Boston has more top-rated hotels than its size suggests: five hotels in the Boston area hold a Forbes Five-Star rating for 2026, and seven in the city are AAA Five Diamond. Almost all sit within two miles of each other, between Kenmore Square, the Public Garden and the harbor, so the real decision is less about which is "the best" than about which street you want outside the door, whether you need a pool you can actually swim in, and which fees land on the bill. This guide compares seventeen luxury hotels in Boston on those points, with a map, walking times, the fees each one publishes and a short portrait of every hotel.
Checked in October 2026 against each hotel's own website, the 2026 Forbes Travel Guide list for Boston, the AAA Five Diamond list and the 2026 MICHELIN Keys. Room counts are the latest the hotels publish; where they don't, the figure is rounded and marked "about".
Boston's luxury hotels at a glance
| Hotel | Location | Opened | Rooms | Pool | Forbes 2026 | AAA 2026 | MICHELIN Keys 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Four Seasons Hotel Boston | Public Garden | 1985 | 239 | Indoor, heated | Five-Star | Five Diamond | 1 |
| Four Seasons One Dalton Street | Back Bay, Prudential | 2019 | 214 | Indoor lap pool, 64 ft | Five-Star (hotel and spa) | Five Diamond | 1 |
| Mandarin Oriental, Boston | Back Bay, Prudential | 2008 | 148 | Spa vitality pools only | Five-Star | Five Diamond | None |
| Boston Harbor Hotel | Rowes Wharf, waterfront | 1987 | 232 | Indoor | Five-Star | Five Diamond | None |
| Encore Boston Harbor | Everett, 4 miles north | 2019 | 671 | No swimming pool | Five-Star | Not listed | None |
| Raffles Boston | Back Bay, Copley | 2023 | 147 | Indoor lap pool, 20 m | Not listed | Five Diamond | 2 |
| The Newbury Boston | Public Garden | 1927, restored 2021 | 286 | No | Four-Star | Five Diamond | 2 |
| The Ritz-Carlton, Boston | Boston Common | 2001 | 193 | Equinox club pool next door, 18+ | Four-Star | Five Diamond | None |
| The Langham, Boston | Post Office Square | 1922 building, reopened 2021 | 312 | Indoor, heated | Recommended | Not listed | 2 |
| InterContinental Boston | Atlantic Ave, waterfront | 2006 | 424 | Indoor lap pool, 45 ft | Recommended | Not listed | None |
| Fairmont Copley Plaza | Copley Square | 1912 | 383 | No | Recommended | Four Diamond | None |
| XV Beacon | Beacon St, State House | 1999 | 61 | No | Recommended | Not listed | 1 |
| The Liberty | Charles St, Beacon Hill | 2007, in an 1851 jail | 298 | No | Recommended | Not listed | None |
| The Whitney Hotel | Charles St, Beacon Hill | 2019 | 65 | No | Not listed | Not listed | 1 |
| The Lenox | Boylston St, Back Bay | 1900 | 215 | No | Not listed | Not listed | None |
| The Eliot Hotel | Commonwealth Ave, Kenmore | 1925 | 95 | No | Not listed | Not listed | None |
| The Charles Hotel | Harvard Square, Cambridge | 1985 | about 295 | No | Not listed | Four Diamond | None |
"Not listed" means the hotel does not appear on that list for 2026, not that it is unrated. Forbes "Recommended" is the level below Four-Star.
Where they are: map and walking times
Fifteen of the seventeen are in central Boston, in three groups: Back Bay and Kenmore to the west, the Public Garden, Boston Common and Beacon Hill in the middle, and Downtown and the waterfront to the east. The other two are outside the center: The Charles Hotel in Harvard Square, Cambridge, and Encore Boston Harbor in Everett.
Tap the map to open it full size. To see what each location means on foot, we measured the walk from every central hotel to two landmarks at opposite ends of the city: the Swan Boat landing in the Public Garden, the heart of the Back Bay and Beacon Hill side, and Faneuil Hall, the gateway to the Freedom Trail, the North End and the harbor.
Two things stand out. The Newbury Boston, the Four Seasons Hotel Boston and The Ritz-Carlton are the only ones within a 7-minute walk of the Public Garden. And for the historic center, The Langham (6 minutes to Faneuil Hall), XV Beacon (8), Boston Harbor Hotel (9) and the InterContinental (12) are far better placed than any Back Bay address, which all need 20 minutes or more. Our Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Downtown and waterfront guides map every hotel in each area.
Parking, pets and extra nightly fees
Room rates move every day; the extras below are published by the hotels, though they can change. Valet parking costs $65 to $85 a night at these hotels, and several of them add a nightly fee on top of the rate.
| Hotel | Parking a night | Pets | Extra nightly fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raffles Boston | $80 | $150 a stay, any size | None listed |
| The Newbury Boston | $85 | Dogs only, two, any size, $150 a stay | $45 a night residential fee |
| The Ritz-Carlton, Boston | $70 | Two pets up to 60 lb, $250 a stay | None listed |
| The Langham, Boston | $75 | Two dogs up to 50 lb, $100 a stay | None listed |
| Boston Harbor Hotel | $70 valet, $55 self | $100 per pet a night, two at most | None (the hotel says so) |
| Fairmont Copley Plaza | $74 | Two pets, any size, $50 once | $35 a night Urban Experience fee on some rates, with a $45 food and drink credit per stay |
| InterContinental Boston | $65 | One dog, $150 a stay (the hotel's pages give 25 or 50 lb: confirm) | A $39 daily urban destination fee is mentioned by the hotel: check your rate |
| XV Beacon | $73 | Dogs of any size, $85 | None listed |
| The Liberty | $75 | $100 a stay | None listed |
| The Whitney Hotel | $75 | Two pets up to 50 lb, $125 a stay | $30 a night, with a $20 daily food and drink credit |
| The Lenox | Ask the hotel | Dogs up to 20 lb, $125 a stay | None listed |
| The Eliot Hotel | $65 | Pets of any size | None listed |
| The Charles Hotel | $65 | $75 a stay | None listed |
| Encore Boston Harbor | Free self-parking | No pets (service animals only) | Ask the hotel |
From each hotel's website in October 2026. The two Four Seasons hotels and the Mandarin Oriental do not publish their parking price or pet rules online: ask when you book.
