Want to take advantage of Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits, including a space available room upgrade, complimentary breakfast, a hotel credit, and more? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked.
After spending a few nights at the Mandarin Oriental Boston, we decided to spend a couple of nights at the Four Seasons Boston, which is just a few blocks away. I thought it would be interesting to do a side-by-side comparison of the two brands in the same city, to see if there was a clear winner.
Well, I’m happy to report that there was a clear winner — the Four Seasons. This is simply an incredible city hotel that puts a lot of effort into the guest experience. Yes, the hotel has all the basics, like a great location, a beautiful pool, an excellent gym, and friendly service.
However, even beyond that, the hotel has some innovative complimentary amenities that set it apart, from a coffee shop for all guests, to a weekend happy hour, to a hotel car, to “vaults” with movie snacks that you can help yourself to.
Anyway, let’s get into the review…
In this post:
Booking the Four Seasons Boston
For our two night stay, the rate at the Four Season Boston was $995 per night, which is what we paid. Admittedly this is a lot to pay for a city hotel, but rates in Boston were through the roof over our dates, and mid-range hotels were going for $600+ per night. So the premium wasn’t that great, and I also managed to take advantage of an Amex Offers deal to score a discount.
The best way to book any Four Seasons hotel is through a travel advisor affiliated with the Four Seasons Preferred Partner program (this is how Ford booked us). When booking through Preferred Partner you pay the same rate you’ll find directly on Four Seasons’ website, but you’ll receive extra perks, including the following:
- A room upgrade, subject to availability
- Complimentary daily breakfast
- A hotel credit to use during your stay
Four Seasons Preferred Partner is generally combinable with promotions being offered directly through Four Seasons, including advance purchase rates, free night offers, and more. Note that booking Four Seasons properties through Preferred Partner is better than booking through programs like Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts. Why?
- With Preferred Partner you have the option of room service breakfast in place of restaurant breakfast
- Upgrades are prioritized for Preferred Partner bookings, given that it’s Four Seasons’ own proprietary program (and the value of an upgrade can be significant)
- You can combine Preferred Partner perks with virtually any rate on Four Seasons’ website (other programs don’t allow you to stack promotions in the same way)
You can’t beat getting all of these extra perks just for booking through an eligible travel advisor. Ford is happy to help anyone book Four Seasons properties through Preferred Partner, and can be reached at [email protected].
Four Seasons Boston location
The 273-room Four Seasons Boston is located at 200 Boylston Street, in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston. This is a cute neighborhood with lots of restaurants, shops, and cafes, so I don’t think the location could be beat.
What makes the Four Seasons especially awesome is that it’s right across the street from Boston Public Garden, a beautiful park. It’s so nice to be able to stroll out of the front door of the hotel and into this peaceful space.
For those flying into Boston, the Four Seasons is a roughly 15-20 minute drive from Boston Logan Airport (BOS), so you can’t beat how close the city of Boston is to the airport.
Four Seasons Boston lobby & check-in
Upon arrival at the hotel we were welcomed by the friendly bellmen and escorted to reception, which was located just inside the lobby.
The lobby has a couple of seating areas, and then further into the lobby are the elevators and Sottovento Coffee, which I’ll talk more about later.
The check-in process was efficient and friendly, and we were thanked for booking through Four Seasons Preferred Partner. It was explained that we’d receive a $48 daily breakfast credit per person, which could be used either toward a restaurant breakfast or room service. On top of that, we’d receive a $100 credit to use once during our stay.
Upon checking in we were escorted to the elevators. During that time, the front desk associate explained many of the hotel’s features, which I’ll talk about a bit further down.
Four Seasons Boston State Suite
We were assigned room #801, a State Suite on the eighth floor. There are six of these suites at the hotel, and they’re each 900 square feet. As mentioned above, we paid the “standard” rate for a stay here, though keep in in mind that Ford is a Four Seasons Preferred Partner travel advisor and books lots of people at Four Seasons properties, so we did receive a very nice upgrade.
They did a great job renovating the Four Seasons and making it feel high end — I loved the textured walls and splashes of color.
Our suite was located at the very end of the hall, on the left.
Inside the entryway was the living room, which featured a couch and two chairs, some high-top seating, a dining table with two chairs, and the minibar.
