Readers’ Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2025
Number of guests: Varies
Bed and bath: Varies
Why we love it: One of the city’s top spas, residential-feeling rooms and suites, direct access to shopping at the Prudential Center
Located on Boylston Street in the center of Back Bay, the Mandarin Oriental offers an elegant, refined respite in the heart of it all. As soon as you step into the grand marble lobby, you feel transported from the city’s hustle and bustle. Thanks to a meticulous $15 million Covid-era renovation, the rooms and suites received a welcome facelift. Gone are the corporate and impersonal interiors, and here to stay are delicious, residential-feeling finishes such as iridescent chinoiserie wallpapers and brand-new necessities like televisions and phones. Entryway closets in the hotel’s suites were turned into mini kitchenettes. The hotel was previously a glamorous spot for business travelers and big spenders, and now it’s the Back Bay’s most posh home away from home. There’s a really excellent gym, renovated in February 2024; the suites boast luxuriously deep soaking tubs; and the property is directly connected to the Prudential Center, so even on Boston’s most inclement days, you can shop without stepping foot outside.
Distance from Fenway: 15-minute walk
Things to do nearby: Boston Public Library, Commonwealth Avenue Mall, Deuxave
