Doyle Collection is a small Irish chain of hotels which owns some excellent properties across Ireland, UK and the US. I've not had the opportunity to actually stay in any of their hotels previously but they've always been on my list of hotels to try. So it was with some enthusiasm, I looked forward to my stay in Boston at The Back Bay Hotel.
The hotel is only a couple of blocks from Back Bay station and is easy to find. We could easily walk down to the hotel from the station with our luggage after our 7 hour train journey from Washington DC. The hotel is housed in the old Boston Police Headquarters. The building is quite impressive architecture-wise and looks more spectacular at night. There were two door men posted at the entrance and neither of them offered to hold the door open for us as we walked in with our luggage. The ground floor lift takes you to the reception one level higher and here too, I could not sight a bell boy who could help us with our bags. In fact, during our entire stay there was not a single occasion we were welcomed back with a greeting or even so much as a polite smile by the hotel staff. Check-in was efficient and as per request, we were given a room on the 8th floor of the 10 storey hotel.
The room was of decent size and the fluffy bed was quite comfortable. We had a street view from our room but it was snowing the entire 4 days we were there so I cannot really complain about the view. The room decor is of a standard business hotel and in fact, offers some redundant amenities like a CD player (an Ipod docking station would have been more useful) and a Nespresso machine whose coffee capsules were replenished only once daily. The thrift of the hotel management was evident in other aspects too. The spacious bathroom had a nice shower cubicle but no soap or shower gel for bathing! There was only one soap bar kept in the hand wash area so you pretty much had one soap for all your bathroom activities. I'd much rather they downgraded the toiletries brand from Bath and Body Works to a cheaper option but provided more quantity.
On our first day in the hotel, we ordered a Margarita pizza through room service and it was very average. Breakfast was not included in our room rate and the pizza quality sealed the deal for us to not have breakfast in the hotel. Cuffs - the hotel's Irish bar seemed to be a popular hangout and we visited it one evening. For close to twenty minutes, no one came around to take our order so we walked up to the bar to place it ourselves. Just as we were grabbing our drinks, a rushed waitress dropped by to ask what would we like. Huh? On informing her our order was already placed, she left with a grumpy face muttering something under her breath (a missed tip I guess). In keeping with our overall experience thus far, the poor service was consistent at Cuffs as well.
On the positive side, the hotel has a very efficient concierge service. The lady concierge in charge was not very good at suggesting itineraries but was extremely efficient in booking what you had already decided on. She booked our Duck Tour tickets, guided us to some good restaurants around the hotel and to our great surprise, suggested just the place where my husband could load up on all his graphic novels (Million Year Picnic in Cambridge is just fantastic). We often remarked how out of place she seemed to be in an establishment where cold behaviour and rudeness seemed to be pre-requisites for landing a job!
On the location front, it is hard to find fault with The Back Bay Hotel. As I mentioned, it is couple of blocks away from Back Bay station and is also a short walk to Arlington T station. The shops on Newbury Street, Boyleston Street and Copley Place are all a comfortable walk away.
As of February 2013, the Back Bay Hotel has ceased to be a Doyle collection hotel and has been acquired by Loews Hotels and Resorts. I really hope they can spruce up the hotel in all aspects - from the physical to the personnel. It is a pity to see such a wonderful hotel being undone by its incompetent staff. I'll be watching the space for The Back Bay Hotel. In the meanwhile, you won't see me here.
The hotel is only a couple of blocks from Back Bay station and is easy to find. We could easily walk down to the hotel from the station with our luggage after our 7 hour train journey from Washington DC. The hotel is housed in the old Boston Police Headquarters. The building is quite impressive architecture-wise and looks more spectacular at night. There were two door men posted at the entrance and neither of them offered to hold the door open for us as we walked in with our luggage. The ground floor lift takes you to the reception one level higher and here too, I could not sight a bell boy who could help us with our bags. In fact, during our entire stay there was not a single occasion we were welcomed back with a greeting or even so much as a polite smile by the hotel staff. Check-in was efficient and as per request, we were given a room on the 8th floor of the 10 storey hotel.
The room was of decent size and the fluffy bed was quite comfortable. We had a street view from our room but it was snowing the entire 4 days we were there so I cannot really complain about the view. The room decor is of a standard business hotel and in fact, offers some redundant amenities like a CD player (an Ipod docking station would have been more useful) and a Nespresso machine whose coffee capsules were replenished only once daily. The thrift of the hotel management was evident in other aspects too. The spacious bathroom had a nice shower cubicle but no soap or shower gel for bathing! There was only one soap bar kept in the hand wash area so you pretty much had one soap for all your bathroom activities. I'd much rather they downgraded the toiletries brand from Bath and Body Works to a cheaper option but provided more quantity.
On our first day in the hotel, we ordered a Margarita pizza through room service and it was very average. Breakfast was not included in our room rate and the pizza quality sealed the deal for us to not have breakfast in the hotel. Cuffs - the hotel's Irish bar seemed to be a popular hangout and we visited it one evening. For close to twenty minutes, no one came around to take our order so we walked up to the bar to place it ourselves. Just as we were grabbing our drinks, a rushed waitress dropped by to ask what would we like. Huh? On informing her our order was already placed, she left with a grumpy face muttering something under her breath (a missed tip I guess). In keeping with our overall experience thus far, the poor service was consistent at Cuffs as well.
On the positive side, the hotel has a very efficient concierge service. The lady concierge in charge was not very good at suggesting itineraries but was extremely efficient in booking what you had already decided on. She booked our Duck Tour tickets, guided us to some good restaurants around the hotel and to our great surprise, suggested just the place where my husband could load up on all his graphic novels (Million Year Picnic in Cambridge is just fantastic). We often remarked how out of place she seemed to be in an establishment where cold behaviour and rudeness seemed to be pre-requisites for landing a job!
On the location front, it is hard to find fault with The Back Bay Hotel. As I mentioned, it is couple of blocks away from Back Bay station and is also a short walk to Arlington T station. The shops on Newbury Street, Boyleston Street and Copley Place are all a comfortable walk away.
As of February 2013, the Back Bay Hotel has ceased to be a Doyle collection hotel and has been acquired by Loews Hotels and Resorts. I really hope they can spruce up the hotel in all aspects - from the physical to the personnel. It is a pity to see such a wonderful hotel being undone by its incompetent staff. I'll be watching the space for The Back Bay Hotel. In the meanwhile, you won't see me here.
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