodging with an old-fashioned air and a pleasant, helpful staff, it's not much of a presence on the leisure-traveler radar but books loads of groups that use the abundant meeting space. The compact, comfortable guest rooms were spruced up and had their furniture replaced in 2007. They're not fancy -- the contrast with the large, elaborate lobby can be a little jarring -- but they're well maintained and big enough not to feel claustrophobic; bathrooms, however, are tiny. Larger structures hem in the eight-story brick-and-limestone building, so views are nothing special, but plenty of natural light finds its way to the fifth-floor breakfast room. Constructed in 1925 as part of the University Club, the building went through several incarnations before becoming a hotel in 1986. Aramark, perhaps best known as a national-park and sports-arena concessionaire, manages the hotel for the John Hancock firm, which books the whole place in the weeks before the Boston Marathon. The closest competitor, Hotel 140, has a funkier feel and sometimes beats this hotel on price.

Facilities:
Rooms for those w/limited mobility

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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