This New Boston Hotel Has Beautiful Park Views and Truly Thoughtful Amenities — Here's What My Stay Was Like

I arrived at night, so I missed it at first. But in the morning, there it was, just outside my window: the elm trees, still bursting into orange and yellow even in mid-November, and an expanse of green lawn, crisscrossed with walking paths. I was looking at the Boston Public Garden, established in 1837 and designed by George F. Meacham. It was a moment of exhale, a visual pause.

I found more of that serenity downstairs, in the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel Boston, which was recently redone to reflect its leafy neighbor just across Bolyston Street. There are shades of green and botanical touches throughout the hotel, but I found the most stunning example to be the impressionistic mural — depicting the Public Garden's flora and fauna — behind the reception desk.

The property which originally debuted in 1985, reopened this past spring with completely refurbished public spaces and a new restaurant (the rooms were also redone in 2019). To pull it off, the brand tapped celebrity interior designer Ken Fulk — responsible for Miami's Goodtime Hotel (co-owned by Pharell Williams) and Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection, in Austin, Texas, among others.

Fulk, who lived nearby in his 20s, was inspired by the neighborhood's history and Victorian architecture, and wanted the hotel to feel like a Back Bay home. He started by breaking up the formerly cavernous black-marble lobby into living-room sized spaces. Fulk also incorporated archways and other visual cues, like a snappy black-and-white tile floor, to lead the eye.

That means when you walk into the lobby, you're enveloped into a warm and social space, with little nooks for reading or catching up over coffee. If you look right, you'll see a fabulous bar, Coterie. To your left is a library-style sitting area and café, Sottovento.

Even as a solo adult traveler, I also found the hotel to be a wonderful place for families. Here's everything you need to know about the recently renovated Four Seasons Hotel Boston.

The Rooms

The property has 273 guest rooms, including 77 suites. My fifth-floor Executive suite looked right out onto the Public Garden and had a spacious sitting area and gorgeous marble bathroom.

Garden and State suites have even more views, with wraparound bay windows, wet bars, and views of the gold-topped Boston State House.

Food and Drink

I loved the convenience of a complimentary coffee at the lobby-level Sottovento in the morning. There, pastries, yogurt, fruit, and juice are also available for purchase. Guests can also visit the second-floor Aujourd’Hui for a heartier breakfast.

I also stopped in for dinner at Coterie, the property's signature bar and restaurant, which serves brassiere dishes (steak tartare; French onion soup) alongside New England classics, like baked crab cake and lobster pot pie. My favorite part of the meal might have been the complimentary spiced nuts and olives, the perfect pairing to the gin martini I ordered.

Experiences and Amenities

At last, mini-bar snacks without sticker shock. At Four Seasons Boston, each guest floor has a complimentary pantry called "The Vault," stocked with M&Ms, chips, jellybeans, Swedish fish, nuts, and sparkling water (in all kinds of fruit flavors).

I found this to be a genuinely thoughtful touch, and appreciated being able to grab and go, or leave something in my room for a late-night treat. Each floor's vault also has a unique design — like a space theme, or historical figures.

There's also a heated lap pool and jacuzzi, as well as a 24-hour fitness center. In the warmer months, The Sanctuary — a sixth-floor enclosed terrace — is an oasis from the city. Guests can order snacks and drinks from a red telephone booth and have them delivered.

Family-friendly Offerings

For children, memorable moments begin right on arrival. The hotel offers every child a "VIK" (Very Important Kid") check-in experience — careful observers will notice that, hidden in the mural behind the reception desk, is a small swan holding a key. When families check in, a staff member presents the child with the key, which opens a secret closet behind the desk.

The little ones can select a gift from a room full of fun vintage toys, like rubber ducks, Slinkys, or spinning tops (there are also seasonal toys for Halloween, Christmas, and Easter), plus coloring books and Crayons, dinosaur figurines, and more.

Four Seasons Boston also offers college tours with their "Students in the City" program — families can have a private guide from Cambridge Historical Tours take them on personalized campus and neighborhood tours of Harvard, Boston University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Boston College, among others. The tours specifically make use of Boston's subway system, "the T," so prospective students can get a feel for the Boston area's many college neighborhoods, like Fenway in the heart of the city, and Kendall Square and Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Accessibility and Sustainability

The hotel has five types of accessible rooms, with features like wheelchair-accessible doors, lowered light switches, lowered peepholes, roll-in showers and grab bars, and shower seats. Braille signage is available throughout the hotel, and a deaf accommodation room features a doorbell activation of flashing lights. 

Location

Four Seasons Hotel Boston is across the street from the Boston Public Garden and the Boston Common. The property is just blocks from the shops and restaurants of Back Bay and Beacon Hill, and is also close to the Charles River.

Finding the Best Value

Boston is beautiful to visit in every season, so don't let the New England winters scare you away. Personally, I think the shoulder season of early spring (late March-April) or late fall (November) are the ideal times to visit. With fewer crowds, you can actually see that Museum of Fine Arts exhibit, catch an early Red Sox or Celtics game, or walk the entire freedom trail without running into school trips. Nightly room rates at the Four Seasons Hotel Boston begin at $995.