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Interested in trying out one of the most trendy Boston hotels? This review will help you decide if the Revolution Hotel is the right fit for your stay.
The Revolution Hotel is one of the most popular hotels in Boston, located in the South End. For those who want to detour from the big hotel chains and try a boutique, this is definitely one of the most unique Boston hotels.
After a couple days at the centrally-located Hyatt Centric Faneuil Hall, I wanted a change of scenery.
This post is all about my stay at one of the most trendy Boston hotels, The Revolution Hotel.
Design & Layout
The Revolution Hotel has two buildings: the main building that houses the lobby and communal areas and the loft building.
The Main Building
The main building contains a plethora of colorful art and fun design elements. The lobby’s ceiling perimeter is branded with a loud mural featuring prominent American historical figures. Bookshelves, a fireplace, potted plants, leather furniture, and brass accents permeate the sitting areas.
My favorite part of the lobby space is the white art piece “Innovation Tower,” wrapped around by a spiral staircase and spanning three stories. The piece showcases Boston inventions, and I spent a lot of time admiring the many collaged components: flamingo lawn ornaments, basketballs, Converse sneakers, telephones, and typewriters, to name a few.
While walking through the floor above the lobby, the stark differences in design between the two buildings is very apparent. The hallway is very dim, nearly dark. The red and blue in the colorful carpet complements the large red block lettering of the room numbers, which each sat beside a lantern-like sconce. I was very curious about what the rooms inside looked like.
The basement level houses another large common area that includes a bar, shuffleboard table, funky red booths, and a wall of windows.
Also in the lower level is the “Think Tank,” a meeting room with white boards for walls on all sides and Tungsten bulbs hanging above the table, as if wishing the occupants many fortuitous ideas.
The gym is quite small. It offers four different cardio machines, including a Peloton, and a modest dumbbell rack. While I never encountered anyone in the gym, I doubt more than one person could use the free weight area comfortably.
Even the bathrooms had personality! The stalls’ black wallpaper with the metallic gold figures on it gives a vibe I’ve never before experienced while using a bathroom.
Another favorite feature is the numerous magnifying glasses on the walls throughout the Revolution Hotel main building. Each one showcases a different fact about Boston’s history. It’s a cool adventure trying to find them all!
All of the artwork and details honoring the city’s heritage make it clear why this is one of the most trendy Boston hotels. The main building offers so many fun elements, and I wish some more of that made its way over to the loft building.
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The Loft Building
I stayed in the loft building, which has more of a private feel. There are only three or four rooms per floor, with a total of four floors and one sub-ground level.
The loft building is definitely an old building. The winding staircase, asymmetrical floor layouts, and tall ceilings reminded me of the houses in Old Louisville.
The sparsely-hung black and white photos of historical Boston suggest the loft building is trying to be the more classically elegant option, and the main building is more for the kiddos who don’t mind the dorm-style bathrooms. (Did I mention not every room has its own bathroom? Unfortunately, you have to pay extra for that luxury.)
The loft building has an element of privacy, which I bet is enhanced on an upper level. Because there were so few people per floor and I was near the entrance without the elevator, I heard few people as they came and went. The only neighbor I heard was Berkeley St.
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The Room
I stayed in Studio 10, which is the first room right as you come in the second street entrance. The door was kind of sticky; I had to fight with it to both open and shut. Upon entering the room, I was greeted with the strong smell of scented-candle-meets-cleaning supplies, with a note of car air freshener. I appreciated the generously-sized fridge that sat next to the desk.
A cool statement black-and-white statement art piece hung behind the bed, but without any other art, the rest of the room seemed quite plain. Compared to the loudness of the art in the main building, the loft building felt bland.
Unfortunately, there were a handful of details that lowered the quality of the room for me. I noticed some cobwebs hanging from the ceiling which, while difficult to clean in a lofted space, weren’t enjoyable to look at while laying in bed.
