Boston area hotels
 

We will be visiting Boston on 7/5/09-7/7/09. There will be a group of us, including children ranging from 6-10 years old. We are hoping to get tickets to see the Red Sox. I am in search of a very nice hotel in the 4-5 star rating range. I've read numerous posts about area hotels. However, I am unable to find any information on the new Ritz Carlton Boston Common hotel. Does anyone have information on this hotel ? Thus far, I am looking at the Ritz Carlton, the Taj, the Jury's Hotel, and the Westin Copley. I'm gathering that they are all within an easy distance to the ball park as well as to dining options. Can anyone please advise ? Thanks !
Liz

Yes, all of the hotels you mention are within easy walking distance to the T which will take you to Fenway and most other tourist destinations. They are all located near shopping and dining as well.

Based on location, I'd give a slight edge to the Taj and the Westin.

Have you checked the reviews on Tripadvisor? The "new" Ritz has been open for a couple of years now.

How many people in your group? It will be difficult to get Red Sox tickets for any size group. You may end needing to use Stub Hub to get tickets. Those games are against either Oakland or Seattle depending on the night. Thankfully not big rivalries but tickets are tough to get at best.

Thank you so much for your quick responses ! Yes, I have check Trip Advisor and the new Ritz does not get very good reviews. Trip Advisor gives the best reviews to the Jurys Hotel. However, from what I've read on Fodor's, people say that the rooms are smaller than usual. We have two children, 6 and 9 years old, and thus need a larger room with two queen beds.

Our group will consist of hopefully 16 people. We are hoping to find reasonable tickets to the Monday game. So far, there is some availablity on Stub Hub. We'll still looking.
Thanks for your quick replies. I appreciate it.

Reasonable tickets to Fenway for 16 people? I dont think you will find them. Maybe check on redsox.com for group sales. That may be your best bet. The only tickets available right now on Stubhub are Season Tickets that people are offloading.

16 is not a large enough group to count as group sales and you can not buy that many tickets in a block on-line.

Every Red Sox game for the last zillion seasons has sold out well before game. I think your only option for buying tickets is thru the secondary market. We have used Ace Ticket (website by same name) a number of times for all sorts of tickets - somehow I feel a little more secure with that than EBay or StubHub since you are buying from a business and not an individual.

Expect to pay about twice face value - you will not find any inexpensive tickets to any Red Sox game. Do not sit in Grandstand sections 2, 3, 4, 5 - these seats are horrible and in order to see infield you must contort your body in strange ways in tiny seats. Bleachers are far better than these sections - and since Fenway is so small, distance is not too far to enjoy game. There is no reason the kids can not sit in bleachers either - while Fenway fans are intense, long gone are the days when only drunk hoodlums sat in the bleachers.

keep in mind, liz, that those tickets have not gone on sale yet. If Stubhub says they have them, its only because they have a line on the season ticket holders. They don't really know if they have them yet (actually...season tickets may have been distributed by now, but I think not).

Tickets for those games in July should go on sale sometime in early February. although, as others have mentioned, it is impossible to get more than 4 tickets at a time.

I'm curious how you picked your hotels? it seems like the Ritz, and the Taj are in one category, and the Jury's and the Westin are slightly lesser. Have you looked athe Fairmont Copley or the Elliot? these are also quite nice and located in the same area.

I've stayed at almost all of the hotels you mention. The "new" Ritz is very nice, very modern, very cool. It is the furthest from fenway though, I think. I don't think you would walk there from that hotel.

The Taj is the old ritz. It is a tiny little bit tired, but still really nice and a great location.I would bet that you could get a better deal at the Taj than the Ritz.

I have not stayed at the westin, but have stayed at Jurys. It is pretty new, pretty nice, but the rooms are pretty small (not the best choice if you plan on getting a regular room and having kids and adults in it). I wouldn't put it at the same level as the Ritz or the Taj. It does have a hip vibe to it.

I've stayed at the Westin - the rooms are large and very comfortable. The location is good and the kids will be welcome.

I would suggest you try to use group ticket sales through the Fenway box office. I think it may be worth it to buy a few extra seats ( I think a group is 20) and either eat the extra cost or re-sell them through Stub Hub. It may work out to be cheaper than paying 2x face value.

forgot to mention that the Taj and the Ritz both border parks - the Taj the Public Garden and the Ritz the Common. There is a large playscape on the Common. In either case you might find it good for the kids to have a play to run around and burn off some energy.

boyney, I;m pretty sure you can no longer get group sales of 20 from the Red Sox box office. As recently as maybe 6 years ago you could, but not anymore. Group sales are in the 100s, and even those are nearly impossible...long standing groups have (like some alumni groups) have first option.

The first year they put up the seats on the Green Monster...I think that was 2003...you could get group sale tickets in blocks of 20. And I got 20 on top of the wall. I had no idea who I was taking with me, I just knew I would have no trouble finding takers. I think that was the last year they offered those small group sales. and the last time you could get Monster seats without winning the lottery!

china_cat - thanks for the clarification. It has been awhile (2004) since I checked on this. You used to be able to get birthday parties at the park too. Things have changed so much - I don't even try to get tickets anymore. I just wait until they fall into my lap.

Boyney, thats easier (and much cheaper) than what I do. I go all over the country watching them - Baltimore, Chicago, Tampa last year alone...And 1 game at Fenway

tchoinere - We've scheduled family vacations around the Sox schedule too - Baltimore and Toronto so far. This year we went to LA and went to a Dodgers game to see Manny - that was a blast.

Red Sox marketing is a bit out of control - did you see the casket that is now for sale?

2004 was probably the last season you could get the group tickets.

October 27th 2004....the day the Red Sox changed forever ;)

I will be hanging by my computer Saturday morning, trying to get my hands on a Sox-4Pak or 2. Last year I hit the jackpot on the opening day 4-pack, and got to see the ring ceremony in person.

Re Red Sox tickets (some April and May games on sale Saturday). Last year I spent most of the day in the "Virtual Waiting Room" on 3 different computers.