The minibar had a Nespresso coffee machine, a kettle and tea, and a variety of drinks for purchase.
There were also some shortbread cookies, which seem to be in all guest rooms, and are complimentary.
There was a lovely welcome amenity waiting on the dining table, consisting of a bottle of wine, some candy, a cheese plate, and some fruit.
There was a half bath right by the entrance.
There were then double doors leading into the bedroom. There was a signature Four Seasons bed, which I consider to be the most comfortable hotel bed there is.
The bedroom had a TV that could be raised and lowered, so as not to block the view.
That was for good reason, because the hotel has an incredible view of Boston Public Garden and the Boston skyline.
The main bathroom was off the bedroom, and had double sinks, a soaking tub, a walk-in shower, and a toilet.
Toiletries were from Guerlain, and were high quality.
There was also a closet off the bedroom, which was pretty large.
Wi-Fi in the room was fast and free, and there was twice daily housekeeping.
Four Seasons Boston gym
Four Seasons properties consistently have excellent gyms, and this property is no exception. The Four Seasons’ 24/7 gym is on the eighth floor, and has plenty of cardio and weight equipment.
I also appreciate the effort that Four Seasons puts into little touches, like the complimentary bevi beverage machine and KIND bars.
Four Seasons Boston pool & spa
Also on the eighth floor and right next to the gym is the Four Seasons’ lap pool. There’s also a hot tub and plenty of seating.
The pool had an awesome view of Boston Public Garden! While I’m not really a pool person, this one was pretty great for an indoor pool at a city hotel.
The pool area had a sauna and steam room, which were readily available for hotel guests to use.
One potential downside to the Four Seasons Boston is that it doesn’t have a proper spa. It has some spa treatment rooms where they can arrange spa treatments, but the hotel doesn’t have a brand name, in-house spa.
If you care about spa treatments, you can consider staying at the Four Seasons One Dalton Boston, or otherwise the Mandarin Oriental Boston, which is known to have a great spa.
Personally spas in city hotels don’t interest me at all, so that’s not a loss for me, and I consider the hotel’s other amenities to more than make up for the lack of a “proper” spa.
Four Seasons Boston Sottovento Coffee
As longtime OMAAT readers know, I’m kind of obsessed with good coffee, and especially appreciate it when traveling. The Four Seasons Boston has what’s possibly my favorite hotel coffee concept ever. Sottovento Coffee is the hotel’s legitimately great coffee shop, located on the lobby level. It’s open daily from 7AM until 4:30PM, and there’s plenty of seating just outside the coffee shop as well.
What makes this so great? Virtually all the drinks are complimentary for hotel guests. So whether you want a cappuccino, espresso, or iced coffee, it won’t cost you anything. This might just be my single favorite hotel amenity ever, as the coffee was also exceptionally good.
Sottovento Coffee also had a variety of pastries and other sweets to purchase, as well as orange juice, yogurt parfaits, fruit cups, etc.
Then there was complimentary still & sparkling water, as well as whole fresh fruit, candy, popcorn, and more.
In the mornings Sottovento Coffee will even deliver complimentary coffee to your guest room.
Four Seasons Boston happy hour
On Fridays & Saturdays (which happened to the nights we were staying), Sottovento Coffee offers a complimentary happy hour for hotel guests between 4PM and 6PM. The happy hour includes a rotating signature cocktail (during our stay it was a paloma), a red and white wine, beer, and spiked seltzer.
There were also some canapés to accompany that.
In addition to that, the hotel offers complimentary cookies and seasonal refreshments daily in the lobby starting at 4PM.
In the grand scheme of things this is minor, but it’s so nice to see a hotel putting such effort into the guest experience.
Four Seasons Boston The Vault
The Four Seasons Boston has “The Vault,” where on even numbered floors there’s an area with complimentary movie snacks and drinks. Guests can help themselves to this 24/7.
For those of us without self restraint (raises hand), this is a very, very dangerous amenity. This area had a variety of nuts, all kinds of candy, chips, and drinks. You’ve also gotta love the wallpaper, hah.
Four Seasons Boston Aujourd’hui Restaurant & Lounge
One quirk of the Four Seasons Boston is the food & beverage outlet situation. Aujourd’hui Restaurant & Lounge is the hotel’s restaurant, and it’s exclusively open to hotel guests. I found that strange at first, but then quickly figured out why — it’s located on the second floor, and seems to be a repurposed conference room.
