The Charlesmark Hotel

What a great deal we got!
I went online to find a hotel for our stay in Boston. Was looking for something centric, comfortable, clean, and not too expensive.
After looking at different ones, we decided on The Charlesmark. Reviews were decent, photos on site seem nice, and found a cheaper price on one of those booking sites.
It’s a small hotel, not a lot of rooms but it’s exactly what we were looking for.
Reception area is, like I said, small. Check in process is quick. They give you two keys, one for your room and one for the front door. You see, they close at 1pm but, if you want to stay out later than that then you are able to do so with that key. Very convenient!
Just 5 floors, rooms are for one or two guest only. Comfortable bed, little sofa next to the window, with TV, and mini fridge. You also get 2 bottles of water, the rest are for purchase at the front desk for just $ 1.00 each. Very convenient, especially at night if you don’t want to go back out and carry them.
Bathroom has standup shower, enough space to keep toiletries and some makeup. They also provide their own like shampoo, soap, lotion, etc., and two lollipops, which I thought was a cute touch. Towels are changed daily, regardless of if you hang them or not, and hotel toiletries replaced as you use them. One thing I do have to mention, and will take one star off because of this… Room was clean, beds were always made when we came back but, for some reason, every time we got back to our room there was a foul smell in it. After a couple of theories, one being that something died there while we were out, the only thing I could think of was that the person making our room would «use» our bathroom and closed the door immediately after. Thankfully we had a bottle of Lysol (came with the room) and a couple of sprays later the room smelled fine again.
As part of your stay they offer breakfast, this includes, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, orange juice, assorted bagels (with cream cheese, butter and jam), some donut type pastries and fruits, and instant oatmeal. I read some review saying the breakfast was a «joke» but to me it was perfect to start the day, and later on enjoy a nice lunch out in the city. The lounge area to have breakfast is cute, comfortable and clean. It has several TVs for you to watch the news or games if you go at night.
In the afternoons and nights, the bar is open. Also small but seems to be very popular. During our stay we saw at least 2 different company or networking events, and one pre-​party to an office Holiday party. The bartenders were super nice! They were always happy to see us, asking how our vacation was going, making recommendations on where to go, they even pointed us to a really delicious brunch on Sunday. Their drinks are strong and even have some seasonal ones. In their menu, you will also find the «Perfect Storm» = Dark N Stormy, I always love a bar that knows how to prepare it, and this one was perfect! Also, try their flat breads when there. Perfect size to just munch on something and very tasty. They just started making them and I’m sure glad we got to have one.
Once outside, the public library is right on front, stores to each side, restaurants, and so many other attractions at walking distance or just less than 10 minutes away from an Über ride. Location of this hotel is amazing! Exactly what we were looking for. We even noticed the finish line on the street for the Boston Marathon. Imagine watching it from the comfort of your room… again, can’t beat this location.
Sunday, our last day, check out is a 12. We still had a few hours before we had to head to the airport… without a problem they held our luggage and allowed us to enjoy our last they in Boston. Back for them and they were securely saved under lock, we even were able to sit at their lounge, recharge our phones and got a smile and wave from the bartender.
Very happy with our stay here, and recommend it to anyone looking to travel to Boston.

First time in Boston. We found this hotel in an article regarding traveling Boston. Will stay here next time we come to Boston.
Location is GREAT in the heart of beautiful Back Bay. Variety of shopping including high end stores and a Walgreens. We walked to everywhere from the hotel and so can you. This included walking to and from Fenway to walking to the start of the Freedom Trail (walked the whole thing and then transit back to hotel). Public transit is easily accessible for getting to and from airport and when you want to use it to get around Boston.
Staff and service were pleasant and helpful. Hotel was clean and had a great atmosphere. It is a boutique hotel. Rooms were nicely designed and comfortable and a great value. They were small, but it is Boston. Spent most of the time enjoying Boston.
Hotel stay includes a free continental breakfast.

Jefferson is awesome. We held a private birthday party here and it went off without a hitch!

A friend and I stopped by here for a cocktail on July 4^th and the patio bar was not too busy. We waited for 15 min for a cocktail menu, then the server disappeared for another 15 min. We placed our order and waited another 20 minutes and had to leave to get to our dinner reservation. Morale of the story: great people watching, but don’t go here if you want to have a pre-​dinner cocktail.

The location is the only good thing about this place. There complementary breakfast is a joke! The staff also needs a little bit of an attitude adjustment they were not very friendly and made the stay a little uncomfortable. Don’t expect to feel at home at this hotel. It has a modern look and like I mentioned before is in a great area in Boston but all together I was not pleased. Also they don’t give guest conditioner! Like what is that all about?!

