Boston, sometimes humbly called the Hub of the Universe, was definitely the hub for amazing experiences at a recent Marriott CRN event.
Sometimes, when looking for a great meeting destination, you end up not having to look farther than your own backyard. That’s what I found on a recent Marriott Meet with Momentum event in Boston that showcased four of its stellar Beantown properties. While I live only an hour or so’s drive from the city, I seldom venture into town — and almost never partake in the many sights and activities that draw both tourists and meeting attendees to town. So this was a great occasion to experience Boston and some of its premier meeting properties with my press hat on. And I am so glad I did.
Meet the Marriotts
Boston has no shortage of cool hotels, from fun and funky boutiques to the gleaming properties of the local Boston members of the Marriott Convention & Resort Network (CRN), a curated group of more than 125 hotels designed specifically to make it easy for meeting and event planners to manage multi-location programs.
The four Boston Marriott CRN properties our group experienced were the Sheraton Boston Hotel, the Boston Marriott Copley Place, The Westin Copley Place, Boston and The Westin Boston Seaport District.
I stayed at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, which with the Boston Marriott Copley Place and the Westin Copley Place are part of the “3 -2-1 Connect” system in Boston’s historic Back Bay. It’s easy to travel between the three hotels and the Hynes Convention Center via indoor enclosed walkways through two shopping malls filled with stores whose wares, alas, are way beyond my budget — as our host said, it’s still fun for “aspirational shopping.”
While I love Massachusetts through all its seasons, even I can admit that winter in Boston can be a bit brutal, so having accommodations, the convention center and all the conveniences an attendee might need (including a CVS) all within a few minutes’ walk without having to brave the snow, ice and wind is a definite plus. 3-2-1 Connect also connects with the Back Bay Station and the T (the local subway system), which makes it also easy to get around town and beyond without having to venture outside.
While of course they do compete for meeting business, the three hotels also cooperate seamlessly, which they demonstrated for our group of three press and dozens of planners with programming spanning the three properties. Another added plus: The 3-2-1 complex also includes access to the View Boston Observation Deck, which was call the Top of the Hub the last time I ventured up to revel in the 360-degree views across the city, the Charles River, the harbor islands and beyond.
Where to Stay
• The Sheraton Boston Hotel, which is celebrating its 60th birthday this year after undergoing a $100 million renovation, was proud to showcase its reimagined public spaces, guest rooms, dining venues and meeting areas. Featuring 810 rooms — including 96 suites with stunning city and Charles River views — and 70,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, which was jamming the whole time we were there. I had left home with plenty of time to spare in hopes of beating the morning traffic, which means I hit the front desk in the newly redesigned lobby before 7 a.m. Amazingly, I was able to check in immediately and drop my bags in my beautifully designed room and head down to meet our hosts at the Henderson by Sheraton, the lobby restaurant which features an all-day menu.
We also got a sneak peek at the new Studio Suites, small enclosed meeting spaces which were set up for our group’s 60s-themed reception that evening with a vintage postcard station, a hi-fi stereo from the 1960s with albums from that era, and books featuring Boston and by local authors that we were invited to take home to read. Guests and locals alike can book the Studio Suites with just a swipe, no reservations needed, for work or small meetings. Community Manager Sydney Soucy is hard at work to find new ways to encourage the community to make use of these spaces and the hotel in general by holding gatherings large and small to entice the locals to come mingle with guests to take part in a variety of different programs. As she told us, it’s all part of Marriott’s work to provide an authentic local experience for guests while also helping the locals feel that the hotel as part of their community as well.
The lobby also features The Booths, soundproof alcoves, sort of like large phone booths, where individuals can get a little privacy without having to duck outside or go back to their rooms — or listen to records without bothering others, as we had a chance to do at that evening’s reception. We also got to check out the 60s Suite, which was outfitted with the era’s furnishings and amenities, which caused flashbacks to childhood for those of us of a certain age.
After dinner at the new Club Lounge for Marriott Bonvoy members, we also had a chance to check out the Sheraton’s indoor lap pool, the largest in Boston, which features a retractable roof for those warm summer days, and the adjacent sun deck, which doubled as a great venue for the evening reception as the moon rose over the skyline overhead.