When you enter the restaurant there’s a bar & lounge area, and then further in is a restaurant area.
I’m curious what the backstory is here. Was there at some point a “real” restaurant in the hotel and it just didn’t work out, or what caused the current situation? Here’s the thing — as strange as this setup was, I feel like it actually worked out well. The service was to Four Seasons standards, the food and drinks were great, it was never crowded, there were nice views of Boston Public Garden, and you didn’t need to make a reservation.
Anyway, we had breakfast here both mornings, and you can find the menu below (obviously breakfast is expensive, but you should be booking Four Seasons through Preferred Partner, in which case you get a $96 daily breakfast credit for two).
Over the course of our stay we tried the acai bowl, avocado toast, three egg omelet, and smoked salmon bagel, and all four dishes were very good.
Since we had a $100 food & beverage credit to spend, we came to the restaurant one evening for dinner. You can find the menu below.
We first sat in the lounge area, and each had a dirty martini, which was served with some nuts and olives. Yum.
To start we shared the mezze platter, and then for our mains we had the roasted halibut and the braised beef short ribs.
Four Seasons Boston The Sanctuary
The Four Seasons Boston also has “The Sanctuary,” which is the hotel’s outdoor courtyard on the sixth floor. This is a beautiful place to sit outside in summer, and you can also have any meal served here, either from the restaurant or room service. So if you’d like, you could enjoy your breakfast or dinner in this courtyard for a change of scenery.
Four Seasons Boston house car
The Four Seasons Boston has a house car, which offers complimentary rides within a two mile radius of the hotel. Again, it’s the little things that make a stay memorable, so this is yet another nice feature of this hotel.
Four Seasons Boston service
Service at the Four Seasons Boston was excellent across the board. Four Seasons is in my experience the world’s most consistent hotel brand when it comes to service, and this property was no exception. Service was textbook perfect.
Why didn’t we stay at the Four Seasons One Dalton?
Four Seasons has two properties in Boston, with the other being the Four Seasons One Dalton. One Dalton opened in 2019, and is the newer and shinier Four Seasons property in Boston. For our dates the rates were nearly the same at both properties, so why did we decide on the original Four Seasons?
To be honest, we only decided to book a Four Seasons once we were in Boston, during our stay at the Mandarin Oriental. We walked by both Four Seasons properties, and we loved the location of the original Four Seasons, as it’s right in the heart of Back Bay, on a beautiful street, across the street from Boston Public Garden.
The immediate couple of blocks around Four Seasons One Dalton aren’t nearly as charming, and feel much more like what you’d expect in a huge city. That’s not to say it’s not a great hotel (Ford has gotten great feedback from clients on One Dalton), but there’s something nice about walking out of your hotel room and being in an area you love. That’s why we decided on the “original” Four Seasons Boston.
Bottom line
The Four Seasons Boston is a phenomenal city hotel. On the most basic level, the hotel has a great location, an excellent gym, and a nice pool.
I always say that hospitality happens at the margins, which is to say that the things that make hotel stays memorable are the little touches that show someone put thought into the guest experience. This hotel is the perfect example of that.
From a complimentary coffee shop, to a complimentary weekend happy hour, to complimentary movie snacks, to a complimentary hotel car, this hotel just “gets” it. To me the Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental were simply in different leagues when it came to what I value in a city hotel.
Now, in fairness, if you’re looking for a hotel with a great spa or a lively restaurant scene, the Four Seasons isn’t for you. In that case the Four Seasons Boston One Dalton would be a better fit, as it has both a spa and a Zuma Restaurant.
Want to take advantage of Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits, including a space available room upgrade, complimentary breakfast, a hotel credit, and more? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked.
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I really love the 4S in Back Bay with the exception of some of the furnishings, which seem just tacky and cheap.
Is that a massive error on the restaurant menu? They have a list of Starters, then a list of "Entres" which look rather like main courses!
In American restaurants Entres are main courses. This is standard throughout the US.
When I stayed at the FS Boston the 'vault' was always empty save for a few boxes of nuts and cups for drinks. I asked the operator and they said they were all out of stocks of snacks and had been for a few weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if some kids raid it like they are at home - which to some extent is probably what FS Boston wants - but a few boxes of candy meets a 8 year old.....literally kid in a free candy store.
