OverviewLocated about a 5-minute walk from Fenway Park along Highway 2, and across the street from Boston University, the Buckminster Hotel is geared towards business and vacation travellers who require a well-priced hotel with easy highway access within a short walk or public transit ride from Fenway Park or Boston U.
This hotel has 116 air-conditioned and smoke-free guest rooms and suites, each offering 90 free minutes of Wi-Fi per day, cable TV, a microwave, a mini-fridge, an iPod docking station, a desk, an iron and ironing board and a hair dryer. Rooms with a separate bedroom, two TVs and a living room with a sofabed are also available, and wheelchair-accessible rooms are available upon request.
Hotel amenities include meeting/conference space, a 24-hour front desk, a business centre, guest laundry facilities, vending machines and a free continental breakfast. Parking is $30 per day, and 24-hour Wi-Fi is an additional $9.99 per day. Pets are not permitted.
Uno Chicago Grill is located next door to the hotel, and public transit can be accessed within a 1-minute walk from the hotel. Boston University can be found 8 minutes away by public transit, while MIT is a 7-minute drive or 14-minute bus ride away. House of Blues Boston is roughly a 6-minute drive southeast.
The nearest on-ramp to Interstate 90 is a 3-minute drive away, and Logan International Airport (BOS) is approximately a 50-minute drive eastward. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Wi-Fi 90 minutes free or $9.99/24 hours, parking $30/day, pets not permitted, wheelchair accessible. (Call Date: June 23, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with much praise going to the hotel's location, rooms, breakfast and value.
Many lodgers enjoyed the hotel's location. They found it to be close to Fenway Park, Boston Commons, highway access, public transit, MIT and several restaurants and pubs.
The hotel's rooms were praised by numerous guests. They were described as clean and spacious, with comfortable beds, large bathrooms and great city views. Some lodgers had complaints about their rooms, however (see below).
The hotel's value was praised by several reviewers, who described the rates as reasonable, affordable and budget friendly. One guest remarked, "After doing quite a bit of online research, I have found that there is no better value in Boston".
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were some common complaints about the rooms and noise transfer.
While the majority of guests enjoyed their clean and spacious rooms, some reviewers were disappointed with their accommodations. They reported small tube TVs, dated decor, worn carpeting and furniture, no coffeemaker and a lack of hot water.
Noise disturbances were reported by a few lodgers, who reported street noise into the night and a noisy in-room air-conditioning unit.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 8.2 out of 10 from 981 reviews.
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 4.1 out of 5 with a 94% recommendation rate from 650 reviews.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #56 out of 77 Boston hotels with an average rating of 3.5 out of 5 from 470 reviews.
The author called the hotel on June 23, 2013 to verify some information.
