Coming to Boston? Pack a hard hat. In spite of a flat-lining economy, new names like Mandarin Oriental, InterContinental, and Renaissance have joined the old guard and upped the stakes for local hoteliers. To compete you've gotta have flat-screen TVs, MP3 decks, Wi-Fi. Even hotels that haven't changed so much as a pair of drapes for decades ("old" equals "good" in Boston, yes?) suddenly took notice, and started collecting swatches of zebra-print leather. More »