The property is actually across the street from the Boston Public Gardens, and not the Boston Common.
Nice hotel. It's funny that the little amenities that are complimentary, we take as a nice gesture. But when paying $1,000 per a night, it's almost nuts when those level of hotels don't offer a house car, snacks and water/snack stations. I used a house car recently. But it was at the Andaz in Scottsdale lol at a fraction of the Four Seasons price. Funny how and where certain amenities are offered.
Also, if in...
Nice hotel. It's funny that the little amenities that are complimentary, we take as a nice gesture. But when paying $1,000 per a night, it's almost nuts when those level of hotels don't offer a house car, snacks and water/snack stations. I used a house car recently. But it was at the Andaz in Scottsdale lol at a fraction of the Four Seasons price. Funny how and where certain amenities are offered.
Also, if in Boston again, try out the Encore. Classy spot with nicer rooms than FS imo. Albeit, a resort casino with a non walkable location.
The premium Boston hotel rooms can command is... insane. That said, as alternatives to the Four Seasons and the MO, I've had good service experiences at both The Langham and the Beacon XV:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60745-d114149-r837987065-The_Langham_Boston-Boston_Massachusetts.html
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60745-d94337-r783623208-XV_Beacon_Hotel-Boston_Massachusetts.html
My only somewhat catty comment is that you seem to have given them a pass on the coffee shop opening at 7am ... nearly lunchtime for you! ;-) whereas with the Mandarin, you gave them points off for opening at 6.30am. Personally, I'd rather have free coffee at 7am than $10 coffee at 6:30am. Actually, now that I think about it, I want coffee when I wake up, and I'll probably pay whatever they want.......
My only somewhat catty comment is that you seem to have given them a pass on the coffee shop opening at 7am ... nearly lunchtime for you! ;-) whereas with the Mandarin, you gave them points off for opening at 6.30am. Personally, I'd rather have free coffee at 7am than $10 coffee at 6:30am. Actually, now that I think about it, I want coffee when I wake up, and I'll probably pay whatever they want.... maybe you aren't complaining about it because you had acclimated to the timezone by the time you arrived here and the 7am opening time worked for you ? Hmmmm.... Either way, I enjoy your blog and your reviews, so thank you!
It's not correct to call this Four Seasons Back Bay since the Four Seasons Dalton St is also located in Back Bay.
"Virtually all the drinks are complimentary for hotel guests. So whether you want a cappuccino, espresso, or iced coffee, it won’t cost you anything. This might just be my single favorite hotel amenity ever, as the coffee was also exceptionally good."
When you think about it for a high-end property this ought to be a no-brainer. It's a great way to get excellent press as well as repeat guests ... the actual cost of coffee...
"Virtually all the drinks are complimentary for hotel guests. So whether you want a cappuccino, espresso, or iced coffee, it won’t cost you anything. This might just be my single favorite hotel amenity ever, as the coffee was also exceptionally good."
When you think about it for a high-end property this ought to be a no-brainer. It's a great way to get excellent press as well as repeat guests ... the actual cost of coffee drinks are relatively minimal and the return on the hotel's investment is huge.
'Complimentary' or 'free' is overused a lot on here, considering the room rates paid.
But it is obviously a smart tactic from the hotel, since people are not reasonable decision makers and prefer the feeling of receiving freebies over sound accounting & financial decisions. You should drink an awful lot of 'complimentary' coffee to justify that $1000 / night rate being a good deal...
Now that's a hotel! Love to stay there in the future. Use to stay at the Four Seasons LA / Beverly Hills and it was always top notch. Might have to do a Boston weekend once the Bruins start to play again.
Always loved that hotel ! Use to go all the time to the Bristol lounge which was on the first floor to the left . I guess it’s called something different now .
And now the pic of the filet mignon is gone...wonder what that is all about...
And if I see 1 more picture of avocado toast, I'm going to SCREAM!!!!! Lol. Ugghhh.
Cannot show too many of the FS travel agent freebies during the sponsored reviews!
Well, that's interesting.
Room underwhelming, but everything was top-notch. Impressed. Especially like the coffee bar and movie snacks. How cool.
Agree. I just cannot justify paying these prices at US city hotels for discretionary/leisure travel (OPM is another matter entirely, of course). I do think the Sanctuary is cool, though.