• The AAA Four-Diamond Westin Copley Place features 803 lovely guest rooms, 142 suites and 32 unique meeting rooms spanning 57,000 square feet of event space, but it’s the culinary team that really blew me away. We had more fun than anyone should making lobster tortellini in a hands-on cooking class with Chef Roy Kaler, which he then took back to the kitchen and worked some magic to turn our efforts into a five-star luncheon in the Escape Lounge. Senior Purchasing Manager Mark Oshiro, who joined us for the activity and the lunch, had me rapt with the hotel’s commitment to sustainability that stretches across every department in the hotel, from F&B to security and even the back office staff (security polices to ensure that recycling bins are being used properly, and all that paper accounting uses can add up if not managed properly). Even the lobster we used for our tortellini was sustainably caught in line-free traps designed to be safe for endangered right whales, a big problem in New England as line entanglement is one of the main hazards for these gorgeous creatures.
We then waddled over to the new Recovery Lounge where the RunWestin Concierge provided a sampling of the hotel’s amazing wellness menu, which we were sadly too stuffed to eat much of, before strapping us into Normatec inflatable recovery boots for a 15-minute treatment. While they’re usually used for guests recovering from a long run down the Esplanade, a walking path that meanders along the Charles just outside the hotel’s entrance, the lounge and the boots, along with the massagers, fitness balls and assorted other equipment, would be a great area for groups to gather for meeting registration complete with a travel-recovery reset.
Lunch at the Westin’s Staffordshire Ballroom the next day was one of the highlights of the trip for me. The mocktails were light and refreshing, the food was OMG amazing, and the views of the city were stunning. Kudos to the Westin for producing a luncheon that will live on in my memory for a long, long time.
The Boston Marriott Copley Place has 1,148 spacious guest rooms, including 48 suites, along with 70,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, including 45 meeting rooms and a 22,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom that can accommodate up to 1,990 people. We gathered there for a mini trade show, followed by a panel discussion where Marriott execs outlined the company’s latest updates and initiatives and answered some tough questions.
One cool group activity the Marriott Copley offers is SmartHunts, an app-based interactive way to explore the local area. We got to experience a brief micro-scavenger hunt adventure through the Back Bay, led by SmartHunts Guide Joe Groves. We had to locate some of the area’s iconic features, from the Boston Public Library lions to the Marathon finish line and memorial, before dashing back to the hotel for a curated wine tasting experience at the hotel’s M Club.
At the M Club, Food & Beverage Manager Ben Stucky and Hotel Manager Tim Cumbo led us through the wine-making process for several Washington-state wines, from sauvignon blanc to a delicious red blend to a scrumptious cabernet. We also got to taste several non-alcoholic wines and spirits, which while they didn’t taste like the alcohol versions to me, definitely would provide a heightened experience to non-imbibers. The NA margarita in particular was delicious. We also had our final evening after party at the M Club, where I tasted a pistachio martini and danced the night away. It was an unmitigated blast.
I did not make it over to 793-room-and-suite Westin Boston Seaport District on this trip, but I am planning to check out its 90,000 square feet of flexible event space next time I’m at a show at the newly renamed Thomas Menino Convention & Exhibition Center (formerly BCEC), which is just around the corner, as is Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art and the area’s bustling waterfront eateries and attractions.
Off-Site Venues and Activities
We had tickets to check out the View Boston Observation Deck, and it has undergone some major changes since the last time I was there many moons ago. The top level is a 360-degree observation deck that offers breathtaking views from high above the heart of Boston, while the lower floors offer immersive and interactive experiences, along with the Stratus rooftop bar and The Beacon Bistro.
I have forever wanted to take a Duck Boat tour and finally got to do it on this trip! My group boarded the Frog Pond Lily, guided by the fabulous Peprika Double Q, who had us laughing as she told us the story behind some local sights as we quacked our way from the Prudential Center to Fenway Park. I learned a few new things, but the best part was getting to drive the amphibious WW2 replica vehicle as we made our way toward the Longfellow Bridge down the Charles River.
Not being a huge sports fan, I have mostly been to Fenway Park, Boston’s iconic baseball field and home to the Boston Red Sox, for concerts in recent years, so it was a treat to get a back-of-the-stadium tour that included perching in the seats atop the fabled Green Monster while our guide regaled us with Fenway lore and trivia. We then ventured down to the press room, where sportscasters local, national and global call the game from high above the field. On the way we passed by Fenway Farms, a rooftop garden on the third base side of the field where 6,000 pounds of produce is grown every year and used in the ballpark’s restaurants. But the really fun part was being able to try our luck at bat during a batting practice on the field itself. I didn’t actually hit the ball, but it was amazing to take a swing in the place where so many legends have hit one out of the ballpark.
Boston was more fun than I could have imagined, and the hospitality offered by the Marriott CRN properties was beyond hospitable. All in all, a wicked good time was had by all.
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