The Kendall Hotel — Hotel in Cambridge

We stayed at the Kendall Hotel for one week in July 2021. It is a nice, "boutique" hotel with an interesting old-time firehouse decoration theme (lots of dalmatian statues), comfortable well-maintained and clean rooms, and a superb location in the heart of Kendall Square, in the middle of all the tech giants and MIT, and less than 50 yds from the Kendall T station. The rate we got was very reasonable for the area. Our main criticism was with the curtailed service, which the hotel information said was to COVID safety. We understand some of the COVID safety precautions in place, but a lot of it really seemed to be cost-cutting rather than safety. The hotel charges a $19.95 per night "amenity fee" on top of the stated room rate. According to the website, this fee is supposed to cover a buffet continental breakfast, afternoon wine reception, 20% off entrees at the restaurant, and one bottled water per guest per day. We understand that the restaurant remains closed and the wine reception suspended due to COVID safety. What we did not expect was that the breakfast was very small and cheap (vendor packaged muffins and microwaveable pastry bars) -- you would get more choices and higher quality by walking to the 7-Eleven down Main St. Our first morning there were at least bananas and cut watermelon for fresh fruit. By our last morning the bananas and watermelon were gone, as was any cream cheese for the packaged bagels that replaced the muffins. Bottled water was also down to one bottle per guest for the entire stay, with additional bottles available at $3 each. What in the world does that have to do with COVID safety? If you stay 3 nights or less, there is no room cleaning. Because we stayed one week we got a single room cleaning. It has been known for some time that COVID does not really spread by surface contact, so cutting room cleanings just seems like an exercise to cut costs. Over breakfast we heard many guests say that as long as the hotel is cutting services in the name of COVID it should just eliminate the $19.95 amenities fee and not bother offering breakfast. It should also make its cost-cutting measures clear on its website, which still advertises all the services it used to...

I made a reservation via Expedia exactly four months prior at the Kendall for four nights. Immediately after my reservation is confirmed (signified by the email saying "your reservation is confirmed" in the subject line) I receive another email from the Kendall regarding their COVID policies. Perfect. They know I'm coming.

Today I receive a notice that my credit card is charged for the full amount of my stay by the Kendall.

Two hours after that notice I receive a message from the Kendall via Expedia that there was a "disconnect" between their systems and Expedia and that my reservation was never confirmed, and there were (of course) no rooms left. There was no mention of a refund.

Of course I call them immediately. No answer, but the automated message tells me to send a text. So I send a text. No reply for almost an hour, so I call back and finally get someone who says that yes...my reservation is cancelled and it's Expedia's fault.

I call Expedia, and after they contact the Kendall, they get the Kendall to admit that they had dropped the ball and had them initiate a refund (which I still haven't seen). I call the Kendall back and nobody there can tell me what is going on.

I could never get a straight answer.

Of course, that leaves me with 36 hours to find a hotel room for 4 nights in Boston in June. Good luck with that without taking out a second mortgage. I ended up spending three hours finding another hotel room for almost double the price of what the Kendall advertised originally.

So the bottom line here is Kendall is either engaged in bait-and-switch tactics, where they find that they can charge more for some rooms and cancel existing reservations to cash in, or they're negligent, or their staff is so poorly trained that your vacation can be vaporized in a blink of an eye with no explanation. There is no great answer here.

Either way, it's no way to run a business. Do YOU want to risk vacation time with your family to these people? Don't do what I did. Book somewhere else, save yourself the...

I have been a loyal guest at the Kendall Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts for ten years, staying there whenever I am town for meetings at MIT. The hotel's location is perfect if you're in town for MIT, and is also a short walk to the Cambridge offices of Google, Microsoft, and other tech and pharma leaders. The Kendall has a storied past, built as the Victorian-era Engine 7 Firehouse in 1894 and converted into a hotel beginning in 1999, an ambitious project that moved the original firehouse toward Main Street and built a seven-story tower behind it. The Kendall has been a member of Historic Hotels of America since 2004, and is listed on the organization's Top 25 Best of Adaptive Reuse list for 2025 and prior years. Today the hotel offers over 80 well-appointed, modern, and comfortable guest rooms. I have always found the staff to be friendly, welcoming, and professional. WiFi service is consistently fast and reliable. Be on the lookout for the planned reopening of the Kendall's restaurant, Black Sheep, which closed during COVID but is slated to reopen in early 2026. The restaurant was a nice feature of the hotel, and I'm confident that it will resume offering outstanding cuisine and beverages when it reopens. For now, room reservations at the Kendall include an excellent Fireman's breakfast buffet, open every morning from 7:00 am...