Want to take advantage of Mandarin Oriental Fan Club benefits, including a 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.
We recently spent a few nights at the 148-room Mandarin Oriental Boston. Mandarin Oriental is regarded as one of the world’s best luxury hotel brands, though I had only ever stayed at one Mandarin Oriental property (in Kuala Lumpur), and that was years ago.
I was curious to see what the brand has to offer, which is why we checked it out, especially since we got a (relatively) decent deal. Mandarin Oriental’s properties in the United States are in Boston, Miami, New York, and Washington DC.
What’s my takeaway? On the plus side, the hotel has a great location, large guest rooms (marketed as the biggest in the city), generally good service, and a great spa (if that’s something you care about). However, I also found the hotel to be forgettable and kind of soulless. The only dining outlet at the hotel is a Gordon Ramsay restaurant, and there wasn’t anything that really made this hotel memorable otherwise… it seems like it’s just coasting on the Mandarin Oriental name.
In contrast, we also stayed at the Four Seasons Boston (just down the road), and that was in a totally different league, in my opinion. That hotel actually put significant effort into the guest experience. Anyway, let’s get into the review.
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Booking the Mandarin Oriental Boston
We had to be in Boston on certain days in early August. I don’t know what was going on in town, though hotel prices were ridiculous. Like, The Liberty (a Marriott Luxury Collection) was charging $878 per night, the Residence Inn Boston Dedham was charging $642 per night, and the Le Meridien Boston Cambridge was charging $592 per night. There was virtually no award availability anywhere, as hotels were sold out of base rooms.
By comparison, the Mandarin Oriental Boston was almost a bargain. The hotel was charging $995 per night (and that was for a premium room, the only one that was available), with a third night free, meaning we were paying ~$663 per night. I also managed to take advantage of an Amex Offers deal for our stay, to save $100.
Ford booked us through the Mandarin Oriental Fan Club program, which is the best way to book Mandarin Oriental stays. This offers a variety of additional perks, including a room upgrade subject to availability, a $100 property credit, daily breakfast, and more. This is almost always a better deal than booking direct through the Mandarin Oriental Fans of M.O. program.
While the stay was by no means cheap, it was a relatively decent deal, compared to the other options.
If you need help with a Mandarin Oriental Fan Club booking, Ford is happy to help, and can be reached at [email protected].
Mandarin Oriental Boston location
The Mandarin Oriental Boston is located at 776 Boylston Street, in the popular Back Bay neighborhood. It’s right next to the Prudential Center as well.
This was my first time “properly” visiting Boston in the summer, and my gosh, I loved the city, and in particular loved this area. Back Bay is such a pretty area to walk around, with all kinds of great local restaurants and cafes. There’s even a Capital One Cafe right across the street, for those looking for decent (and cheap) coffee. The hotel’s location really can’t be beat, in my opinion.
The hotel was roughly a 15-minute drive from Boston Logan Airport (BOS). It’s super convenient how close the airport is to the city in Boston — it reminds me of Miami in that sense.
Mandarin Oriental Boston lobby & check-in
We arrived at the Mandarin Oriental Boston at around 1PM, and were promptly helped by the bellmen. We were directed to reception, which was located inside the lobby and straight ahead. The check-in process was efficient and friendly, though our room wasn’t quite ready.
Nonetheless the associate checking us in went over all the details of what we could expect during our stay. We had booked a premier king city view room, and unfortunately no upgrades were available (which was totally fair, as the hotel was sold out). She confirmed we’d receive a daily $120 breakfast credit (which is massive), plus a $100 credit to use at some point during our stay.
We were also welcomed by the (German) front office manager, who was extremely professional and friendly, and greeted us each time we entered the hotel (while he was on duty, of course).
The lobby has a fair bit of seating. Aside from Ramsay’s Kitchen (the Gordon Ramsay restaurant attached to the hotel), this is really the only public space in the hotel to sit. I find it disappointing that the hotel doesn’t have any sort of a lobby bar or other outlet. Personally one of the things I like about a luxury city hotel is a nice bar where I can have a drink before going out for dinner, but this hotel doesn’t really have that.
On the plus side, the hotel does offer complimentary coffee in the lobby each morning.
While our room wasn’t quite ready when we arrived, it was ready within about 30 minutes of our arrival. During that time we sat in the lobby getting some work done. I found it unprofessional that there were four people having a conference call on speakerphone in the lobby seating area. I got the sense that they were pretty senior hotel employees, because they were discussing final preparations for some winter events they’re putting together for the hotel.
