Hilton Boston Back Bay Rating: 3.5 Pearls

Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts

Starbucks in the Business Lounge

Part of a cluster of midrange chain hotels surrounding the huge Hynes Convention Center complex, the 390-room Hilton Boston Back Bay offers lodging to big groups of business travelers. The hotel faces some stiff competition for convention traffic from the nearby Westin and Sheraton, which have more colorful rooms, bigger and better fitness centers, and direct access to the Hynes complex. But it's worth noting that rates are usually lower at this perfectly nice Hilton, which offers spacious and comfortable (if not supremely stylish) rooms and ample amenities.

Guests will find a pleasant but smallish lobby, with warm wooden columns surrounding a double-sided, burnt orange couch. Similar to the across-the-street Sheraton, a business lounge off to the side offers a Starbucks and several computers guests can use for free.

Following the renovation, the sizable standard rooms (starting at 300 square feet) now all come with Hilton Serenity Beds -- very comfortable Serta Sleepers topped with 250-thread-count sheets, down duvets and down pillows. A new 32-inch flat-panel LCD TV offers almost 50 channels, including HBO. That said, even after the renovation, the decor feels a little staid. By contrast, for example, the rooms at the Sheraton next door are more colorful and contemporary -- and even the standard rooms there offer panoramic views of Boston. (At the Hilton, you have to pay for an upgrade to get that.)

After a separate $1.7 million renovation last year, the fitness-center and pool complex here features brand new Life Fitness cardio equipment, a Jacuzzi, Philips flat-screens, and new locker rooms with showers. Again, it's not as splashy as the one at the Sheraton complex -- where the huge lap pool comes with its own retractable glass ceiling -- but it is spacious and sunny, with floor-to-ceiling windows surrounding two sides of the room.

Service is pretty much what you'd expect from a midrange chain serving hundreds of rooms. A free copy of USA Today is delivered to your door, but room service ends at midnight. The $37-per-night fee for self-serve parking (no valet here) is also bit pricey. Dining choices here are a little limited, just a Starbucks and a single restaurant, 40 Dalton, serving traditional American cuisine. But with so many restaurants in and around the Hynes complex, you won't lack for options.

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The Hilton is located in Back Bay, across the street from the Hynes Convention Center complex -- not attached to it, like some of its competitors. That means you must (briefly) walk outside to enter Hynes, which conventioneers may not enjoy in the middle of a Boston winter.

As an upscale commercial and residential area in the center of Boston, Back Bay offers a little bit of everything, from luxury shopping on Newbury Street to baseball at nearby Fenway Park. Office workers toil away in the area's high-rise buildings, some of Boston's tallest, while business travelers convene for conferences at the Hynes Convention Center. Major attractions like the Public Garden and Boston Common and the start of the Freedom Trail are within a few blocks. Many other tourist hot spots, like the North End and Faneuil Hall, are 20 to 30 minutes away via public transportation. The area is filled with midrange and upscale restaurants, many of them chains. The South End, a more lively, bohemian-flavored area with trendy bars and eateries, is a quick 10-minute walk.

• The Prudential Center stop on the T (Boston's subway) is just a block away.
• A five-minute walk to Berklee College of Music
• About a six-minute drive, or 20- to 30-minute walk, to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox
• About a five-minute drive, or 20-minute walk, to Boston Common, the country's oldest park and the start of the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail, which passes through 16 of the city's historic landmarks
• An eight-minute drive (two miles) to Faneuil Hall, a historic marketplace and modern day mall
• About a 15-minute drive (three miles) to Harvard Square in Cambridge
• Less than a 15-minute drive to Boston's Logan International Airport

• Wedding Size: Up to 280 guests

• Ceremony Location: The Belvidere Ballroom

• Extra Fees: $500 ceremony fee

• Wedding Package: The dream wedding package starts at a reasonable $99 per person (minimum 60 guests) and includes a one-hour open bar, four passed hors d'oeuvres, a champagne toast, a four-course dinner with wine, a wedding cake, decorations, and a room for the bride and groom on their wedding night. Even better, the $99 fee per person includes gratuity; most other venues charge at least 15 to 20 percent extra.

• Food: With the standard, $99 wedding package, you get to chose two of the following three entrees: pan seared salmon, petite filet mignon with deep sea shrimp, or roasted chicken. No bad. You can also arrange for a kids' menu ($39) or kosher, vegetarian, or gluten-free options.

• Drinks: There has to be a catch, right? Well, that might be in the bar. While the one hour of open bar is included in the package price, the rest of the cocktails are bought per drink -- about $7 to $8 per drink, plus another $4 for just a bottle of water or a soda. If you choose a cash bar, all of these prices go up by about another buck.