Battery Wharf Hotel Boston Waterfront — Hotel in Boston

UPDATE 12/12/24: Beware: I had a charge for $115+ on my card today. When I called and asked what it was for, they said it was for taxes and fees not charged at the time of booking. I asked at check in if there were other fees I should be aware of and he said "No, no, not unless you charge food to your room".

12/11/2024 I think I have a complicated relationship with this hotel. You simply cannot beat the view we had from our room - a Premium King Waterview Room all the way at the end of the Wharf with views of the sunrise over the harbor - just wonderful! The staff here are very friendly and welcoming too.

Now, on to a couple issues I had with my stay here.

1.) Our first evening there, we were looking for an ice machine to fill the provided ice bucket in our room. We walked up up and down the hall, but the only thing we found was another woman looking for the same. I had been to hotels before that had ice on every other floor for example. We had a staircase right across from our room, so I took the stairs. The door slammed behind me. I went up, an industrial metal gate blocked access. I went down, the door was locked. I went back to my floor, the door was locked. I had no phone or room key on me; I see one more door labeled "EXIT" so I threw caution to the wind and pressed it open to find myself outside. on the opposite side of the building. In slippers and satin pajamas, in 20 degrees. I walked around the building, entered and asked the front desk where the ice was. I explained what happened and she was apologetic and said the stairs are not for accessing other floors, they are emergency use only. I asked for a liner bag for the ice bucket and she said she didn't think they had any; then went into a back room and grabbed me 3 hotel room trash bags. She then said the ice machine is in a housekeeping closet behind an unmarked door. Obviously there was a theme to doors without signage...the steps simply said "Stairs", no warning that there is no exit, no "emergency only" signage, etc. This was hands down the most odd and uncomfortable hotel experience I've ever had.

2.) They have complimentary infused lemon water and coffee in the lobby for people when they check in, but it is not available in the mornings. I am opposed to using a machine in the room due to stories I've read about people urinating in them. My husband was charged $6 per coffee when requested from their bar area in the lobby on the first morning, but then received them for free the following morning so not sure which was correct.

3.) Cleanliness at arrival was questionable at best; water spots on the bathroom vanity, no bath mat, no spare roll of toilet paper, the sink was not clean. HOWEVER, Day 2 housekeeper knocked it out of the park! The room itself needs to be updated; the rusty water stains around the shower tiling at the bottom and soap scum, etc are very unappealing. There were just a lot of inconsistencies all-around.

4.) Maybe the single most disappointing thing about this hotel is that rooms do not have a mini fridge or microwave -- there is a spot for it in the furniture, but nothing there. Now, in their defense, I DID know this from reading prior reviews; but, it still feels like a pretty big let-down for a property that claims to be a 4.5 star hotel. This is a tourist/foodies destination, but you have to constantly be aware of what you are ordering when eating out as to not have leftovers, or be willing to waste (expensive) food.

5.) Overall, this place needs TLC and updates. You have a PRIME location in a wonderful, safe, romantic, family-friendly neighborhood, and you advertise as a 4.5 star hotel; add fridges to the rooms, make sure your housekeeping is consistent, offer complimentary water and coffee in the lobby for visitors, and make sure the common areas are kept clean as these are your first impression.

All this being said, we would visit again if the nightly rate was priced right to reflect the above. Again, those views make up for a lot of the other...

Overall: As is, I would not recommend this hotel.

My mother and I recently stayed at the Battery Wharf for four nights.

Parking: They offer valet parking for $50/night. This is your only option unless you want to park a few blocks away and walk with all of your luggage. The valet was actually very convenient and the mobile app was very user friendly.

Battery Wharf Grill: Very friendly staff. Food was delicious but pricey.

The main areas of the hotel were very nice. The lobby was beautiful and the font desk staff were friendly.

Room (The Harbor View Suite): We were less than thrilled compared to the price we paid. Great size and the spectacular views. The door was pealing and the furniture had many water stains and scratches. One of the robe hooks was missing and the bathroom fan did not work. The king bed was worn, had visible indentions of excessive wear and was not comfortable. The front desk did not have any type of mattress pad so we purchased one from WalMart. Since we flew to Boston, there was no way for us to bring the mattress pad home with us, so I really hope the future guests enjoy our $100 donation to the Harbor View Suite.

