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Omni Parker House

Fodor's Hotel Awards 2010 Best Sense of Place  |  Winning Attributes

At a Glance

    Pros

  • historic property
  • near Downtown Crossing on the Freedom Trail

    Cons

  • small rooms, some quite dark
  • thin-walled rooms can be noisy

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Omni Parker House Review

In 2008 America's oldest continuously operating hotel got a $30-million makeover, so you can still steep yourself in Boston history...while watching a flat-screen TV. As at many city lodgings, the guestrooms are a tad small, but here they're nicely turned out with updated cherry-wood furniture, red-and-gold Roman shades, ivory wall coverings, and cushy mattress covers. The lobby and restaurants were also invigorated with new decor and menu items. Longtimers, rest easy: The Omni's famous Boston Cream Pie is still on hand (even for breakfast); but now you can work it off in a new in-house gym packed with cardio and weight equipment (and open 24 hours a day). If any hotel really says "Boston," it's this one, where JFK proposed to Jackie, and Charles Dickens gave his first reading of "A Christmas Carol." In fact, you may well see a Dickens impersonator in the lobby, since history tours always include the Parker House on their routes.

2010 Fodor's 100 Hotel Award Winner

Opposite the old City Hall and practically on the Freedom Trail, this hotel is undeniably Boston. It's where JFK proposed to Jackie, where the Boston cream pie was invented, and where Charles Dickens gave his first U.S. reading of A Christmas Carol. What better base from which to learn about our nation's heritage than America's oldest continuously operating hotel?

    Hotel Amenities

  • 551 rooms, 21 suites.
  • Restaurants, bars, gym, children's programs, parking, some pets allowed.
  • Rooms have: safe, Internet.
  • Rate includes breakfast.
  • Credit cards accepted.

Member Reviews

  • vsc602, from Rhode Island
    10/19/09

    Ordered a room with two double beds which was confirmed the day before. Received an extremely small room with one full-sized bed. The hotel was full, but they still refused to refund our money to allow our group to find another hotel. So, we had to squeeze a cot into the room. In addition, this visit started with the valets telling me that the ski rack on my Subaru wouldn’t fit in their garage and that they were too busy with the incoming wedding to park my car in their back-up garage. So I had to park it myself and walk 10 minutes in the pouring rain. I was completely unimpressed. There are much better options nearby.

    Ratings details: Room: 1 | Atmosphere: 3 | Service: 1 | Value: 1
  • Traveladvice2, from New York
    10/18/08

    We just re-visited Boston and picked our favorite historic hotel. Its been a couple of years but we were surprized since the hotel has brought the hotel luster back. We reserved a Executive Room which was exactly what we wanted with a lovely sitting area. The beds are so so comfortable and exactly what we needed after walking all around the neighborhood on a weekend that this April was amazing with 80 degree day. The staff especially the concierge was so friendly and amazing that they even found hard to get Yankee Red Sox tickets for us. We highly recommend this hotel with its wonderful staff,location and breakfast is hard to beat in our travels
    Looking to come back again and will only stay at the Omni Parker House.
    Be sure to check out the Bar as the Crab Cakes are awesome.

    Ratings details: Room: 5 | Atmosphere: 5 | Service: 5 | Value: 5
  • Peri, from Arizona, U.S.A.
    7/1/08

    The staff was friendly, and the overall atmosphere was very comfortable. The Boston Creme pie was wonderful.

    Ratings details: Room: 4 | Atmosphere: 5 | Service: 5 | Value: 5
  • dj55, from Boston
    4/22/07

    During my stay in what should have been a non-smoking room, the guy in the adjoining room was smoking like a chimney (in what was also supposed to be a non-smoking room), with the fumes making their way under and around the adjoining door. When I complained to the hotel staff, they eventually sent up a gumchewer, whose investigation/interaction with the next door neighbor went something like this: knock...knock..."You smoking in there? No? OK." After the security guard left, the next door neighbor then continued to smoke (now both tobacco and pot). Despite repeated complaints, no real action was ever taken, and neither apology nor compensation was offered by the hotel.

    Ratings details: Room: 3 | Atmosphere: 3 | Service: 1 | Value: 1
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