Best LuxuryBack Bay · 61-Story Glass Tower · Zuma Restaurant · Indoor Pool · Boston's Tallest Hotel
Boston's most dramatic luxury hotel — a 61-story glass skyscraper in Back Bay, the city's tallest residential and hotel tower, with 215 rooms and suites beginning on the upper floors with skyline and harbor views, Zuma restaurant (global Japanese), a full spa, indoor pool, and the Four Seasons service standard applied to a property that is visually unlike anything else in a city of Victorian brownstones.
61-Story TowerZuma RestaurantIndoor PoolFull SpaSkyline Views
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Best BoutiqueBack Bay · Since 1927 · Former Ritz-Carlton · Copley Square · Contessa Rooftop · Forbes Four-Star
The most classically Boston luxury hotel — the 1927 original Ritz-Carlton building, reimagined in 2021 as The Newbury Boston, at the corner of Newbury Street and the Boston Public Garden, with Contessa (Major Food Group's rooftop Italian restaurant, the hardest reservation in Boston), fireplace suites, and the most storied hotel address in the city.
Contessa RooftopPublic Garden ViewsFireplace SuitesForbes Four-StarMost Historic Hotel Address
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Best HistoricBeacon Hill · Fireplace in Every Room · Complimentary Lexus · Mooo... Steakhouse · Boutique Old Boston
The most characteristically Boston luxury hotel — a 63-room boutique in a 1903 Beaux-Arts building on Beacon Hill with a working fireplace in every room, a complimentary Lexus house car for guests, cashmere throws, Mooo... steakhouse (Wagyu A5 sirloin, the hotel's signature restaurant), and the mahogany-and-marble aesthetic of old Boston Brahmin elegance.
Beacon HillFireplace Every RoomComplimentary LexusBoutiqueOld Boston Elegance
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Best Design HotelBeacon Hill · Converted 1851 Charles Street Jail · CLINK Restaurant · Cell-Bar Décor · Charles River Views
The most original hotel concept in Boston — the 1851 Charles Street Jail, converted in 2007 into a full-service luxury hotel while preserving the soaring Victorian stone atrium, wrought-iron jail catwalks, and cell-bar architectural details that make CLINK restaurant (named for the jail's sound) one of the most theatrical dining rooms in New England.
Converted 1851 JailCLINK RestaurantVictorian RotundaCharles River ViewsMost Distinctive Hotel Boston
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Best OverallPost Office Square · Former Federal Reserve
CNT #1 hotel in Boston (Readers' Choice 2024) following a $200 million renovation — the former Federal Reserve Bank of Boston building in the Financial District, converted to a 312-room luxury hotel. The original banking hall architecture is preserved throughout; the Fed bar (named among the best hotel bars in the US) occupies the former vault area. Indoor heated lap pool, EarthCheck Platinum certified for sustainability. The most awarded Boston hotel right now and the strongest all-around recommendation.
LuxuryHistoricAward-winningFinancial district
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Best New OpeningBack Bay · Suites & Residences
The first Raffles hotel in North America, opened 2023 in the Back Bay — 147 rooms and suites with butler service, Guerlain bath products, and interiors that blend Boston brownstone references with botanical accents. The Raffles Spa has a 20-meter indoor pool and hydrotherapy suites; the rooftop terrace bar has sweeping Back Bay views. Five dining venues including La Padrona and a hidden speakeasy. The most comprehensively equipped new luxury hotel Boston has seen in years.
Ultra-luxuryNew openingSpaBack Bay
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Best for CouplesBack Bay · Since 1925
T+L's #1 hotel in Boston (2025) and a CNT perennial — a quiet Back Bay boutique on Commonwealth Avenue where most rooms are suites with Italian marble bathrooms and canopy beds. UNI, the hotel's Japanese izakaya by chef Tony Messina, is named Boston's best restaurant and a James Beard semifinalist. More residential in feel than the larger Back Bay hotels; ideal for guests who want understated luxury with serious food built in.
BoutiqueCulinaryResidentialBack Bay
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Best LocationWaterfront · Harbor Views
Boston's only Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond waterfront hotel — the Boston Harbor Hotel occupies the landmark Rowes Wharf building whose 60-foot archway over the harbor is one of the city's most recognizable images. 232 rooms and suites with harbor or city views, a full spa with eucalyptus steam room, indoor lap pool, a marina, and direct water taxi access. The most distinctively Boston-located luxury hotel, and the strongest choice for guests who want the harbor at the center of their stay.
LuxuryWaterfrontFive-starHarbor
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Best DowntownBack Bay · Since 1912
A Back Bay landmark since 1912 — the Fairmont Copley Plaza faces directly onto Copley Square, with Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library as its immediate neighbors. Marble columns, gilded ceilings, and grand chandeliers in the lobby; the Oak Long Bar + Kitchen is a Boston institution. 383 rooms including the famously dog-friendly policy (the hotel mascot, Catie Copley, is a resident Labrador Retriever). The classic grand dame hotel that defines old Boston — a different character from anything else on the page.
Grand DameHistoricLandmarkBack Bay
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Best SpaBack Bay · Contemporary Luxury
A Forbes Five-Star hotel in the Prudential Center complex in the Back Bay — 148 rooms and suites with the strongest spa program of any hotel in Boston: a 16,000-square-foot facility with a warm plunge pool, quartz-crystal steam room, and a full menu of treatments. The location connects directly to the Shops at Prudential and gives immediate access to Newbury Street and the Back Bay neighborhood. A strong choice for guests prioritizing wellness and spa access alongside central Boston luxury.
LuxurySpaFive-starBack Bay
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Best Mid-RangeBack Bay · Since 1900
A family-owned Back Bay boutique since 1900 — The Lenox sits directly on the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street, with the Boston Public Library across the street. Many rooms have working wood-burning fireplaces; the Beaux-Arts building has been carefully maintained with eco-friendly amenities. The Judy Garland Suite pays homage to the performer who lived here in 1968. One of the few hotels in Boston with genuine family-ownership character and a century of continuous operation.
HistoricBoutiqueFamily-ownedBack Bay
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