Liberty Hotel Boston Review: 1,000 SPG Point Refund, Jail Theme Branding

From former prison to luxury hotel

Liberty Hotel in Boston is part of Starwood's Luxury Collection and captured my attention when I'd
learned it was a former jail turned luxury hotel.  It's located near a major medical center on the border of Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood with easy access to public transportation and nearby Cambridge, MA.  We enjoyed our first visit in August 2014.

Front desk with free sparkling wine

For the stay, we redeemed 12,000 SPG points and also used a SPG Platinum Suite Night certificate, giving us a confirmed upgrade to a panoramic suite several days before check-in.  At check-in, we were informed that the manager refunded 1,000 points as a thank you for choosing the Liberty Hotel.  I've never seen a hotel do something like that before and felt it was a great gesture, especially since I've sometimes felt from other hotels that they dread accommodating guests staying on points.

Liberty Hotel's impressive lobby

We'd arrived early so our room wasn't yet ready.  I established myself in the lobby, which was an
impressive space appearing to be a central courtyard to the former jail with an incredibly high ceiling.  I overheard an interview being conducted and learned that the hotel has been consistently seeing 90% occupancy rates though the bar business has been a bit slower this season.  Given that, I was fortunate I'd been able to secure a room on points and the suite upgrade.

Panoramic suite views

The room was ready around 1pm and when we picked up our keys we were offered sparkling wine before we proceeded upstairs.  The panoramic suite offered a living room/ dining area combination, 1.5 baths, and a master bedroom with workspace.  As the name suggests, floor to ceiling windows afforded lovely views to the west of the Charles River and Cambridge as well as views from the bedroom to the south of downtown Boston and the Charles River.  See the video below for a full tour of the panoramic suite.

Molton Brown pump dispensers in shower

Liberty Hotel was my first luxury hotel experience that utilized toiletry dispensers in the shower and
at the sink.  Since they were filled up with Molton Brown product, I enjoyed them.  Frankly, the pumps meant I didn't need to remember to transport shampoo bottles from the sink into the shower with me and it was convenient to simply press down on the pump vs. opening bottles and dropping soap bars.  For those who prefer the single-serve approach, a small bar of soap was also available at the sink.

The branding at the Liberty Hotel stood out to me.  They tastefully incorporated their history as a jail into the key cards, do not disturb door hanger, and food & beverage with a lounge named "Alibi".  It was the door hanger that I found most memorable from a branding standpoint.

Jail key branding

The lobby bar associated with the onsite "Clink" restaurant attracted a decent crowd for Friday happy hour and evening drinks.  It appeared to be a mix of visitors as well as a local upscale after work crowd.  While there was healthy energy, we were still able to find a spot to be seated and relax. The ground level lounge, Alibi, was also busy with patrons enjoying their outdoor space.  Drinks were pricey at both outlets but also offered unique cocktails.  We'd experienced the breakfast menu at Clink which offered traditional fare.  The omelette was tasty but the french toast was dry.  Coffee, as would be expected, is pricey so plan to enjoy free coffee near the guest elevators beforehand.




Quick Hits

• Branding as a former jail creates a unique boutique hotel experience as is expected from Starwood's Luxury Collection - a nice alternative from cookie cutter properties
• Public transportation is available from the Red Line Charles/ MGH station across the street
• The hotel is adjacent to a traffic circle and Storrow Drive, so expect a lot of automobile activity but know that we didn't experience any road noise issues from our suite
• Enjoy the free sparkling wine at check-in
• If you're an SPG member staying on points, you may score a 1,000 point refund as a welcome gift from the manager
• SPG Platinum late checkout was automatically offered to us at check-in; no haggling needed
• Two free bottles of water plus a third for the in-room Keurig machine are provided
• Don't expect to head home with toiletries to add to your hotel collection; Liberty Hotel uses pump dispensers
• The Panoramic Suite bathroom offers a stall shower and separate tub plus an additional half bath off the living room
• If you wish to mix your own cocktails, the mini-bar area is equipped with a wide variety of glassware like martini glasses
• Two bathrobes with slippers are provided for in-room comfort
• Bedside outlets and desk-mounted outlets make it easy to stay plugged in
• The onsite bars attract a trendy, young professional crowd
• The bar menu offers low calorie cocktail selections
• Book on-site "Clink" restaurant for breakfast or dinner via Open Table to earn points through that channel

My Hotel Pet Peeves - Volume 1

Here's my candid feedback for hotel management companies to consider when designing and operating hotels.  I often wonder what process hotel designers use to understand how the guest is likely to experience the room before they create hundreds or thousands of that very room.

1) Bedside outlets: When I tuck myself in at night, I still spend time catching up on back-logged emails.  I also use the alarm on my smart phone in lieu of the less familiar hotel room alarm clock. I'd love at least two outlets that are easily reachable from the bed.  A wall outlet behind the bed doesn't count, unless you want the next item of the list to become a more frequent issue...

2) Cleaning those hard to reach places: The last thing I want to see when you force me to contort my arm to reach an outlet behind the bed is to see various food and grime stuck on the floor back there. Housekeeping needs to keep a list of those hard to reach areas that might not be immediately visible when doing a quick scan of the room and then make sure they are cleaned at least weekly.  I've encountered old gum drops, band-aids, tissues, and dust behind the bed when searching for outlets.

3) Make ironing less of an ordeal: Unpacking and ironing is never a fun part of arriving at a hotel.  It's even less fun though when the in-room iron has a water chamber that's nearly impossible to maneuver under the bathroom faucet.  Is it too much to ask to leave a small pitcher with the iron to avoid water-logging the iron's circuitry?

4) Minimize hallway noise: I totally understand that you can't always keep off a guest floor that happens to be filled with prom-goers or a high school field trip.  However, the guest room doors should be a bit more effective at preventing guests from hearing the slightest pin drop from outside the room.  Is there really a need for the 3/4" gap between the bottom of the door and the floor?

5) Keep the shampoo in the shower: Most people I know most frequently use shampoo, conditioner, and body wash while in the tub or shower.  I'd rather not begin to enjoy my hot shower and then realize I have to walk across the bathroom in the cold to grab the shower-related toiletries that have been neatly displayed next to the sink.  Hilton Hotels are frequent offenders in this category.

6) Eliminate resort fees:  If every guest is forced to pay the resort fee whether they use the gym, pool, newspapers or not, there's no reason other than trickery that it should not be included in the rate.  Baggage fees from airlines are an optional charge based on behavior.  Resort fees are mandatory charges and should be embedded in the published rate for comparisons.  If it is in fact going to be a separate charge, guests should be able to opt-out of the services that the resort fee theoretically covers.

What are your top concerns about your hotel stays?

To be continued...