Millennium Bostonian Hotel, Boston, USA

The Millennium Bostonian is one of the most luxurious and comfortable small hotels in Boston, US, and certainly one of the most popular. The hotel, which has 201 guest rooms and suites, is located right in the heart of the city on the historic Blackstone Block, which is one of Boston’s oldest grid of streets and alleyways.

Across from the courtyard of the hotel is Faneuil Hall, which is one of the US’s premier urban marketplaces. Here there are outdoor festivals, over 125 shops, cafes, and restaurants and museums and theatres are nearby.

The hotel is two miles from Logan International Airport, and a five minute walk to the city’s government centre (JFK and O’Neill Federal Buildings) and business/financial district, and only minutes from the harbour and the Italian North End. So the hotel is well appointed, central and ideal for either the business traveller in Boston or the tourist.

The hotel has been voted as one of the top 500 in the world by the readers of Conde Nast Traveller because of superior accommodation and outstanding service.

ACCOMMODATION AND FACILITIES

The hotel has been described as comfortably elegant and European in styling. The guest rooms and suites are decorated in a European style with a similar theme for the furnishings. Many of the guest rooms are provided with European-style step-out balconies, adorned with flower boxes, which offer spectacular views of the vibrant Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

There is also a very comprehensive meeting space and business centre ideal for small to medium business events. The hotel has a host of facilities for guests' use, including several excellent bars and restaurants (Seasons Restaurant), the El Coco International Aveda Salon and the Day Spa offering a range of services.

RENOVATION

In the third quarter of 2006 the Millennium Bostonian hotel announced the start of a renovation project to improve the facilities and make better use of space at the hotel. The project is to cost over $14m and began in December 2006 for a projected completion in mid-2007.

The renovation will see a number of guest rooms and suites redesigned and refurbished; a new restaurant is to be created and over 3,000ft² of meeting space will now be provided. The refurbishment will also provide other enhancements to improve services and facilities for the guests.

The result is expected to be an elegantly stylish new ambience making the hotel more contemporary but not losing its comfortable homely atmosphere.

NEW GUEST ROOM LOOK

Included in the renovation will be a new look for all 201 guest rooms and suites. The new look is being designed by Jinnie Kim, a much-in-demand designer who has worked with top hotels in the US such as the St. Regis and the Plaza in New York.

The rooms will redefine Four-Diamond luxury at the hotel. Improved features will include the ‘Millennium Bed’ with duvets and 300-thread-count linens, flat screen LCD TV, laptop safe and a muted earth tone decor set off by photography and artwork celebrating the sights and experiences of Boston.

There will also be new bathrooms, with bath tubs set against relief scenes of the city and separate ceramic tiled shower stalls plus elegant furnishings and fabrics, stone floor entryways, wood panelling and crown moulding. The Bostonian’s famous sought after fireplace rooms and balconies will maintain their current elegance but with new, soundproof windows.

FRONT ENTRANCE

The new look of the hotel begins with a renovated front circular entrance. The new lobby/reception will feature stone floors, polished oak wood surfaces, two fireplaces (one traditional and one gas). Preliminary plans also call for a mini-waterfall in the lobby to lend an air of peace and calm. A new restaurant and bar will also be located on the ground floor.

The space occupied by the existing Seasons Restaurant will now become a 3,000ft² function space designed to significantly enhance the hotel’s appeal for meetings, social groups, weddings, receptions and special events. The hotel’s Executive Chef, Brian Poe, has been contracted to supervise the cuisine and services for the new restaurant and meeting space.

Further facility enhancements include Wi-Fi availability in public spaces, upgraded internet connections and phone lines throughout the hotel and a new property management system to better understand and serve the hotel’s frequent guests.

Once the renovations are complete the Millennium Bostonian will also be fully smoke-free including the guest rooms and suites. Complementing the renovation at the Bostonian are a host of new attractions in Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market adjacent to the hotel.

There will be a new Hard Rock Café open just across the street from the hotel and the Rose Kennedy Greenway, situated between the hotel and Boston’s North End, will soon be offering more open space with gardens.