Anyway, eventually our room was ready, at which point we headed to the elevators, located down the hall from reception.
Mandarin Oriental Boston premier city view room
We were assigned room #421, a premier king city view room on the fourth floor (the hotel has eight floors). Our room was the first one on the left.
At 538 square feet, the room was generously sized (base rooms here are 409 square feet, which is also quite big). The Mandarin Oriental recently underwent a $15 million renovation, and that’s especially evident in the guest rooms, which are nicely appointed.
Our room featured a long entryway, with the bathroom to the right.
The room had a king size bed with four large pillows, and I found the bed comfort to be on par with Four Seasons (which is saying a lot).
The room had a wall-mounted TV, plus a dresser under the TV.
At the far end of the room was a couch plus a table with two chairs. I appreciated the variety of seating options, and that the table could act as either a dining table or desk.
Our room had views of Boylston Street, and even though the street gets busy, the sound insulation is excellent, so we didn’t hear any noise in our room.
Back near the entrance was the minibar, which had a Nespresso coffee machine plus a variety of food & drinks for purchase. Interestingly there was no complimentary bottled water in the room, except at turndown (of course tap water is perfectly drinkable, but most luxury hotels put a couple of bottles of water in rooms).
The bathroom was back near the entrance, and was quite large. There was a single sink with a large mirror, and then a soaking tub, a walk-in shower, and a toilet with a door.
Toiletries were in wall-mounted containers, and were from Diptyque, which I love.
There was also a box with a variety of amenities things you might need, ranging from shower caps to dental kits to combs. I appreciated that this was available in the room, rather than having to call down.
A couple of hours after checking in we were brought a welcome amenity, consisting of a few pieces of fruit.
Wi-Fi in the room was fast and free, and twice daily housekeeping was proactively offered.
Mandarin Oriental Boston Ramsay’s Kitchen (breakfast)
Ramsay’s Kitchen is the Mandarin Oriental Boston’s signature restaurant, and the only food & beverage outlet at the hotel (other than room service). You can access the restaurant either from the street, or there’s a door near the elevators in the hotel leading to it. This restaurant only opened in early 2022, so it’s still quite new.
Here’s the thing — a Gordon Ramsay restaurant will no doubt be popular, including with locals, but to me it seems like an odd fit for a Mandarin Oriental. I appreciate Mandarin Oriental’s Asian roots, and I kind of wish the hotel had some sort of an Asian-inspired food & beverage outlet, even if it’s just a bar with some great drinks.
Also, this has nothing to do with anything, but I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen Gordon Ramsay at airport lounges, from the British Airways Concorde Room London Heathrow, to the Qantas First Lounge Los Angeles. He gets around.
The restaurant itself was quite nice, and huge. One side of the restaurant had a bar area, while the other side had the main dining room.
Breakfast was served at Ramsay’s Kitchen daily from 6:30AM until 10:30AM, and you can find the menu below.
I thought the menu items were surprisingly reasonably priced. Often you’ll find that luxury hotels have huge markups on breakfast, but I guess they’re trying to price it so that locals might consider dining here for breakfast as well. Also keep in mind that we were given a $120 daily breakfast credit, which seemed ridiculously high, given the price of breakfast options. Like, we could’ve had four omelets and four avocado toasts each morning.
Oddly there was no coffee or drink menu at all. While the hotel has barista-made espresso drinks, there are no smoothies, and no freshly squeezed juices (though there is cold pressed orange and grapefruit juice from Connecticut). The cappuccinos were pretty good.
Over the course of our stay we tried a variety of things, including the fruit bowl, greek yogurt bowl, three-egg omelet, avocado toast, smoked salmon bagel, and lemon poppyseed pancakes (we don’t usually order sweets for breakfast, but these were beyond good, and the portion was borderline criminal).
Service in the restaurant was also friendly.
Mandarin Oriental Boston Ramsay’s Kitchen (lunch)
Since we had a $100 food & beverage credit to spend, we also decided to have lunch at Ramsay’s Kitchen one day. You can find the lunch menu below.
This was our big meal of the day, so we had the tuna tartare and the roasted baby beet salad to start.
Then for our main courses we had the beet burger and crispy skin salmon.
We enjoyed all four dishes. The menu seemed to be a bit all over the place, but at least it was well executed.
