Love the Mandarin Oriental Boston! Truly a luxury hotel. My husband booked a night here the day he proposed and they made us feel special from the moment we arrived. The manager came out and introduced himself and gave us his card when we checked in, and a special welcome tea and chocolate covered strawberries were sent to our room shortly after we arrived. The rooms are new and nice, bed is very comfortable and you definitely feel pampered during your stay! The spa is also a must-see, I got some spa treatments there the week before my wedding and had another wonderful experience - beautiful facilities and a very friendly staff.

We have stayed at all the 5 Stars in Boston and felt we should give the Mandarin a try. Wow! Smiles, Greetings, Pleasant People all day, a hotel with a great feeling to it. The beds were amazingly comfortable. The food was awesome in the restaurant as was room service for breakfast. The location on Boylston next to the mall and a block from Newbury are all positives.
The other 5 Stars (and 4) in Boston are good, one is getting very tired and one is a touch to far for walking. The Mandarin is a breath of fresh air. Give this property a try and you wont be disappointed. I guarantee it.

First, the good stuff. This is one of the nicer luxury hotels in Boston. Sure, the Fairmont and the Colonnade are nice, but when I stayed in both of those hotels they showed their age. "Character" is over-rated when it comes to hotels. The MO is shiny and new and very comfortable.I was there for a conference and got a discounted rate, but I think that the hotel is worth the price--especially for the room I got. It is attached to the Prudential Center (a giant shopping mall) and the Hynes convention center. So, when the weather is -12 with windchill (as it was this week) you don't have to step outside. I had a very spacious room with a king bed, couch, table and desk, overlooking the street. The views are nothing to write home about, but it was not really an issue for me. The bathroom was very large with a separate toilet/shower/tub and very large bathroom counter. I couldn't ask for more, except for a damn place to hang the hand towel. Seriously, they thought of everything except for where to hang the hand towel (I know, I'm picky). The minibar was nicely stocked. Two thumbs up for having a Starbucks Espresso Double shot and a split of Veuve Cliquot in the minibar. There was also a nice array of snacks and the best part was that there was complimentary water that you could get from Housekeeping. I drink a lot of water, so it was nice to not have to pay every time I was thirsty. The bed was very comfortable and the sheets are Frette. Not the best Frette sheets, but still not itchy like crappy hotel sheets. The toiletries are really nice and I particularly liked the bath salts. The highlight of my stay was the room service. I have never encountered such politeness over the phone when ordering room service. The MO room service people have ruined it for all other hotels for ever. Kudos to them. Also, any time I encountered a hotel employee in the hall, they were exceedingly polite.

Now the bad stuff, and it is very minimal. As another reviewer pointed out, it does smell like smoke in the hotel. I'm not sure if it is a non-smoking hotel, and If it isn't it should be, and if it is they should do a better job of asking people not to smoke. The gym is ok, not great. It has about 4 treadmills and some ellipticals and weights, as well as a "yoga room". This gym was clearly an afterthought. I worked out twice and the first time they had some nice cold towels but the second time they were nowhere to be found and the treadmill was not exactly clean. The food is cringe inducingly expensive at the hotel, but tasty. I found that it was best to sign the bill without actually looking at what I was being charged, otherwise it hurt my head. Other than that, my stay was great and I would definitely stay there again.

The most luxurious hotel I've ever stayed in!!! Frette linens, aromatic soaps, superb service, fabulous location (a block from the iconic Newberry Street). The only features that were remotely less than heavenly: gym facilities a little on the sparse side and lighting a little too dark --I like the option (especially in the winter) of putting on some bright lights. But, really, I've stayed in several five-star hotels and this one is far and away the most wonderful.