Normally, I would not stay at hotel this ridiculously expensive ($350+taxes) but since it was for work, everything else was booked, and the boss pre-approved the expense there I was checking into one of the nicest hotels in Boston.

The hotel is gorgeous, rooms spotless and elegant without being overly gaudy. Lobby had plenty of seating for quick meetings or private calls. The bar soap/shampoo was top of the line! (With airline “carry on” baggage rules it’s just easier NOT to pack those items and use the hotel offerings for these over night trips.) Being a young business traveler, and looking younger, the staff was a bit more relaxed with the formalities. The kindly noted that I dislike being referred to by my last name.

I'm giving this a 5 star review b/c it deserves it. But I will note a few odd things that could have really annoyed some guests paying out of pocket. First, as I was washing my hands in the bathroom sink the water kept filling up. Apparently, the stopper came off from the hinge in the down position. I had to go under the sink and push it up. Second, the bedside clock (which was an iPod/mp3 docking and charging station!) was set to the wrong time. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how to change the time! I got back to my room so late I just wanted to sleep in the compfy king size bed, so I used my blackberry for the clock during the night and requested a wake up call.

For a business traveler this is a very comfortable hotel. Laptop/internet hook-ups in the room. But for all the money you spend (as a tourist) there is no free business center to check emails or even a free cup of coffee in the morning. You’re paying for ambiance…and you’re getting it. But you’ll also pay for everything else. (Except the complimentary NY Times left at your door in the morning!)

Note: I did have a friend lucky enough to get this hotel on Hotwire over the summer for an amazing deal!

My husband and I stayed at the Fairmont Copley Plaza for the final part of our honeymoon. When we arrived we were blown away with the amazingly beautiful lobby - if you choose not to stay here, it's worth a trip inside just to see it!! Catie, the hotels own black lab is a lovely addition to the hotel and has the run of the lobby.

Check in was swift and friendly and we were delighted to have been upgraded to a superior room. Our room was lovely - an extremely comfortable bed, and although small, a beautiful bathroom.

On our first night a member of staff arrived at our door with Champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and a congratulatory note from the hotel manager to celebrate our marriage! A fantatic touch.

The breakfast in the hotel was wonderful and not too expensive (though this was helped by the favourable £/$ exchange rate!)
We ate dinner in the Oak Room once - it was a fantastic experience. The meal, wine and service were wonderful.

The location is perfect with a subway stop across the square and very close to to the fantastic shopping/dining on Newbery Street and the Prudential Center - we recommend taking the trip to the viewing platform in the Prudential Tower.

I would recommend the Fairmont Copley Plaza to anyone visiting Boston who would like just that little bit more that simply somewhere to sleep.

We will stay here again should we be lucky enough to visit the fabulous city of Boston again.

I stayed at this hotel for a week with my boyfriend and could not possibly find a fault to report.

The location right in the centre and between Trinity Church and the Central Library, cannot be improved. I believe we had a signature room which was nicely decorated and really spacious.

We were originally given a larger room with a separate seating area but which faced an inner patio. The reception staff were happy to change us without delay into a room with a view of the square. Slightly more noisy as it is on a main road, but it almost ddidn't bother us as the double glass windows eliminated most of the noise.

We did not try the hotel breakfast buffet as the only time when we decided to take breakfast there it was during the weekend when they do not serve the buffet. But the a la carte menu was good and we were happy with the food. We did not try the hotel restaurant as there are so many nice ones within walking distance that we wanted to explore.

The hotel staff were always corteous and helpful as we've come to expect of the Fairmont chain and finally the hotel has true character. It was the appropriate choice for Boston.

Had the pleasure of staying at the Copley for 1 night on Saturday March 8 while attending a convention at the hotel. We reserved one of their ‘hotel within a hotel’ ‘Gold Signature’ rooms and highly recommend this added indulgence. After checking several web sites, we found the hotels own web site actually offered the best nightly rate for the Gold Signature accomodations and number of booking options.

The interior of the hotel is elegantly appointed and reminiscent of a bygone golden age of lavish and extravagantly designed hotels. The staff were equally as attentive and professional as the ambiance was sophisticated.