The room had a coffee maker, tea kettle and mini fridge; however, the freezer part would not freeze. No microwave. We joked that even cheap motels have a microwave. We were later told (by another guest) that we could have requested one. We also had to search for the ice machine, finally found in an unmarked room/linen closet.

On our 2nd day, the AC in our bedroom quit working. Maintenance came and said they couldn’t fix it until we left. The living room had a separate AC unit, so we asked the front desk for two fans to hopefully circulate the cool air. They delivered one fan.

We asked if we could change rooms and were offered a room, same size but not on the water, and in another building. Ok. So now we are weighing our options. Changing rooms meant packing up all of our things, dragging our luggage along with a king size memory foam mattress pad through the hotel, across the street to another building that does not even face the water. The more we thought of this, the more upset I became. Neither sounded like good options to me. I did not want to stay and be hot and I didn’t want the hassle and embarrassment of moving all our stuff, including the mattress pad. We ultimately choose to stay in our hot room and just deal with our one fan.

BTW, if your room wasn’t in the main building, you had to use your key card to get into the door and onto the elevator. Again, no one told us. We were just expected to know where everything was and how to get around. “We are here to check-in… Ok, here’s your key, enjoy your stay” nothing else.

The hotel staff were sympathetic and were constantly apologizing. They said they were making notes for the manager and that the manager would contact me. On our last night, and after not heard anything from the manager, I went to the front desk and asked to speak with the manager. The manager informed me that she had just gotten there and wasn’t aware. I was a little concerned that the staff kept telling me how they were leaving notes for the manager and talking to a manager; however, she was completely unaware. She was honest in saying that she had not had a chance to read the logs and it’s possible notes were in there.

The manager was very nice and apologetic and offered to waive the fees and one night’s stay. Since we booked it through a third party, they couldn’t refund us the money. I would need to get the refund from the third party. Over two weeks later and several calls back and forth from the third party and the Battery Wharf, we finally...

There's some good and some bad to this hotel. Let's start with the good: The rooms are spacious, as are the bathrooms and walk-in showers. Beds and showers are OK. We also had a bathrobe in our room (just one, needed to ask for a second but that was quickly fixed). A highly recommend to go for a room with a harbor view. Seeing the ships sail in and out of the harbor was a big plus. That's also a way to benefit from the hotel's location. If you don't have the views, the hotel's location isn't that good in my opinion.

So far so good. Now a small minus: there's no fridge in the room. You can ask for one, we did exactly that. It was quickly delivered but then you end up with an ugly fridge in clear sight somewhere in the middle of the room. OK, no big deal but not what you expect from a 4* hotel. It reminded me of how Courtyard Marriott's handled this a few years ago. I think for the rate you're paying here they should be able to do better. Second point of improvement: Check-in/Check-out The hotel is part of the Preferred Hotels Group. There was no elite recognition (had to pass by the reception a second time to ask for welcome amenity etc). Also, it would be better if you get information on hotel amenities and restaurant opening hours etc during check-in. We now accidentally heard how another couple went to the sauna, if we had not caught this, we would not have known that there was a sauna 6 days later at check-out.

Then a big minus: No night light, reading light, nothing of that kind at the bed. Just the main light of the room. I think this may well be a first for me in a hotel. I really missed this as I tend to read a little after my wife retires. Because I saw how rooms pictured on the website do have this I asked for it at the reception but got this rather basic answer: "Yes sir, so sorry, is there anything else I can do for you".

A little more on the hotel's location: Really good if you can enjoy the harbor views. Not so good if you prefer to be close to public transit. Closest bus stop or metro station is a 10 minute walk. It's an enjoyable walk, you can opt to walk to the aquarium along the wateredge or to Haymarket, through Hanover St, a street lined with Italian restaurants. So, all in all OK, but I would go for an Uber or taxi if you have luggage with you.

Restaurants: Boston's North End is also Little Italy. This is heaven if you love Italian food. If you want to eat something else you will have to walk a little further. We absolutely loved the Boston Sail Loft, a seafood restaurant near the aquarium. (10 min walk) We also had dinner once at Night Shift Brewing, a craft brewery that serves pizza, burgers, salads etc. (about a 12 min walk along commercial street in the opposite direction) There're also several options near the Haymarket metro stop (several bars selling food, food stalls in the Boston Public Market and Quincy Market)

Breakfast: There're some places offering bfast in Hannover St. and Salem St. but not many.

Would I return, probably not. The hotel isn't bad but it's not worth the $450+ rate...