What it is

Seconds from Boston Common, with 238 sleek rooms, a Bliss spa and a buzzing nightlife scene.

What it isn't

Super kid obsessed. We’d leave the rugrats at home for this one.

What we think

Boston has a largely undeserved reputation for stodginess. With the whizzes of MIT and Harvard pushing boundaries on every corner, how could it be stodgy? Sure, stuff happened here a few hundred years ago, but that doesn’t mean other stuff’s not happening now. Enter W Boston, which is innovating in all the right ways. The Mezzanine is an art gallery curated by local Jules Place gallery; you’ll find comped wine each Tuesday during cocktail hours with the W Insider concierge; and there are DJs spinning into the wee hours at the W Lounge, where a mod central fireplace flickers so beguilingly it could be a contestant on The Bachelor. Most importantly, the property has a firm “Whatever you want, whenever you want it” policy—which means, yes, the guest is always right.

You're here because

You’ve been trying (trying) to stay in shape on vacay, and the W Boston has a glitzy 1,400-square-foot FIT Gym on-site. The elliptical is so much easier when you know you’ll be sipping a gratis infused Bevi sparkling water as soon as you hop off.

The Moment

Locavores head to The Gallery restaurant from across Boston for Chef Derek Barragan’s latin inspired menu, and once try your duckfat cotija fries and hatch chile Maine lobster mac and cheese, you know why. Comfort food doesn’t get any more comforting than this. It's like edible sweatpants.

Restaurants & Bars

- Market by Jean-Georges featuring farm to table cuisine.

Lobby Bar/Lounge

Location

In downtown Beantown’s theater district, just a couple blocks from Boston Common and two miles from Paul Revere’s House at 19 North Square. The entire downtown is walkable, but it’s worth taking the T to Cambridge for a whirl around campus.