Courtyard by Marriott Boston Downtown

Very good location, good rooms. Just not 5 star, more like 4 1/4 star.

Really this hotel (the famous old Bradford) should be an Autograph rather than a Courtyard in the Marriott Portfolio. The error here is successive owners on a budget have squeezed a older grand dame type hotel into a rigid modern hotel concept. There's a lot here and the basic services work, kind of. It's suffered a couple of not particularly sensitive renovations, which lead to some weird ceiling heights and interior sealed storm windows, which means there's no shot for fresh air. It's not run down, it's just missing some of the grandeur which so clearly was once there. I've been in a number of hotels of this era which have executed an effective updating plus some which are disasters. This is neither. The lobby is odd, they made the old bar a neither fish nor fowl hangout space with no direct access to the street, although it sits on the sidewalk. Put the bar/restaurant in a sort of subdivided section of the lobby, making it much smaller and stuck the check-in over in a corner. What was once a grand ballroom is now a diminished but viable function space (there's more on other floors so by all means check the rooms out). They've sublet (or sold off) parts of what were the hotel and there are popular clubs both in the facility and adjoining the property. Anticipate a lot of bass and party noise on weekends. (You've got to clear a (nice) security guard if you arrive in the evening.) The price is reasonable for downtown Boston and they're right n the middle of the Theater District, which means there's a lot to see and do within a reasonable walking distance. Airport's an easy hop away. Meantime I'll hope for a historically minded, ambitious new owner to come in at some point and restore the property as it deserves. Maybe at least put it in a more accurate brand category to start.