Mandarin Oriental Boston gym
The Mandarin Oriental Boston has a 24/7 gym, which can be accessed with guest key cards. This is located on the fourth floor, so was just down the hall from us. The gym was quite good, with a variety of modern cardio and weight equipment. It was particularly impressive when you consider that this isn’t a huge hotel — it has “just” 148 rooms.
Mandarin Oriental Boston spa
The Mandarin Oriental Boston’s spa is located on the fourth floor, also right near where our room was. Mandarin Orientals are known for having great spas, and the Boston property is known for having one of the best spas in the city.
The spa at the Mandarin Oriental Boston is a total of 16,000 square feet, and has 11 treatment rooms. It has some pretty innovative treatments, and you can find the full menu here.
Here’s the thing — maybe I’m in the minority, but a nice spa in a city hotel does nothing for me. Sure, I love an amazing spa at a resort with all kinds of cool features (like, take a look at the spa at the Ritz-Carlton Reserve Dorado Beach), but I don’t think I’ve ever really been interested in spas when visiting a city. I don’t usually have the time, I don’t find it to be worth the money, and for that matter I’m not usually in such a tranquil mindset when in cities.
So if you’re really into spas I’m sure you’ll enjoy the one at the Mandarin Oriental, though that’s something that’s lost on me, personally.
Mandarin Oriental Boston service
I found service at the Mandarin Oriental to generally be very good, but not perfect:
- The front office staff were friendly, in particular the German front office manager (mentioned above); for example, I saw that they had cute Mandarin Oriental branded lobsters in the lobby (presumably intended as gifts for kids kids), and they offered to give us a couple, which was nice
- I found the service in the restaurant to be friendly, at both breakfast and lunch
- At the same time, a couple of times I called the operator, and there was no answer, which you wouldn’t expect at a luxury hotel
We had fairly limited interactions with staff, ultimately, due to the lack of outlets at the hotel.
Also, while we didn’t have any use for it, I thought MOBI, the robot butler in the lobby, was super cute. Apparently MOBI can deliver stuff to your room. I didn’t need anything, but I was almost tempted to ask for something just so he’d make an appearance.
Bottom line
The Mandarin Oriental Boston is a newly renovated hotel in a great location with large and nicely appointed guest rooms. The hotel also has a solid gym and an allegedly great spa (though I didn’t use it). The hotel’s only food & beverage outlet is Ramsay’s Kitchen, which I have a hard time getting excited about at a Mandarin Oriental.
While I think this is a perfectly nice hotel, I feel like there’s something missing here. You don’t have to be a hotel guest to dine at Ramsay’s Kitchen or get a treatment at the Mandarin Oriental spa. I also love Mandarin Oriental being an Asian brand, yet there was nothing about the experience that reminded me of that.
I tend to think that memorable hospitality happens at the margins, and that’s what’s lacking here.
I’ll review the Four Seasons Boston (which is a few blocks away) next. Pricing is almost identical, and I feel like that hotel puts a lot more effort into the guest experience — there’s a complimentary hotel car that will take you anywhere in the area, there’s a complimentary all-day coffee shop with barista-made drinks, there’s a complimentary happy hour on the weekends, there are “vaults” with unlimited free movie snacks for guests, the hotel has a beautiful pool and superior gym, etc. For city hotel stays, those are the kinds of amenities and experiences that stand out to me. Those were all lacking at the Mandarin Oriental.
What’s your take on the Mandarin Oriental Boston?
Mandarin Oriental Boca Raton is well underway, and expected to open early 2023:)
Is it me or does this property not appear very luxurious especially for the price....
The lobster is cute though.
Hyatt Place Boston Seaport is a great plan watching hotel. Get a room with a window facing the airport. Can watch planes take off all day.
Are you going to review the Four Seasons Dalton St as well? Curious how it stacks up with the original location.
Every time I look at Boston hotels they are always priced this way. I used my 85K free night certificate from the Amex Marriott for the Liberty which was a stellar hotel and a fantastic value
MO outside of the Far East are just not up to muster! They lack the hospitality and eager to please can do attitude. My go to Boston hotel is always the Langham.
You missed a great standalone hotel—The Newbury. The staff are unparalleled, the rooms are fantastic, and the hotel’s restaurant (Contessa) is one of the best in the city, especially with its rooftop views. Perfect location on Newbury Street and right on the Public Gardens. The only downside of the hotel are the small (but well appointed) bathrooms, and, of course, the price/lack of loyalty program. Check it out next time—you won’t regret it!
