We recently stayed at the Park Plaza in Boston. After reading the less than stellar reviews, we had some concerns, but we did not encounter any problems. We asked for an upgrade (by calling a week ahead of our arrival) and received a great room on the 11th floor.

The hotel is an easy walk to the Back Bay and to the Freedom Trail. We payed $125 on Priceline when most rooms in downtown Boston were over $250. There are many restaurant options right in the hotel and within a short walking distance.

We arrived to the hotel around 11 AM and were given an early check in. The room was clean and the showers are great.

The location and price are unbeatable!

After reading the string of terrible reviews in the previous months for the Park Plaza, I felt compelled to share my great experience.

I just got back from a long weekend at the Park Plaza with the girlfriend and could not of been happier with our experience. We booked through Priceline ($85), and after asking about an updated room, were giving a nice king room on the 12th floor. Given that the hotel was sold out and very busy, it was a smooth and pleasant check in.

The location is perfect for those wishing to visit Boston by foot (just a block from the Boston Common and Arlington St. subway stop). The front desk was able to offer quality advice on bars, restaurants, and shopping in the area. And we always felt safe in the neighborhood, even when walking around at night.

Give the Park Plaza a chance and you should be pleasantly surprised. Clearly, there is a vast variety of room floorplans in this hotel, but they appear to be willing to work with your needs. I look forward to my next visit.

This hotel is extremely central, rooms were decent plus we found a great rate on Expedia. I had read the other reviews and they were mixed, but we decided to take a chance because of the price and we were happy we did!

Location - The Good (actually The Great): This hotel is pretty much central to everything, but handiest for Newbury Street, Boston Common, the Trolley Tours office, Chinatown and Charles Street. If you like walking, you can actually walk everywhere without needing to pay for the expensive Trolley Tour or taking the metro... go for the Duck Tour if you must, but it looks kinda goofy and again, you can definitely walk it all: Boston Common = 1 min, Newbury Street = 5 mins, Chinatown = 10 minutes, Charles Street, 10 minutes, Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market = 25 mins, Aquarium and waterfront = 25 minutes, Boston South End's trendy new restaurants and bars on Washington = 15 minutes, Copley Square and the Prudential Building = 20 minutes. Fenway and Cambridge would be the only sites I would have taken a cab or the metro to get to.

Location - The Bad: Parking is difficult wherever you are in Boston, there is no on-site parking but there are a couple of lots nearby. It's also quite touristy (on account of being so central), so staying in a smaller B&B or executive apartment rental right in the Newbury area is another option.

Accommodations - The Good: The Deluxe Room (we paid $179 CDN plus tax per night) was perfect for us (2 adults, 1 toddler). The king bed was super comfortable and had a duvet (I hate scratchy army wool blankets), more than enough pillows and an extra blanket. There was a pull-out couch but we didn't use it. It had plenty of room to hang out and for our daughter to play. Decent sized closet with ironing board and iron. The room was clean, and quiet aside from some rowdy guests coming in after a night out (it was Labour Day Long Weekend tho). Also, there is a gym and there is a night club attached to the hotel, in fact, it is quite astounding, the number of restaurants attached to the hotel.

Accommodations - The Bad: It's obviously a grand old hotel that has seen more glamourous days, the lobby really sets you up to think you've lucked out, but it's the nicest part of the hotel. It's a little cheese with the player piano in the bar. The carpets in the room were a bit worn and stained in some places. My only real complaint about the room was that near the window, it smelled mildewy or something but our view was of the roof so I didn't stand by the window very much anyways. The furniture is clearly not high-end since it's already been scratched even though it looks quite new. The bathroom is very very small and badly in need of a facelift, the radiator in the bathroom was really old and looked like it had been painted over 200 times, making it hard to clean well. The tiles on the floor and wall are at least 40 years old. However the tub and shower have been updated with those one-piece jobs you see in newer hotels. No marble or jacuzzi but functional. I felt the bathroom was decently clean, it just doesn't have that shiney new look. Also, be sure to make sure your room as an actual tub, and that it's not just a stand-up shower, the 360 virtual tour on their website shows a Standard Room that looks to only have a stand-up shower. There are no safes nor fridges in the rooms which we thought was weird. Another weird thing was that you call and leave a voicemail for the quick-check-out vs. using the tv.

Service - The Good: The front-desk people were extremely nice and happy to be helpful. We wanted to make sure we got a renovated room (given the mixed reviews on TripAdvisor and some scarey pictures), and as it turns out, they say all rooms have been renovated. We left notes at the front desk for our friends, they gave my daughter an apple while we were waiting, they were polite and professional. Our room was cleaned well and on time.

Service - The Bad: Nothing negative to say about their service.

If location is your top priority but you still want a decent room, this is a great option. If you are still concerned about the bathrooms, ask about the Tower Rooms, they look much nicer and advertise beautiful bathrooms, the concierge said those were the rooms that were completely renovated.

Having read the reviews on Trip advisor - I had prepared myself for the worst wiht the Park Plaza. When I arrived and found my room, I was pleased to see the room was extremely clean - however on the minus side the double room was absolutely tiny and the bathroom even smaller. That though for me wasn't a huge deal and I was happier than expexted. However when I went to bed that night - I was woken up at 5 am by a fire alarm - I rang reception and they told me it was a false alarm (even thought the unbelievably loud siren went on for about 15 minutes). Now as annoyed as I was - I understood hotels have to run practice drills. The next morning I ordered breakfast which was quite expensive. I was disappointed as it was not very fresh and unappetising. That night my friends and I went out in Boston and came back to the hotel for a night cap. The bar staff were very friendly and we were happy to find a plus to the hotel that was untill one of friends spotted a mouse running along the skirting board in the hotel. After that we were fairly disgusted and decided to call it a night. You can imagine my disgust when again at 6.30 i was awoken by the fire alarm. I could not believe it - again it went on for another ten minutes. I have read in posts months old that there were problems with the fire alram - why 6 months later is this still happening. The only thing that saved me from giving this a one star is that the chamber maids were very pleasent, always kept the bedroom spotless and helped me locate a lost item. Other than that the hotel was a pute and utter disgrace.