The Fairmont ‘Gold Signature’ level is on its own special floor (4th flr.) and provides a private check-in desk on the 4th floor just for guests staying on the Gold Signature floor. Amenities on this floor include a private, multiple room lounge area classically decorated complete with crackling fireplace and mantle, and a large pantry (the size of a standard kitchen). These rooms are all connected together in one area by doorways and create a sort of large square floor plan with each room decorated differently. One of the rooms was decorated in the style of a classic personal home Library and included books and a small collection of DVD’s that Gold guests can bring to their room which all include DVD players. There was also a large closet sized room with two computer stations with fax printers and free internet. High speed internet access is also included in all Gold Signature rooms.

During the morning and early evenings, the counters in the pantry are lined with a generous spread of complimentary food and drink, however, there is a significant collection of wine and liquor set up during most other hours of the day and evening. All food and non-alcoholic drinks are complimentary, but the liquor is an ‘Honor Bar’ in which guests mix their own drinks from the well stocked collection of full size liquor bottles and are ‘requested’ to write on a provided piece of paper any alcohol that they take which is charged to your room. As the pantry is unsupervised (except for the occasional staff person checking to ensure nothing needs refilling), they don’t seem to police the policy, but do appeal to people’s honesty in abiding by the honor system.

At 5:00, the pantry was setup with a very nice number hors d'oeuvres including imported cheeses & crackers, scallops wrapped in bacon, spinach stuffed puff pastry, humus, prosciutto and cheese stuffed hot peppers, and many other items. Breakfast consisted of both hot and cold items including your standard breads, pastries, croissant, eggs bacon, home fries, smoked salmon, yogurt and granola parfait, fruits and cereals as well as other items. During all times of day there was an endless supply of juices, soda, and water. Several newspapers were also available for guests relaxing in the Gold lounge.

Our Gold Sig King room was very nice and slightly on the large size for a studio room. It was not overly appointed, but was very nice and classically styled. The room included a nice Bose 'like' stereo system with iPod docking station on one of the night stands, a business desk with stationary, chairs and small round table, and amoire with enclosed standard TV (not Plasma or flat screen) and minibar. The Bathroom had a standard shower tub and rather small vanity sink. While nice, I expected a slightly more luxurious bath for the price of the Gold Signature accommodations, but it was still nice. The obligatory plush robes were of course there as well.

At night, turn down service is standard in all Gold Sig rooms. When we returned to our rooms later that evening, the bedspread was removed and neatly folded in the corner of the room, slippers on the floor on either side of the bed, lights dimmed, and soft classical music playing on the Bose stereo. A small bottle of Evian water and small drinking glass were also neatly placed on both night stands.

We did not experience the hotels one restaurant ‘The Oak Room’, but we did relax in the Oak Bar late during the evening for some fine wine and conversation. The room was very classy and cozy with a live band playing classic tunes at an audible level low enough to partake in conversation yet loud enough to still be enjoyed. Martini’s were $20 a pop but that is about the norm in today’s ultra luxury hotel lobby bars.

The last appointment that we rather enjoyed seeing and surprised that such a posh hotel would allow was Cattie, the Canine Ambassador. Cattie is the hotel’s resident Black Lab and is a retired Seeing Eye dog living out the rest of her days greeting guests as they arrive in the main lobby area. She was very sweet and friendly, yet unobtrusive and never seemed to approach guests on her own but rather seemed to wait for guests to come to her. Don’t know if it’s still allowed, but the Copley’s web site states Cattie can actually be ‘borrowed’ for morning or daily walks by guests who miss their own four legged loved ones left at home. As I understand it, Cattie does not live in the hotel and goes home at the end of her busy work day with one of the hotel employees which I believe is now her owner.

On a side note, this would be much more exciting an anecdote had we actually SEEN him, but there was a rumor through out the hotel that Tom Hanks was staying at the hotel on the Gold Signature Floor as well. Of course the staff were all tight lipped and denied any knowledge of his presence when pressed, but that is of course expected and a reflection of their professionalism. The next evening while watching the local news at home, who but Mr. Hanks himself was shown being interviewed on the news at the Boston Public Library which is literally across the street from the Copley, so there may very well have been some truth to the rumor that weekend.

All in all, we will most definitely return to the Copley and the Gold Signature floor again and highly recommend it for a classy, extravagant escape.