Did you have an opportunity to use the spa facilities like the ice fountain, vitality pool, etc? Those are accessible to hotel guests without the need to receive spa services.
As an area resident I love the spa have gotten treatments there. As for the restaurants I believe Gordon Ramsay is the hotels third restaurant since opening in 2008-replacing Bar Boulud and the initial restaurant Asana.
There were formerly two local staples onsite but...
Did you have an opportunity to use the spa facilities like the ice fountain, vitality pool, etc? Those are accessible to hotel guests without the need to receive spa services.
As an area resident I love the spa have gotten treatments there. As for the restaurants I believe Gordon Ramsay is the hotels third restaurant since opening in 2008-replacing Bar Boulud and the initial restaurant Asana.
There were formerly two local staples onsite but not affiliated with the hotel. L’Espalier was a Boston institution for decades and popular Valentine’s Day destination and the more casual Provençal cuisine Sel De La Terre was also in the Mandarin Oriental building.
I hope you enjoyed our fine city!
I generally find it quite difficult to justify staying at a "luxury chain" hotel in the US (while I pretty much always think it's worth it in Asia and sometimes in Europe), since the layout and styling tends to be pretty similar to newer/newly renovated lower-tier hotels. Don't get me wrong, I for one really like US hotels in general (spacious, good AC, usually nice beds, etc), but the luxury ones seldom give me that...
I generally find it quite difficult to justify staying at a "luxury chain" hotel in the US (while I pretty much always think it's worth it in Asia and sometimes in Europe), since the layout and styling tends to be pretty similar to newer/newly renovated lower-tier hotels. Don't get me wrong, I for one really like US hotels in general (spacious, good AC, usually nice beds, etc), but the luxury ones seldom give me that "wow" feeling that you get in Asia, while lower to mid tear properties (e.g. new Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Courtyard, etc) are usually quite good.
Eating at a Ramsay restaurant and not ordering the Wellington is almost criminal. It's absurdly delicious at each of his restaurants that I've visited. If you're only going to have one dining option at a hotel, a Gordon Ramsay restaurant is a pretty sweet option.
You're trying all the wrong MOs.
Try the MO Jakarta, for service beyond words.
MO Bangkok for a historic property with great dining options, really nice rooms (apart from the basic ones) and tranquility in a chaotic city.
MO London for some of the best rooms in the City.
MO Ritz Madrid for beautiful design.
MO Landmark HK for an unbeatable location, and really well designed rooms.
Other MOs, which are great, but face...
You're trying all the wrong MOs.
Try the MO Jakarta, for service beyond words.
MO Bangkok for a historic property with great dining options, really nice rooms (apart from the basic ones) and tranquility in a chaotic city.
MO London for some of the best rooms in the City.
MO Ritz Madrid for beautiful design.
MO Landmark HK for an unbeatable location, and really well designed rooms.
Other MOs, which are great, but face stiff competition are:
MO Tokyo, great prestigious location, but other hotels are better in Tokyo.
Singapore, a great property but out shadowed by MBS in the area, and the hotels on Orchard with a better location.
Barcelona, nicely done but far too small.
Milan, the Bulgari right opposite and FS a few meters away do it so much better, if they didn't exist the MO would be great though.
Dubai & Istanbul, nice but what is with the pricing? In these markets its insane.
Should add Munich to one of the lists of gems. I have stayed there for years for work and find it flawless. One of my favorite hotels in Europe. Agree with you on the rest though as to which are special and those that are ho hum. Singapore is especially a consistent disappointment. I’m excited for Vienna next to see how it stands up to my beloved Park Hyatt.
MO Boston sells for around USD 1000 a night. Who cares if other MOs are great when paying that price?
My brother works at the MO Istanbul and they routinely sell out with those prices! I think they are the most expensive hotel in Istanbul.
No doubt I am a huge fan of both MO and FS. With that the U.S. properties for MO have always been somewhat lacking. Only Miami stands out as really special to me in offering a true experience. MO shines the most in other parts of the world though and where I tend to use them.
I prefer the new FS in Boston at Dalton St. But it’s much newer and was built as...
No doubt I am a huge fan of both MO and FS. With that the U.S. properties for MO have always been somewhat lacking. Only Miami stands out as really special to me in offering a true experience. MO shines the most in other parts of the world though and where I tend to use them.
I prefer the new FS in Boston at Dalton St. But it’s much newer and was built as such with a keener eye to the times.
