Unscripted honest hospitality comes alive at the urban-luxe Hotel Commonwealth. The hotel offers 245 oversized guest rooms and suites with effortless access to all that Boston has to offer. Fenway Park is just steps from the hotel entrance with Boston University across the street. You will find this the ideal locale for business or pleasure just minutes from anywhere you need to be in the city.
"I spent Christmas and New Year's at this hotel. I spent some time and effort finding a suitable hotel beforehand, but it was definitely worth it. It was not only clean and tidy, but also incredibly cost-effective.
First, let's talk about the location. For tourism, Boston's area isn't very large, so the most important thing when choosing a hotel is considering both price and transportation convenience. There's a tram stop right in front of the hotel (the photo was taken from across the street; the dark-roofed building behind the tram stop is the hotel). To the left of the hotel is the Kenmore subway station, which connects the Green, B, C, and D lines (you can see it marked ”Green line - all lines” in the photo). It's very convenient to get to attractions, the airport, and Chinatown. Even Newbury Street is only about 1 kilometer away. There aren't any large supermarkets nearby, but there's a 7-Eleven next door with fruit, bread, sandwiches, instant noodles, etc., which is sufficient for basic needs. While there aren't many restaurants nearby, if you're craving lobster rolls, there's supposedly the popular Row34 right next to the hotel (unfortunately, it was closed for the holidays). Across the street is a Japanese restaurant called Nagomi Izakaya; I once got $18 worth of salmon fried rice to take back to the hotel – it was piping hot and delicious.
Now, let's talk about the essentials for Chinese travelers. Want hot water? There's an electric kettle in the room. Need free drinking water? Two bottles of water are provided upon check-in (the bottles are lightweight stainless steel and even marked as the official hotel of the Boston Red Sox). The hotel lobby offers free drinking water, coffee, sparkling water, and tea, including tea bags and paper cups, from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM, which you can take back to your room. Want to reheat food from the refrigerator? You can request a microwave in your room upon check-in, and even toothbrushes can be provided (toothpaste and slippers are not available). Crucially, all of these are free! Also, the room is huge; we had two suitcases fully extended without any problem moving around. The bathroom was spacious and equipped with hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel. Hot water was plentiful, and the drainage was excellent. The room photos on Ctrip were exactly what you'd expect.
There was one minor flaw in the facilities: the shower was overhead, and the glass door lacked a sealing strip. A little water from the showerhead would spill slightly through the gaps, but not excessively. We solved this by covering the showerhead with a lightweight, compressed disposable face towel we brought, allowing the water to pool.
Now, let's talk about the key hotel service. Before our trip, we emailed Stephanie to confirm various details, and she responded very quickly, thoughtfully noting all our check-in requirements. On check-in day, we were greeted at the front desk by a tall, handsome young man named Kelvin, who was very friendly. He gave us Christmas chocolates and cookies and even reminded us that we could refill our water in the lobby the next morning. The day before we left, Boston was swept by strong winds. The weather forecast predicted -6°C, but it felt like -16°C 🥶. Boston winter combined with strong winds made walking on the streets truly chilly. Since our return flight was in the evening, and hotel check-out was at noon, and it was too cold to go outside, we tried to apply for a free late check-out at the front desk. After hearing our flight time, the lovely, chubby male receptionist immediately extended our check-out to 2 PM, explaining that it would have been charged if we had stayed until 3 PM. Encountering such a hotel and service while traveling was incredibly pleasant, and I highly recommend it!
Finally, let me share my impressions of the city. From a tourist's perspective, aside from the extremely cold winter weather, Boston is truly a wonderful city. Its beauty stems not only from its renowned universities and academic atmosphere, but also from the cleanliness and orderliness you feel even when you walk along the city's first subway line, which dates back to 1897. When you enter the century-old Museum of Fine Arts and see large Chinese characters and maps in various languages, including Chinese, on the visitor center wall, you can feel the city's pride and warmth. When you can stroll through the century-old streets and buildings while sipping bubble tea, you can experience the wonderful fusion of history and modernity. In Boston's winter, it gets dark before 5 pm, and after you've had your fill of sightseeing, shopping, and dining, you can feel the friendliness and sense of security the city offers to travelers on your way home or in the car."