We just traveled with our 3 month old baby on our first holiday as a family and stopped for a few days at Hotel Commonwealth on the trip.

The fairly small but attractively designed lobby is warm & inviting and belies what is a relatively large hotel. The reception staff were very friendly and professional, so immediate impressions were very good.

We stayed in a Commonwealth room, it's not quite a suite but does have a distinct living area you can separate with a curtain, which with a baby was handy for us. More expensive than a standard room, but cheaper than a full on suite.

The room was a good size, nicely fitted and the tv's & ipod dock etc were all decent up to date kit. It was a nice room.

Location was a good shout for us too. Around 20/30 mins walk from downtown through a nice pretty neighborhood, but also the Back Bay area immediately around the hotel is nice with no shortage of bars & restaurants etc. The Island Creek Oyster Bar beneath the hotel is pricey but worth it, we had a fantastic meal there.

We did have a few issues though. Our room seemed to be a bit of a wireless blackspot & didn't work reliably throughout the stay. The sheet for the crib was removed twice, but not replaced so we had to call down & ask for it. The coffee machine was provided with paper cups for some reason, odd in itself for a nice hotel. Then maid service never replaced the cups nor the sachets that go in the machine and still failed to do so even when we asked reception. So after the first day we had no way to use the machine.

Also, each night we stayed there was the sound of music just audible in our room. I never quite worked out if it was from one of the bar restaurants beneath the hotel or the conference/wedding facilities located on the floor we stayed. It wasn't loud enough to keep us awake, but not ideal.

It's a decent hotel and I'm going to go with "very good". But compared to other hotels we've stayed in that stand at #1 on Tripadvisor, the attention to detail left it falling just short of "excellent" for me. None the less, I think we'd probably stay at Hotel Commonwealth again.

I was at the hotel for 6 nights. The rooms were much larger than I would expect for a down town hotel. The staff was very friendly. No issues. No hesitation on recommending it or going back for a second visit.

We were in Boston for 2 nights for a family wedding, and many of us stayed at the Hotel Commonwealth. Now no one will claim this is a 'cheap' hotel; it's not, but what you get for the money is excellent. It starts with the greeting at the front entrance - the valet's and bus-men warmly welcome you and quickly get your luggage out of your car and on their way to your room and aim you to the equally friendly front desk.

Our room (meant for 2 adults, 2 'kids' (only one ended up coming) was very, very comfortable. A 'junior' suite, with 2 TV's, and a comfortable sofa bed (that can seem an oxymoron). Our king bed was also very comfortable. Big, soft pillows (if I want to quibble, I wanted something a bit more firm - but never asked). Very nice, usable bathroom with lots of space and a shower with no worry of scalding or low pressure.

Down stairs there is a long set of hallways with a great photo exhibit. Also, the front desk will give anyone who asks for it coffee or hot chocolate (please be careful if you take them upstairs).

I had a minor bathroom 'emergency' in the wee hours - repaired within a few minutes of my call to the front desk. Quick response on getting our car when we needed it. Wifi AND wired internet access are included at no extra cost - rare in a major hotel like this, and very, very fast. A phone on the nice computer desk, with a hidden power strip and ethernet connection easy to reach, and a cordless phone on one side of the king bed. 2 lines as I recall. We found an umbrella in the closet; I assume that's normal.

Overall, we were very comfortable and well taken care of!

Really? I had a complaint and they apologized and that was it. No offer to resolve the problem or anything. The next guest was very happy as they had no issues and I heard the fd agent ask them to give the hotel a positive review on this site. It's easy to be #1 with minimal problem resolution if you only ask guests with a complete positive experience to review you.