MO has never been able to really advance the brand in the U.S. And I do agree that if they would utilize more the Asian roots of their hotels it would help distinguish their properties from FS and develop more of a true following. Adding a few resorts and a presence on the West Coast would also help them greatly. I will never understand why they abandoned San Francisco. Back in the day it was a wonderful hotel, especially for work in the Financial District.
Hard to make a choice between this and the Newton Marriott, since both are worthy of a 4 star review!
Funny you mention you stayed at the KL Mandarin Oriental a few years ago! I just completed a 4 night stay just 2 weeks ago.
It was nice enough, staff were super-friendly and obliging (a few too much so), but I found the food very disappointing. Did better in the adjoining Petronus Towers complex and local recommended hawkers stalls where much better local dishes were about one-tenth of the price of the hotel.
An OK but unmerorable experience.
The hotel is connected to the prudential center and Copley mall, so you can access a dozen restaurants and bars without having to go outside. You also have direct indoor access to a subway stop, train station, and convention center
The entire property looks totally uninspired, although that is an excellent location as you note.
Mandarin is selling the DC property to Salamander Hotels & Resorts and after the sale it will cease to be a Mandarin. It's never been anything special - basically a glorified Marriott at Mandarin prices.
Agree that outside the US Mandarin is in a whole other league - stayed in June at the Mandarin in Doha and it was...
The entire property looks totally uninspired, although that is an excellent location as you note.
Mandarin is selling the DC property to Salamander Hotels & Resorts and after the sale it will cease to be a Mandarin. It's never been anything special - basically a glorified Marriott at Mandarin prices.
Agree that outside the US Mandarin is in a whole other league - stayed in June at the Mandarin in Doha and it was close to flawless, one of the best city hotels I've ever stayed in. Although I did like the Mandarin in Vegas, which was rebranded as a Waldorf some time back.
Good news that DC will stop being an MO. That hotel is pretty lame and detracts from the MO brand. Seems like Boston MO is very similar and not a good representation of MO on the whole.
Agree, living in DC and being an MO Elite Fan this property lost any luster a few years after opening. The whole thing was a mistake. The building is boring, the rooms cookie cutter, and the location less than ideal (unless you like watching planes landing at DCA). When first opening they did have some fantastic restaurants and bar offerings, but they never survived. I stayed there last a year ago and was shocked how...
Agree, living in DC and being an MO Elite Fan this property lost any luster a few years after opening. The whole thing was a mistake. The building is boring, the rooms cookie cutter, and the location less than ideal (unless you like watching planes landing at DCA). When first opening they did have some fantastic restaurants and bar offerings, but they never survived. I stayed there last a year ago and was shocked how far it had fallen. Also The precious GM (who was also the US GM) was just moved last year to the Mandarin London, so I had a feeling the hotels days were numbered. The property fits more along the lines of maybe becoming an Intercontinental or Conrad.
Bottom line is that North America and MO have really struggled. They just seem to not have a clue here how to advance the brand. SF, Vegas, Atlanta…all gone. And now DC. They really need a visionary to better understand the market. Really, the only US property I bother staying at anymore is Miami, which is wonderful.
They have a huge amount of properties in the pipeline, the vast majority of which are outside of the US. I hadn't really thought about it but after reading your comment, I suppose that's not a coincidence.
I like a bar in a hotel also. Somewhere for a nightcap after an evening out.
I stayed in many MO hotels all over the world including USA - American MO hotels are not even close to the hotels in the Far East or Europe. Waste of money.
Maybe you addressed this before…but are you rating based on expectations?
You give this place 4 stars and the Marriott 4 stars too? Obviously one is better than the other.
I'm guessing he factors cost into the rating. A $200/night room vs $1000/night room will have two drastically different levels of expectations.
Bostonian here - nothing big I know of was going on, I the city is just popular in the summer. Hope you got over to Comm. Ave, a nice place to walk.
That breakfast sure looks good, and agree prices are surprisingly reasonable - I'll have to check it out!
There used to be a hair salon on the 2nd floor, where my hairdresser worked for awhile, so I've been through the public areas - agree they're just kinda meh.
Boston is just popular in the summer. It’s always busy with tourists and events. Gotta book earth.
Most mandarin orientals in the US are just like you describe- fine and a Prince for the brand. But not as good as their properties in Asia. Here in DC there’s a Mandarin but it’s just not in the same league reputation-wise as the city’s top hotels such as the hay-Adams, 4 seasons, Jefferson.