How do you take a hotel that rates in the top 10 Marriotts in the country for guest satisfaction and make it even better? Spend four years and $30 million to renovate it. That’s what Marriott Hotels & Resorts and Sunstone Hotel Investors decided to do with the 30-year-old Boston Marriott Long Wharf and the end result is a stunningly beautiful property with modern amenities and a staff whose attentiveness can’t be beat.
One addition that meeting and incentive planners will appreciate is a brand-new event and banquet space for planners, the Harbor View Ballroom, which offers panoramic views of Boston Harbor. It features floor-to-ceiling windows and a seasonal outdoor patio. All of the hotel’s pre-existing meeting spaces have been fully renovated, from the 8,200-square-foot Grand Ballroom, to the 5,750-square-foot Palm Garden with its 55-foot atrium, to the 2,530-square-foot Commonwealth Ballroom, divisible into five breakout rooms. With the Harbor View Ballroom, the hotel provides 21,000 square feet of meeting space.
A completely renovated lobby and the adjoining new Waterline restaurant and bar allow guests to work alone or in groups, or eat, drink, and socialize throughout the day and evening.
All of the property’s 412 guest rooms showcase picturesque waterfront views, and have been newly appointed with ergonomic furnishings, luxurious bedding, iPod clock radios, and HD LCD televisions with split screen technology and plug-in connectivity for digital devices. Twelve Executive King Suites and two Luxury Waterfront Suites with private balconies have been added, while the hotel’s largest suite, the Long Wharf Suite, has been completely redesigned. An expanded Concierge Lounge provides comfortable dining and lounge seating, complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access, a laptop station, and color printer.
“We’re delighted to show off our stylish new look and many improvements throughout the hotel,” said General Manager Victor Aragona, at a recent meeting of the Northeast Region of the Financial & Insurance Conference Planners association, which was held at the hotel. “This renovation provides today’s performance-driven travelers with the most up-to-date and desirable ambience and amenities.”
One of the big reasons for the Marriott Long Wharf’s popularly with groups and FIT travelers is its location. It is located within short walking distance of Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, and the New England Aquarium, and also just minutes from Boston Common, the Boston Children’s Museum, and the TD Banknorth Garden. It offers easy access to Logan International Airport, Amtrak’s South Station, the MBTA’s subway and commuter rail, and I-93.