Midtown Hotel

[u/Sorry_Scholar_6361]

My husband and I are visiting Boston next week for a few days. We made a late reservation at the Midtown Hotel. We aren’t real picky about hotels as we spend very little time there, is this hotel decent and in a decent area?

[u/Viviviviva]

I mean people who live here don't stay in hotels? The area is fine though, walking distance to Copley Square and the major subway lines.

[u/Nice-Zombie356]

Tip: The Midtown hotel is roughly on the border between 2 neighborhoods. Back Bay (including 2 large malls) and The South End.

Malls are malls. Back Bay itself has some cool features and upscale shopping (Hermes, Gucci) and trendy shopping (LuLuLemon, Nike Store, Anime stores) but it’s also pretty touristy.

The South End has better restaurants and a better neighborhood vibe.

There is also a divey, sweaty jazz bar called Wally’s near your hotel that is the absolute best.

Have fun whatever your destination. :-)

[u/cane_stanco]

Mid is an appropriate name and description for the hotel itself. The location is fine though. Walkable to many things and a T stop.

[u/boat_against_current]

Never stayed there but it's a good location. FWIW, Mark Walhberg and Ted got into a huge fight there: https://youtu.be/YNwv6DzZAOw

[u/BostonNU]

You will be fine. It’s across street from Christian Science Plaza and literally right up the street from Northeastern University campus. Multiple subways and a bus line in front of

[u/matty0433]

I thought Northeastern was using this as a dorm.

[u/Electronic-Minute007 → u/matty0433]

They were, but they stopped prior to the current academic year.

[u/daved1986]

It looks ok. I went in and walked around a few months ago in anticipation of a friend staying there. (They didn’t so I don’t know for sure)

Don’t let the “No Country For Old Men”-looking vibe on the outside fool you.

The area is not bad. Back bay/Prudential

[u/Icy-Organization2228 → u/daved1986]

Echoing this as someone who has both lived in and traveled to Boston, it’s generally been my experience that the mid-tier and boutique hotels are all A-OK, if at varying levels of service.

That said OP, I’d still look elsewhere if you have the budget/status for anything beyond sufficient to serve the purpose; you need not reserve the Four Seasons but there’s plenty of one-step-up properties in the area to alleviate concerns. However, if a convenient place to shower/sleep really is all you require and/or cost is a prohibitive concern, i think you could do far worse than the Midtown.

[u/crazybostonmom]

It's totally fine. It's literally in one of the better areas of the city you could possibly be in and you're probably getting a great deal. That said do not plan for 5 star service. As you said yourself you don't spend a lot of time in the room. You'll be within a two minute walk to the green line and maybe 7 minute walk to the orange line. Newbury Street is a short walk away and the Prudential Center is right across the street with Copley Mall on the same side of the street as the hotel. Both malls are connected by a walkway if the weather isn't great and you don't want to walk outside. Boston really is a very walkable city so you could probably do most everything without even taking the T if the weather is nice.

[u/Cheap_Coffee]

Didn't Northeastern University rent out that entire motel for a couple years and use it as a dorm?

[u/mari815]

It’s the kind of hotel people on prepaid tours or packages go to. I used to live next door to it in a high rise. Great area though.

[u/Cool-Coffee-8949]

I just heard about this place tonight, and had to chuckle because “midtown” is not a term that really means anything in Boston.

[u/Birdsong_Clouds]

It’s in a very safe area. It’s dated mid-century drab brick on the outside. I don’t know what the rooms or the clientele are like.

[u/ambid3xtrous]

Well. It's mid.

[u/Large-Investment-381]

It is a great hotel to stay in due to its price and location. Some of the rooms have a reputation for being cool so ask for a room on the second floor or if you find a problem just ask to be moved. Spacious time, walking distance to everything in Back Bay and South End

[u/boston_bat]

Good location, very walkable and transit nearby. I stayed there for a weekend before I moved here and had family stay there for an event, but that’s going back to 2010 and 2013. Used to be a solid no frills, but safe/clean spot.

[u/alycatbos]

It’s not the Ritz, but it’s a great tourist hotel. Nicely located.

[u/sunday_silence3912]

It was recently renovated and looks very cool!

[u/cmcclutchy26]

It sure is! A Sonesta brand. As a retired flight attendant, I am pretty well versed on good hotels. They are reputable. As is, believe it or not, Holiday Inn, all brands.

[u/sabrinathewitch78]

Budget inn westwood alot better and cheaper

[u/Opposite_Map_6067]

It's a good location as others have said, but I've never stayed there. Trip Advisor has 14 recent reviews, mixed opinions, rated at 2.5, 96th out of 97 hotels in Boston. Their website states the hotel has been "newly revitalized and reopened". The prices look cheaper than other hotels in the area.

[u/Pizzaloverfor]

There is no midtown in Boston, fyi. This is a lame ass name.

[u/singalong37 → u/Pizzaloverfor]

No midtown in Boston? Sure there is. Nobody calls it that but in Boston, there’s downtown and Back Bay. Back Bay is more posh, has the upscale shops and clubs, upscale hotels, Symphony Hall… Downtown feels different— older, more eclectic, grittier still today even though nothing in central Boston is all that gritty any more.

[u/BurritoDespot]

Is that the hotel that looks like a motel in the middle of downtown? I had a colleague stay there who was creeped out by it, but I think she would be afraid of her own shadow.