Food was okay. Service was questionable. No one really helped us. One gentleman helped us and then never returned. The ladies working walked pass us and finally we asked for a manager. He came out took our order brought us our food and didn’t come back. Very disappointing. We wouldn’t come back.

We will never stay anywhere else in Boston… no reason to. Rooms are beautiful with large windows on two walls in the corner rooms. Speakers in walls of room and bathroom. Touch dimmer reading lamps. DK guide to Boston on the bedside table. Staff was fantastic as well. Charlesmark = nuanced perfection.
All that for an unbelievaby affordable price tag. Also, they validate parking to bring the cost down to only $ 28 for 24 hours. Win!

Beautiful rooms and awesome location. Right next to Boston library and a block from copley square, the charlesmark is in the middle of all the action. The rooms are very nice and seem to be recently renovated. Old tv but who cares. Two disadvantages. Parking is far away and the front lobby gets a little loud right around happy hour. Overall pretty sweet.

I’ve only been here for the monthly wine tastings… which are great! You get to sample a ton of wine, and they set out nice platters of cheese/​veggies/​crackers. It’s always pretty crowded so you’ll probably have to wait in line and have a tough time finding a seat, but I’ve always enjoyed myself. I did happen to glance at the regular drink menu, which looked pretty good. $$$ though.

I’m torn between 3 and 4 stars here, however my love of their martini’s with feta cheese stuffed olives pushes me to give them 4 stars. The bar is very small, but well decorated, it can just feel very cramped on a crowded night, though most of the time its not too packed so this place is a great chill drinks night. I’ve also attended the monthly wine tastings, which I think you get a lot for your $ at, though those are PACKED. Overall I always recommend Charlesmark for a chill night with great cocktails, just be prepared to spend a little more than average on the drinks.

Great hotel, great location, great bar. The room was very modern and made good use of its space. The speakers in the bathroom were especially nice. The staff was excellent. You are near a lot of activities and steps from the metro. Overall, this hotel made our stay in Boston very enjoyable.

This review is for the bar alone. A coworker and I were passing by and realized we hadn’t been here before, so why not stop in and have a drink. We both had been craving sangria. We walked over and asked the bartender if he had sangria which he said yes. We were excited. We sat down and ordered two sangrias. As he was making them he tried one of the ingredients to see if it was still good which since I have bartended before means that this was not checked at the beginning of the shift and is a bad sign when it comes to rotation. The gentleman brings over our sangrias and the politely brings over a little thing of chex mix (forgive my spelling). It was very cute and the presentation of our drinks were on point. He then walked away to go back to playing on his phone at the end of the bar which is fine considering we all secretly do, but usually in the back. We take a sip of our sangria and it was very sour and way to floral. I wanted to ask if this is how it is supposed to taste, but our bartender disappeared. So we sat there not drinking it and then waited… And waited… And waited. When he did return he went back to the corner of the bar and hung out with either friends or regulars, not really sure. So now we realize we aren’t going to be able to ask and we would never send back a drink because in the industry that’s a no no, so we chugged it back and waited again for the check. Once again we were ignored for a bit. Finally he comes over and doesn’t even acknowledge our drinks are empty, so I just ask him for the check while he begins to clean a little. He makes a joke and says only one ladies? I grab the check and look at him and say you may want to try your sangria because it’s terrible and something’s off on it. He gives me a nasty look and doesn’t apologize. He goes and makes himself a sample and he also didn’t look pleased with it. So then I hand him the book and he now looks mad at me and irritated! Seriously!!! Is because you think i won’t tip you for your bad service or for the terrible drink? Well even despite that lovely exchange I still left a $ 6 on $ 16 because I get it, but don’t plan on coming back to this place because unless your a regular they won’t pay you attention even if it’s dead on a Tuesday night.
As the only positive thing, the décor is delightful.

Popped in here one night for a drink. It was classy and nice. The waitress was attentive and the drink was good. I also liked that the staff was quickly taking care of some rowdy patrons who there for a reunion of some sorts. I’d actually like to check out the rest of the hotel given the décor of the bar I bet it’s nice. Also great location.

We stay in dozens of hotels every year.
This sweet little place is first class in every way. The bar is great, it’s clean and well stocked. the bartender is wonderful…
Our room was small but perfectly fine for an overnight. The staff here are really nice…
The bed was very comfy… the bathroom was very clean.
We stay here every year… it’s always nice to see the place so well taken care of.
The location cannot be beat!
They do need a toaster for the bagels, tho!

Would absolutely stay again.
Primo location.
Rooms are small, quaint!
Staff friendly, no parking (few blocks away), about $ 28 per day.
Room is small, but it’s Boston, lots to do, no need for excessive time in the room.

