Boston - Wyndham or Swisshotel?
 

Would appreciate any input on Wyndham Downtown or Swisshotel. Have heard that areas area are not great, but hotels okay. For the price they may be my only choices! would like to be close to public transport and sightseeing, but....

I really wouldn't say either hotel was in a "bad" area, just slightly off the beaten path. The Swisshotel is between Chinatown and the major shopping area (Filene's Basement, etc.). The Wyndham is in the financial district which would tend to be quiet after business hours, but not "bad". It's a short walk to the harbor and the Faneuil Market area. Either one would be convenient for sightseeing and not too far from public transportation. I don't think you'd have to fear walking to either one after dark either. Both are supposed to be very nice. If it matters, the Swisshotel is closer to the Common and Back Bay, theater district, etc.

Suegirl, both are business hotels that drop rates to rock-bottom levels when there's no convention in town. The Swissotel is the older of the two properties, basically a big, 15-story box atop a failed downtown mall. The property has undergone a renovation but the result is still fairly dispiriting... due in part to the hotel's layout and in part to the location. The area is adjacent to the Combat Zone (peep shows, etc.) and the Construction Zone called Millennium Place which will be across the street, if it ever gets finished. <BR> <BR>I stayed at the Wyndham on Broad Street just a few weeks ago and found it to be a superb hotel. It's converted from an old Art Deco office building and the room layouts are unusual; the bathrooms quite large and well appointed. The location is a bit odd... just a block away from the Financial District and two or three blocks from Quincy Market, but on a quiet street of older, low-rise buildings. <BR> <BR>Bad locations? The Wyndham is better situated to tourist things; the Swissotel is almost directly over the Downtown Crossing subway station linking the city's mass transit system. If the rates are identical, take the Wyndham.

I second the Wyndham recommendation. Area is safe, just quiet and easier to get to other attractions from there. Rooms are very nice, too!

I visited a friend who was staying at the Swisshotell--it is really nice, but to be honest, the area seems unsafe. I'd look into the Colonnade, near copley place. Very good location and also I got a weekend rate of 169 a couple weeks ago.

I'd recomend the Wyndham (which is gorgeous and brand new) over the Swisshotel for location. The Wyndham is in a business district which is dead on weekends (Starbucks and local lunch places are not even open during the day). But, with a good rate, you can just taxi home at night. Not that it's unsafe, it's just not a convenient walk to or from anyplace.