Ben, thanks for the reviews, and I am glad you liked Boston! For someone who likes walking, it's a really great city.
A couple of geography comments:
1. The park with the swan boats is The Public Garden. Boston Common is the park across the street from it, visible in your bedroom view photos.
2. Back Bay usually refers to the area west of the Public Garden, starting at Arlington Street. So while...
Ben, thanks for the reviews, and I am glad you liked Boston! For someone who likes walking, it's a really great city.
A couple of geography comments:
1. The park with the swan boats is The Public Garden. Boston Common is the park across the street from it, visible in your bedroom view photos.
2. Back Bay usually refers to the area west of the Public Garden, starting at Arlington Street. So while Mandarin Oriental is in the middle of Back Bay, this Four Seasons is not. Fun fact - Back Bay cross streets are named in alphabetical order east to west: Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, etc.
Nice of them to have the (formerly) local themed TB12 area in the gym :)
Aujourd’hui used to be one of Boston's best restaurants, it was open to non-guests, and it definitely was not located in a second floor conference room. It used to be located just inside the lobby to the left in a beautiful dining room. Is it possible that it was closed for renovations or something and this was a temporary restaurant so that hotel guests had a place to eat?
The Wiliam Kovel-led Aujurd'hui sadly shuttered in 2009. IMHO it was *the* best restaurant in Boston in the early 2000s. Indeed, the best soup I've had in my life was there, and I didn't even order it: the chef sent it out with compliments to accompany my wife's salad (I wasn't particularly hungry and skipped the salad course, to the obvious displeasure of the kitchen). The name lives on, but I assure you it could never be confused with what once was there.
So what gets you in the vault? I think I’d end up binging the Swedish fish and popcorn.
You've said a couple of times that you don't value a spa that much in a city hotel. I've found a great use case for spas in city hotels - after a long day of meetings ending say at 4 PM, a spa treatment from 5 pm to 6 or so is a great way to unwind before dinner out in the city. I also have used that time for a swim, steam room, etc. Also spas are good to use for weekend trips to cities.
Gotta love the extreme level of pomp in the comments - Anthony a shining example.
Don’t take this the wrong way as I’m not hating - I truly like to hear that others enjoy the finer things in life. A nice massage and rub n tug before dinner is excellent.
I'm laughing for a different reason. A "long day of meetings" on a business trip for us mere mortals doesn't end at 4pm and leave time for a massage and an expensive dinner on the town. The day ends at 5 or 6pm, followed by a quick dinner and more work because things don't stop back in the office. Not sure what Anthony does for a living but it's not the life of most of us exec who travel.
Interesting and seems as if FS is testing out some new concepts for other properties. I have not stayed here since the reno…it was getting tired before. But surprised the lobby bar and dining is gone…it was the best part of the original and popular with locals. I personally love the new Dalton property though.
There was a big restaurant and bar on the main floor, and it's currently under renovations - you won't believe it, but there's a massive wall on the first floor that's totally temporary, that looks 100% real and permanent.
I want to drop a polite observation that, if mid-range hotels were $600+, it would appear to be a golden opportunity to use hotel points. Were there no 60K Hilton ($300) or 60K Marriott redemptions ($450)? What about IHG? What about Hyatt at 20K ($300)? Maybe a Wyndham 27K? What about Choice from Citi at 2:1? As a reader, I can say it would have been more exciting to see you flex your points muscles...
I want to drop a polite observation that, if mid-range hotels were $600+, it would appear to be a golden opportunity to use hotel points. Were there no 60K Hilton ($300) or 60K Marriott redemptions ($450)? What about IHG? What about Hyatt at 20K ($300)? Maybe a Wyndham 27K? What about Choice from Citi at 2:1? As a reader, I can say it would have been more exciting to see you flex your points muscles at a time like this. Perhaps it helps Ford’s booking business to have reviews like these, and so I can see the business case of de-emphasizing the use of hotel points. But it sure is disappointing as a reader. Are the type of people who drop $999 on a hotel night also reading a miles/points blog? You spent like 10% of my annual salary to visit Boston for a week.
"To start we shared the mezze platter, and then for our mains we had the roasted halibut and the braised beef short ribs."
From your pics, looks like you had a third main as well?