Location:

The Sheraton Boston hotel is centrally located in the popular Back Bay area of Boston, close to shopping, dining and other attractions. For those of you that love to shop, the hotel is connected to the Prudential Center and upscale Copley Place Mall and is also just one block from the famous Newbury Street, known for its designer boutiques. The hotel is also just steps away from Boston's clean and efficient metro. We thought the location of the hotel was great.

Room Comfort:

We stayed in a traditional guest room and found the room to be very comfortable and spacious. The room had a sitting area, a desk area and a very large and comfortable bed. The large windows also allowed a lot of natural light to enter the room. The bedding was soft and cozy. The decor was trendy and stylish. The bathroom was not as trendy as the room but was still nice. The bathroom was large and had a spacious marble countertop. The views of the city from the room were very nice. Toiletries were provided. At the time of our stay the room was carpeted and the TV was a bit outdated. Nevertheless, we really enjoyed our room at this hotel.

The hotel also has a large swimming pool that has a retractable roof. We managed to find some time to enjoy it and were happy with the experience.

Cleanliness:

The hotel and our room were very clean. The bathroom was also very well maintained and clean. The hotel lobby, fitness center and pool were also very well maintained and clean. The staff were dressed in professional and clean uniforms.

Service:

The service was good. We booked our room through Expedia.ca which had really low rates for the hotel. We prepaid our room through Expedia.ca and didn't have any problems at check-in or check-out. The hotel had a self check-in and check-out kiosk that we used with our prepaid voucher and found this to be a great feature at such a large and busy hotel. The concierge was happy to answer all or questions and point us in the right direction. The hotel is very large which can sometimes hinder the service; however, we found the staff to be very friendly and helpful.

Food:

The hotel has 3 dining options, a grill, a cafe and a Starbucks. We only used the Starbucks to purchase something to eat in the mornings so we really can't comment on the food at the hotel. Boston has so many great restaurants and within close walking distance that we chose to eat elsewhere.

Overall Value:

We really enjoyed our stay here and would make this our first choice of hotels in this category in Boston. The hotel room was very comfortable and the staff was very helpful. The location was also good. We really can't find anything to complain about. We highly recommend this hotel to all types of travellers, business, leisure, families and so on as long as it fits your budget.

Other Notes:

A great way to spend some time in Boston, other than whale watching and shopping of course, is to stroll around some of the surrounding neighbourhoods. There are several neighbourhood walking tours you can do on your own which are very enjoyable.

If you like baseball, don't forget to check out their highly competitive baseball team the Boston Red Sox. You can buy Boston Red Sox tickets here.

Our Rating: 4.6/5   Year Reviewed: 2008 

Expedia.ca offers the best price for this hotel. You can also visit the hotel's website at: www.starwoodhotels.com.

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Location:

The hotel is located on a quiet street just steps away from Chicago's famous Magnificent Mile shopping district and restaurants. For the active traveler, the hotel is also within a short walk or jog to Chicago's amazing lakefront jogging path. The metro is also fairly close and can be reached within a 10-minute walk. If you are arriving by car, there is a public parking lot located across the street from the hotel which is pretty convenient since parking in Chicago can sometimes be difficult to find. If you use their valet service, they will park your car at this parking lot and charge you the valet fee which is more expensive than the lot's fee.

Room Comfort:

The rooms are large and spacious, with large comfortable beds and a separate sitting area. The bathrooms are also very spacious. The room has everything possible to make your stay comfortable, from comfortable bedding, a large flat screen LCD TV, mini bar, sitting area/work space, high speed internet access and so on. We also had a beautiful view of the surrounding buildings from the comfort of our bed. The rooms are decorated with electric decor in calming contemporary colours. We can't say anything negative about the rooms. Overall, we found the room very comfortable which was perfect to come back to after a long day of sightseeing.

Cleanliness:

The hotel and the rooms were spotless. From the moment we entered the shiny and sparkling hotel lobby, it was quite apparent that the hotel takes great pride in cleanliness. The staff is also well outfitted in professional and stylish uniforms.

Service:

From the moment we arrived we were greeted with friendly smiles and welcoming service. The staff was great and went above and beyond to ensure we were having a great stay. The staff didn't fail to provide us with a warm and friendly welcome every time we stepped into the hotel. The concierge was also very resourceful and offered to  get us into the hottest night clubs or reservations for great restaurants. We booked our hotel through Priceline.com who provided the best rates for this hotel. Valet service, room service and spa services are also available.

Food:

Unfortunately we didn't try the food at the hotel so we can't provide any feedback. We can tell you that there is a popular restaurant at the hotel where the award winning celebrity chef - Marcus Samuelsson prepares award winning dishes. In addition to the restaurant, there is a rooftop lounge.

Overall Value:

This hotel offers excellent value. We were not disappointed with our stay and can't find one negative thing to say about our experience. Everything was perfect from the moment we checked-in. We would highly recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Chicago. It would be a shame to stay somewhere else.

Other Notes:

N/A

Our Rating: 4.7/5   Year Reviewed: 2008 

For the best possible price, try Priceline.com. You can also visit the hotel's website at: Affinia.com.

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Location:

The hotel is located in the French Quarter of New Orleans, on the corner of Bourbon Street and Toulouse Street. If your coming to party or to enjoy the sites around the French Quarter then this location is ideal. The famous Mardi Gras party starts and ends on Bourbon Street, meaning that you are right in the middle of things at this location. If you prefer a more secluded or quiet location, we would suggest you book a hotel a little farther away from this area. This hotel is also about a 15-minute walk of the main shopping street located just outside the French Quarter.

Room Comfort:

We stayed in a standard room and found the room quite comfortable. The room was small, but it did have a nice balcony to relax on. How much time are you going to spend in your room when in New Orleans anyway? The rooms are tastefully decorated and have comfortable bedding. The bathroom in our room was small but had everything that we needed during our stay.  We stayed in a street-view room which was a bit noisy at night due to the loud music being played at the many nearby bars, but that was part of the appeal so it really didn't bother us. If you want something more quieter, you can always stay in a pool-view room instead of the street-view room. Finally, the hotel is fairly large with 186 rooms in total, but it really does not feel that big which is quite nice.

Cleanliness:

The room and hotel grounds were clean. The hotel pool and garden were also very well maintained. The staff was fitted in professional clean uniforms.

Service:

The service at the hotel was good. The staff was approachable, courteous and helpful. The staff did not go above and beyond to help us, but they did answer our questions and did their best to make sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed. Check-in and check-out were easy and efficient. We booked the hotel room through Expedia.ca which really was a cheaper and hassle free way of getting the best deal.  There is a very nice pool on the property, as well as a fitness center and jewellery store.

Food:

The hotel has a cafe/bar in the lobby where you can have breakfast or enjoy a drink. We didn't try the food at the hotel, so we can't comment on it. There are plenty of places to eat in New Orleans, so we opted out for more authentic restaurants in the area.

Overall Value:

Overall, we really liked the location of this hotel and we really did enjoyed our stay.  We recommend this hotel, just make sure you choose a room that's appropriate for you, i.e., a pool-view room if you prefer a quieter area or a street-view room if you prefer the noise and action from the street below.

Other Notes:

Use caution when selecting a hotel in New Orleans as there are a number of worn-down accommodations. Also, don't forget to pick-up your Mardi Gras Beads before you, whether it's Mardi Gras or not.

Our Rating: 4.2/5   Year Reviewed: 2008 

For the best possible price, please visit Expedia.ca. You can also visit the hotel's website at: www.innonbourbon.com

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