Liberty Hotel Boston review
 

Very little has been said on this board about this relatively new hotel --- figured I'd share my observations from a stay last week, since it is really a one-of-a-kind luxury hotel, and a great base for a stay in Boston.

The building:
The property was the old Charles Street Jail, which was shut down in 1990. The main lobby area of the hotel is the center of the old jail, with a 5? story brick atrium, with a lot of the original architectural touches. They've preserved some of the catwalks, and cell openings (in the restaurant), and have a little area with photographs of the building in service as a jail -- some little reminders of its history, amidst what is now just a really beautiful space.

Rooms and service --
Received a glass of champagne at check-in -- was quite a nice way to start the stay after a long day. My room was in the tower (a new building I think, where most of the guest rooms are). Pretty spacious room -- flat panel TV, large bathroom with separate glass shower and soaking tub. Chic but not over the top. The phones had LCD screens, and I was informed at check-in that all domestic US calls are free. (Not a big deal in the cell phone age, but nevertheless much nicer than the insane overpricing at most hotels.)

Fitness center was small, but plenty of towels and free bottled water.

Location --
Extremely well located, at the bottom of Beacon Hill, next to the Charles River basin, and right next to a T stop. Boston Commons is a very easy walk as well. I don't know Boston that well, but can't imagine a much better location for someone who wants to walk and explore.

The lobby area is a loud and crowded bar at night, which is a potential downside for those seeking solitude. The noise, however, did not carry into the Tower where my room was.

Overall, I thought it was a really neat place, which I will seek out on return to Boston. Hope this is helpful to anyone considering a stay.

Great description and review, sg. Thanks! (My DD stayed in a jail-hotel in Lucerne, only the rooms were actually former jail cells -- they had a combination code given to them to enter the room. She enjoyed it, me, I think it's creepy :)

sg82 - Thanks for the report. Have been interested in staying there especially since I remember walking by the massive wooden doors as a kid and being scared to death.

Did the noise from Mass General have a negative impact? I'm at MGH frequently and it always seems so noisy at the main entrance, especially with all the construction that has and will be going on.

Enjoyed reading your review. Did you eat at Clink?

Mind sharing where you ate in Boston?

bennnie -- did not notice any noises from Mass General, although it is directly adjacent to the hotel. We had some drinks at their outdoor patio (from which I could see the hospital's ambulance bay) for about 2 hours on a Thursday night, and I don't remember any disruptive noise at all.

yk -- I wandered up Cambridge Street the first night, and found a place called Ma Soba -- good but not highly memorable. The second night we had a group dinner in the wine cellar of Mooo -- it was really good; I didn't get a good feel for the restaurant, however, since we were away from the main dining room and weren't ordering off the menu.

I stayed at the Liberty Hotel a couple months ago and liked it a lot. We thought it would be neat to stay in the original jail building,where the rooms have the exposed brick wall. The room was really nice, but next time we would stay in the tower rooms for sure. Like the OP said, at night the lobby became a very loud nightclub, and was wall to wall people. The sound carried into the "jail rooms" until 2 am. Very annoying.
We ate at Clink and it was good although overpriced.Beacon Hill, across the street, had some nice little cafe's for breakfast and lunch that were reasonable.

Topping - anyone stay or eat here recently. Daughter and friends are coming to Boston and wanted to stay there - way too expensive - but we may take them to dinner there.