Review: Boston Marriott Copley Place

While visiting family and fellow Frugal Flyer writer Danny in New York City, I decided to do a small side trip to Boston. Taking the train with some of my family, we wanted to stay somewhere close to the metro system and Amtrak. Ultimately, the Boston Marriott Copley Place was chosen for its close proximity to transportation services and shopping areas.

Booking & Check-in

Convenience was the most crucial factor in looking for a hotel in Boston for my trip. There are many properties around the city’s central area, including 4 Marriott Bonvoy properties in the Back Bay area alone. Knowing that Boston is a popular college town with many different conventions and events hosted in the city, prices were expected to be higher, especially with the unfavourable Canadian to US Dollar exchange rate.

After a 2 hour delay resulting from our Amtrak Northeast Corridor train breaking down, requiring us to transfer to another train, we were really glad that the hotel was close to our disembarkment, Back Bay Station. Walking through Copley Place to get to the property, the entrance for the hotel was only a short 5 minute walk from the train station exit.

At check in, there were many desk agents interacting with guests coming in. Although there was a dedicated elite check-in desk, there were no lines because of all the staff on hand. There was also a medical convention being hosted at the property at the time of my stay, which didn’t hamper anything either. 
I requested a 3:00 PM late checkout which was approved with my Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status. Listen to the Miles Ahead podcast to learn how the team at Frugal Flyer are able to fast track themselves to Titanium Elite Status!

A $30 USD destination fee was charged for all bookings, which was offset by a $30 per night hotel food & beverage credit as well as a pair of tickets to the View Boston observation deck in the Prudential Center next door. Valued between $25-$29 per ticket for general admission, this experience makes up more than the destination fee without having to spend money for any of the hotel’s food. Since I would likely be coming back to Boston, I gave both tickets to my parents who went around sunset.

The destination fee information card also listed access to a self-guided tour around Boston, with a few different variations of the tours available. I didn’t take advantage of the tour but it does seem like a fun activity for families or couples. 

Location

Getting from Boston Logan airport, the easiest way would be taking the Back Bay express, which stops at all terminals. The trip from the airport to Back Bay station is free and only a $3 fare for trips going to the airport. Additionally, if you choose this express bus option, you can also request a “ticket to skip” which is a pass that lets passengers skip to the front of the TSA line. 

Taking transit around Boston was also very convenient as well since the other end of Copley Place was the entrance to the Orange Line subway and commuter rail or Amtrak station. The Orange Line stops at Chinatown and also connects with the Red Line which has stops at the prestigious institutions of Harvard and MIT. Walking a few minutes from the hotel, you can also get to the confusing Green Line subway or light rail system, which has multiple destinations on the same line. The Green Line can take you to other major attractions like Fenway Park which is only two stops away.

Copley Place Mall, which the hotel is located in, hosts a variety of designer retail stores. Across the street through an indoor passageway you can find the Prudential Center. During commute hours, both malls are extremely busy with office workers getting to work. 

At street level, there are other activities and shopping areas you can get to. Boston’s Central public library branch is right across the street, which has a very interesting courtyard, a couple of tea rooms and interesting architecture. Newbury Street is also nearby, where you can find more upscale retailers and asian restaurants and shops like Uniqlo and MUJI.

Parking

On-site valet parking is available for $75 a day if you choose to drive. Self parking is available in the Copley Place parking lot, with evening rates as low as $10 for entries after 5:00 PM and exits before 8:00 AM the next day. Parking between 2-12 hours will cost $44 and $45 for 12-24 hours. The entrance to the mall parkade is located right beside the hotel entrance on Huntingdon Avenue.

Room – 2 Queen, Charles River View

The room is quite standard for a two queen room. The property completed a renovation that ended in 2023 so many of the amenities and bedding look relatively new and modern. It definitely makes a difference when power plugs and charging is a lot more accessible, in comparison to an older Marriott property I stayed at a few weeks prior to this trip.

The bathroom was quite standard, with nothing special nor grand about special features.

The closet is right beside the door as you would expect, with the ironing equipment, safe, minifridge, and coffee maker inside.

The workstation was small, but adequate for getting work done.

The small lounge chair offered good views of the surrounding Back Bay area, with the Charles River behind some of the buildings in the foreground.

Restaurants & Bars

Yard House

With a $30 food and beverage credit, we decided to eat at the hotel’s onsite restaurant after an exhausting day of Amtrak problems. Prior to eating, all the staff we’ve interacted with, from the front desk, the M Club Lounge, and Housekeeping were all very friendly and approachable. The hosts leading us to our table were also very friendly but the server, not so much. 

We weren’t ordering much, just a pizza and a penne between 3 people. I’m not sure if it was because we were using the food credit from the mandatory destination fee or just having a smaller order that made the server sigh and roll her eyes every time she got back to our table. She didn’t bring any of the utensils or dining cloths when our food arrived. At the end when she gave me my bill, it wasn’t put into a checkbook, just the receipt with a pen whereas other tables behind us got actual checkbooks. 

Obviously, this might just be an exceptional scenario but we were a little flustered by this so we chose not to eat at the restaurant the next night. The Carnivore Pizza and Fontina Vodka Penne were delicious so no complaints about the food.

M Club Lounge – Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Complimentary Breakfast

The M Club Lounge had two meal and snack services during the day, breakfast from 6:30 am to 10:00 am on weekdays and 10:30 am on weekends, and hors d’oeuvres from 5:30 to 7:30 pm daily. Accessing the lounge with my Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, names or rooms were marked off the list in the morning while no door person was checking for the evening service. Hot food and a variety of bakery items were available during breakfast.

For the evening hors d’oeuvres, perogies and empanadas were featured in the hot food stations while charcuterie was available in the cold area.

The M Club at the Boston Marriott Copley Place is larger and more open than some of the properties I’ve stayed at, but that also meant that it was busier than the others. Compared to the other lounges I’ve been in, at times I would be the only one inside with the staff. At this one, there were usually at least 2 or 3 people spread around the lounge. Though, this is still a stark contrast to what you would see at the airport, with overcrowded United or Delta Sky Clubs.

With a variety of seating arrangements, this M Club can cater to people who just want a quiet place to read or do work in the reading room/library, or for larger groups like families and colleagues needing a place to discuss business. The lounge is packed whenever there’s a large event, like sports fans going to ball games at nearby Fenway Park or families attending events at one of Boston’s world renowned institutes such as Harvard and MIT.

Facilities

Fitness Center

Plenty of fitness equipment were available, which made sense for a hotel of this size. It was busy at various times of day so it was rare to find just yourself in the fitness area.

Indoor Pool

On the other hand, the indoor pool was always quiet.  Though those in the fitness centre will be able to look inside from the windows that lead into the swimming pool area.

FedEx Office

This was my first time staying at a hotel with a FedEx shipping office on-property. I could imagine with the number of office buildings and business in the area, that this office is highly used. To me it was a little unusual that FedEx was inside the hotel between elevators and not in the mall area.

Gift Shop

There was a small little gift shop on the second floor of the property close to the elevators. A variety of Boston and Harvard themed merchandise were available for purchase.

Conclusion

The Boston Marriott Copley Place was a fantastic place to stay for me and my parents, complimenting our visit to Beantown. Their first time in Boston, they were happy about the stay, especially with the friendly staff and various on-site amenities. Although the restaurant experience left a sour taste in our mouths, the overall experience was great. I would definitely recommend staying at this property if you value convenience to transportation services as well as shopping areas.