The Godfrey Hotel Boston — Hotel in Boston

EXCELLENT hotel. Sparkling clean, modern, updated, visually pleasing. The hotel has kept many of the architectural details of the original building, like the staircase and the elevator alcove, but the decor and furnishings have been brought up to date in a very pleasing way. The modern and the old really work together well in this hotel - whoever designed it was very thoughtful about that.

The cost of the hotel was a bit on the pricey side (I think maybe $200 per night, and there's an additional "resort fee" of $40 added to each night's stay for the amenities), but you have to think of the quality and location.

The LOCATION! Central to EVERYTHING Boston. Back Bay is across the park, Government Center and the Harbor are within 10 minutes, Theatre District is within spitting distance, Chinatown is 5 minutes walking, Seaport is maybe 15 minutes, Aquarium is 15 minutes. The T can get you everywhere else within 20 minutes. And you're right in the heart of the Downtown Crossing hustle and bustle (although that does come with a generous helping of people drunkenly shouting in the wee hours, police sirens whooping frequently, and street musicians soulfully playing their tunes...but that's all comforting to me as an ex-Bostonian)! Spectacular location.

The rooms were quite spacious, and again, wonderfully clean and pristine. I think this is one of the cleanest hotels I've ever stayed in, in any city. The housekeeping staff were bustling around every time I came out of my room, and it shows. Everything smells fresh, too. Towels and linens are good quality. Keep in mind that if you want your room serviced, you need to ask the concierge first thing in the morning for housekeeping, so they can add you to the list (not sure if that's due to staffing shortage in the pandemic, but it was only a minor inconvenience).

There was a slight hiccup when I requested it in the morning, but housekeeping hadn't come by the time we got back in the evening. However, that was swiftly rectified once I called down to the desk. Staff immediately brought up fresh towels, toiletries, and emptied our trash in a wink. And they discounted us a day's worth of resort fees and apologized for the inconvenience, AND made sure they had us properly squared away with housekeeping the first thing on the following day. That was excellent mitigation and service on their part, and redeemed them completely.

The beds were a bit soft for a couple of us, but we all slept solidly regardless, after walking around Boston all day.

Special shout-out to the valets, who were attentive, helpful, friendly, and always smiling and chill. Valets may not always be aware of it, but they are highly important as the first representatives of a hotel you encounter. And these guys made the first impression an outstanding one.

Excellent stay, highly...

EDIT: the hotel proactively reached out after I wrote my initial review and reversed the urban fee charge to my credit card "as a one time courtesy." I appreciate the responsiveness and have changed my review to five stars to reflect this. I no longer feel resentful. Thank you.

My family and I stayed for a couple of weeks earlier this summer. I'm conflicted about this review.

Positives: The hotel and the room were consistently clean. Staff were all friendly, helpful, and accommodating. The location next to the Boston Common and close to all the subway lines is ideal. There are plenty of great restaurants and destinations within walking distance.

Neutral points: Room was OK. I thought my corner room which was more expensive would be nicer and larger. But this isn't a showstopper. It was fine.

Negatives can be summed up in one point: There was a surprise daily 'urban fee' of $42, ostensibly for the following services: • Gym (a small but clean gym in the basement floor) • Wifi service in the room and around the hotel • Having bikes available for free rent • Free snacks in the room (packaged chips and cookies) • Vouchers for free drinks at the hotel bar in the lobby • There may have been other minor things included like discount vouchers, but these are the main things included in the daily fee.

The thing is, all of these are either things that I would expect to be included in the standard hotel fare (like a gym or wifi), or things that are effectively independent of my hotel stay that I should be able to purchase or not by my own volition. As it happens, I don't drink. I didn't ride the bikes once. I was not interested in any of the snacks the hotel provides. So, everyday I would pick up the unwanted new snacks that would magically reappear daily in the room and offer them to the first homeless person I walk by in one of the nearby streets (they were very grateful and appreciative of receiving these snacks. A silver-lining I suppose).

Why am I paying $42 daily over and above my daily rate for services that should either be included or for things that I don't even want?! Frankly I felt swindled and the feeling of resentment just built up every day.

In the hotel's defense, they said that the fee was expressly mentioned when I made the booking online. I don't remember this. But I have also never seen this type of set-up before. The hotel rate advertised and booked is the rate I pay. That's standard practice and it's not too much to ask.

So overall, the experience at the hotel was fine but I left with a sense of resentment for being disingenuously forced to pay an extra $42 daily. Frankly if this was transparently included in the room fare and I had chosen to book it I wouldn't have...

The Godfrey is a wonderful hotel. If you are into walking, you are an easy walk to Chinatown with lots of food options, the Boston Commons is just around the block, The Boston Tea Party Museum was fairly close, and you are at the downtown crossing area. A theater and an opera house (soon with a Hamilton performance) is just a few yards away. The Brattel book shop is just around the corner on West Street for those looking for rare books, vintage books, emphemora or just second hand books in general. The hotel is an easy Uber ride from the airport or you can take the silver line bus to the south station (end of the line) and then you are already in the system to take the red line subway one stop to get to the Godfrey hotel. There was no charge for the silver line bus ride, so it didn't cost anything. it's practical provided you are not bringing along a lot of luggage. There are a few things to consider when staying here. All guests pay an Urban fee of about $40 per night. In the room, you have a tray of snacks and you have a couple of types of water. It's all included in that fee (so eat the snacks they are restocked). Polariod cameras are available. We did not use the bikes, but I believe that they are included provided they have some available. They are located in the lobby and the rack was always fully stocked (nobody seemed to be using them). The Urban fee to my understanding is also to promote tourism in the city. So, eat the snacks, drink the water, if you get a bottle of wine drink it (we heard about it from a friend, but we did not get one) and ride the bikes because you are paying for it one way or another. :-) There are other things available with the Urban fee as well, so read up on it ahead of time. The room was in great shape and very comfortable. There were a couple of things to consider. I have sleep apnea and the pillows felt like my head just hit the bed. I believe that they were down pillows. I did not ask the hotel staff to see if there were other pillows available, so that's my fault. I just improvised. You might ask them ahead of time if they have something firmer. There is a coffee shop at the hotel and a couple of others nearby, not to mention coffee maker in the room, so you are covered there. There are so many things that are easy to get to by walking, bus or subway to mention. Staff was always friendly and nice. Housekeepers do a great job...