There were also damaged areas of the desk and end tables that emphasized their IKEA-quality craftsmanship. Most notable was the giant scar on the left end table that the alarm clock attempted to conceal. I was reminded of last century’s Disney critters’ cleaning method of sweeping dirt under the rug.
The mattress was shoved just enough to one side of the bed frame that it revealed how misaligned and unevenly spaced the supporting boards were. I was worried I might accidentally damage them when I used the bed.
Seeing the plugs to the TV and receiver on the floor confused me until I tried to use them. To my disappointment, they weren’t at all usable. No matter how hard it tried, the receiver could not find a signal. The remote worked maybe twice before becoming unresponsive, perhaps due to drained batteries. The only way to turn off the TV was to unplug it. Along the same theme, the air conditioning seemed to only work in the bathroom.
When I opened the closet, two gray branded robes hung inside. However, one of them was nicely wrapped and one was wide open, as if someone had undone the wrapping to take a closer look at it (or used it). Clearly housekeeping forgot to check the closet.
In the bathroom, the shower flooded the floor something fierce due to the crack between the glass doors and the one between the door and the wall. Perhaps that’s why the universe compensated my woes with not one, but two hairdryers under the sink (though I would have preferred less flooding). Two of the towels provided had orange stains. They quickly joined the flood management crew on the floor.
Overall, my specific room felt very “hostel-meets-AirBNB.” I enjoyed the tall ceilings and having an en-suite bathroom, but all the small disappointments gave the impression that the hotel didn’t take pride in the details of their space.
Food
Connected to the hotel is Cósmica, a Cal-Mex restaurant on the pricier side. However, they do offer a convenient option to pick up food to take back to your room.
The vegan options at Cósmica didn’t entice me too much, so I opted for some delicious meals elsewhere.
Inside the lobby (and via outside walk-up window) is Kohi Coffee Co. for your caffeine needs. The beans they use are locally sourced.
For the sweet-tooths out there, there are also some excellent dessert options nearby the hotel.
An Early Booting…
While getting ready to leave, I heard a knock on the door at 11am. It was housekeeping, informing me checkout was at 11 and they needed to clean the room. I hurriedly packed up and headed over to the main building, thinking about how I was sure the hotel’s website listed checkout at noon when I checked the night before.
Upon asking the front desk, they confirmed checkout was indeed noon. I explained the situation and they apologized and kindly gave me two vouchers for a free drink at Kohi (the in-lobby coffee shop). Unfortunately they were out of decaf, so I wasn’t able to use them.
While probably due to a misunderstanding, being kicked out of my room an hour early didn’t exactly put the cherry on top of my stay.
Area
The Revolution Hotel is located in a residential area of the South End. I really enjoyed walking by the beautiful homes in the neighborhood. As my visit was the first week of November, I still got to admire many creative pumpkin arrangements and Halloween decorations.
Although the immediate area is less downtown-like than the area around Hyatt Centric Faneuil Hall, the hotel is still within walking distance to public transportation and many delicious restaurants.
If you enjoy walking, you can walk to the Huntington Theatre in about 20 minutes and to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum/Museum of Fine Arts in about 30-40.
Booking
You can book the Revolution Hotel through their website or via your favorite travel portal. I booked through the Chase Travel Portal to utilize my Sapphire Preferred card’s $45 hotel credit and 5x back.
Overall:
The Revolution Hotel has many unique attributes, especially if you love art. It certainly deserves its reputation among the trendy Boston hotels.
While my stay wasn’t horrible by any means, it was only meh at best. The hotel has a lot of potential to go from okay to fantastic, but I personally wouldn’t recommend it as a knockout experience in its current form (at least in Studio 10 in the loft building). However, for a less expensive option with some cool features, it’s definitely worth a look and gets the job done.
Stay here if:
- You’re a modern art lover
- You want a less expensive option in Boston’s South End
- You simply want a place to crash after a day of exploring
Skip if:
- You prefer a luxurious atmosphere
- You want room to spread out
- You’d like your own bathroom without shelling out extra cash