Biased since we stay here whenever we come to Boston but the rooms are chic and modern, albeit a bit small, but the staff makes the stay great!
Here for Jeter’s last games and got the last room, booked a month ago. Every other hotel in area was $ 500+, called and got room on a Saturday night for $ 300.
Bar/​lounge area anyways busy at night though we have yet to frequent it, so I can neither confirm or deny the bartender’s alleges behavior.
Walking distance to almost everything from Fenway to The Wharf area.
Love love love this hotel. If you’re having trouble finding it, it’s across from the library at the Finish Line for the Boston Marathon.

I have been a regular for over a year and I have come to call the amazing bar and front desk team, family!
Their Thai menu is always delicious and the bartenders are always accommodating.
Jefferson, the bar manager takes pride in his mixology and keeping his bar guests happy.
This bar is always a great place to host parties and gatherings. The staff are always spot on.
Bangkok Blue serves as their menu and their food is always fresh. The menu is decently prices for the amount you receive.
As a Korean, I am picky with my asian cuisine and between the cocktails and the food — you can’t go wrong!

I wish Unilocal would allow no stars. This place has the most racist waitstaff I’ve ever encountered. Being born and raised in Boston, I grew up in a diverse city. How is it possible that racism occurs in the heart of this beautiful city?
⁷⁄₁₁ — we came here with ten people and mind you we probably generated a good percentage of their revenue that night. Were we not there, they would have had 6 other people. Later around 1 am, the bartender and waitress commented on a friend’s sneakers and said they were squeaking and too loud. Please just sit down. My friend, not wanting to create a difficult situation or a scene, sat down and the waitress who makes barely minimum wage, had the courtesy to say, «ugh a bunch of Asians.» Wow. That’s crossing the line and more. Maybe Charlesmark is used to hiring uneducated waitstaff who has never seen a non Caucasian. With that said, we left. But it gets better.
⁷⁄₁₂ — before we had time to share this within our Asian community, several other friends went to Charlesmark an hour ago. What do they hear but yet another racist comment — «must be Asian night again»
I am shocked and will never choose Charlesmark as a place to hang out and drink, not when we are getting judged in 2014 for our color. I’ve had several events at the Charlesmark and 20+ people show up. As we are not good enough for your waitstaff (you know the people who serve us non white folks) I am not coming to this place again. Ever.
Thanks for a great weekend Charlesmark!

HOTEL review only:
Ummmmm…no thanks. Charlesmark has a great touristy location going for it, hence the two stars, but that’s pretty much it.
The room:
We paid extra for a room on an upper floor that was supposed to be larger. The room was larger but had one tiny window overlooking the air conditioning units. No natural light at all. The furnishings seemed outdated, though the hotel only opened in 2005, and the bedding was cheap, though adequate.
Amenities:
No gym, no restaurant, no room service… not really anything available aside from a free, very limited continental breakfast.
Staff:
Really not friendly at all. On one occasion, our last night there, the key did not work in our lock. We struggled with it for a solid 5 minutes and then decided to get some help from the front desk personnel. It could not have been more of an inconvenience for this guy to help us.
Cost:
Cheap. You get what you pay for, I guess, though I’ve gotten rates only slightly higher at great four star hotels in town on winter weekends.
General issue:
When we arrived and got into the elevator, there were piles… PILES…of dirty laundry in there but no one to be found. We rode up to the 5^th floor in the stank of that laundry. For the remainder of our stay, there was that same stench in the hallways of the hotel. As someone who is extra sensitive to smell, I can tell you this really sucked.
I cannot recommend a stay here. Try the Lenox or the Boston Park Plaza, or the Omni… way better service, amenities, rooms, and overall experience. I promise it’ll be worth the extra 20 bucks or so a night.

Lounge only!!!
If your looking for a real lounge, this small nook in back bay is it! It is a hidden gem and I’m so happy to have visited. They have a small first floor and a second floor that could be separated into smaller parties or be rented for a private party. I love that no one knows about this place because I wouldn’t want it to be super crowded. The drinks are affordable (surprisingly due to the area). The atmosphere is super chic and classy.

Buenísima ubicación ! Pieza un poco pequeña

NOTE: This review is for the LOUNGE ONLY.
The Charlesmark Hotel Lounge is a
classy and cool hidden gem in Back Bay Boston!
STAFF: Friendly and inviting with no snobby air at all.
ATMOSPHERE: Dim lighting, open center isle,
and long couches line the walls inviting mingling.
THE DEAL: For only $ 20, they offer a monthly
Martini Party, a Wine Tasting and other events.
These are, hands down, THE BEST BOSTON DEAL!
You get 3 drinks, free appetizers and a free drink card.