The seventeen hotels, one by one
Four Seasons Hotel Boston
Open since 1985 on Boylston Street, directly across from the Public Garden, this is Boston's longest-running Five-Star hotel: Forbes has given it five stars for more than 25 years in a row, and AAA five diamonds since 1988. It has 239 rooms, 69 of them suites, many facing the Garden. The heated indoor pool and whirlpool are on the eighth floor, with the same view. There is no spa as such; treatments are given in the room. Breakfast is served at Aujourd'hui, drinks at the Coterie lounge, and a new restaurant is being built in the former Bristol space. Small touches set it apart, such as free snack pantries on every guest floor, and it holds one MICHELIN Key. Best for: a classic first visit, with the Public Garden, Beacon Hill and Newbury Street all within 10 minutes.
Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street
The newer Four Seasons opened in 2019 in a 61-storey tower by the Prudential Center, one of the tallest in the city, with 214 rooms on the lower floors and private residences above. It is the only Boston hotel rated Five-Star by Forbes for both the hotel and the spa in 2026. The curved 64-foot indoor pool on the seventh floor is one of the best places in the city to swim laps, and the Wellness Floor has five treatment suites. Zuma, the Japanese izakaya, and the Trifecta bar, with weekend afternoon tea, are joined since September 2026 by LPM Restaurant & Bar, a French Riviera restaurant. The hotel also holds one MICHELIN Key. Best for: swimmers, spa stays and the Hynes Convention Center, 5 minutes away.
Mandarin Oriental, Boston
Opened in October 2008 on Boylston Street, with a covered walkway into the Prudential Center and Copley Place, the Mandarin Oriental has 148 rooms, 12 of them suites, and claims the largest average room size in Boston. Its 16,000-square-foot spa is one of the largest in the city, with vitality pools but no swimming pool. Ramsay's Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay is the restaurant. It is Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond for 2026. Best for: winter stays, since you can reach shops and restaurants without going outside.
Boston Harbor Hotel
Built in 1987 at Rowes Wharf, behind its 60-foot archway on the water, Boston Harbor Hotel is the city's only waterfront hotel rated both Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond. It has 232 rooms and suites, an indoor pool in the Rowes Wharf Health Club, recently renovated, and the Rowes Wharf Sea Grille and The Dark Bar. The water taxi to Logan Airport leaves from the wharf, and the hotel says plainly that it charges no resort or destination fee. Best for: harbor views, the Freedom Trail (9 minutes to Faneuil Hall) and arriving by water.
InterContinental Boston
Opened in 2006 on Atlantic Avenue, facing Fort Point Channel and the Rose Kennedy Greenway, the InterContinental is the largest luxury hotel in central Boston, with 424 rooms. It has a heated 45-foot indoor lap pool overlooking the Greenway, Spa InterContinental, the Matria restaurant and Bar Fellini, and a Kid's Club program. Forbes lists it as Recommended for 2026. Valet parking is $65 a night, and the hotel mentions a $39 daily urban destination fee: check whether it applies to your rate. Best for: families, the waterfront and South Station, a few minutes' walk away.
Encore Boston Harbor
Wynn's $2.5 billion resort opened in June 2019 on the Mystic River in Everett, about four miles north of downtown. With 671 rooms it is by far the largest hotel here, and it holds a Forbes Five-Star rating for 2026. Expect a casino resort rather than a city hotel: a 26,000-square-foot spa, a long list of restaurants including Rare Steakhouse and Seamark, free self-parking, a Harborwalk park, but no swimming pool and no pets. Best for: a resort weekend; for sightseeing, downtown Boston is about four miles away by road.
Raffles Boston
The first Raffles in North America opened in September 2023 on Trinity Place, a few minutes from Copley Square, with 147 rooms in a slim tower and a sky lobby on the 17th floor. It has a 20-meter indoor lap pool with hot tub and sauna on the fourth floor and a Guerlain Spa. The Long Bar & Terrace serves its signature cocktails and afternoon tea from Thursday to Sunday, La Padrona is the Italian restaurant by Jody Adams, and The Blind Duck is a speakeasy. AAA rates it Five Diamond for 2026 and MICHELIN gave it two Keys. Pets of any size are welcome for $150 a stay. Best for: a new-build luxury hotel with a real pool, in Back Bay.
The Newbury Boston
This corner of Arlington and Newbury Street has been a hotel since 1927, when it opened as one of the first Ritz-Carlton hotels in the United States; it reopened as The Newbury in 2021 after a full restoration. It has 286 rooms, 90 of them suites, and 42 suites have wood-burning fireplaces. Contessa, the glass-roofed Italian restaurant on the roof, is its best-known address. There is no pool or spa, and a $45 nightly residential fee is added. AAA Five Diamond, Forbes Four-Star and two MICHELIN Keys. Best for: the Public Garden, 4 minutes away, and Newbury Street from the front door.
The Ritz-Carlton, Boston
On Avery Street at the southern corner of Boston Common since 2001, the Ritz-Carlton has 193 rooms and is AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Four-Star for 2026. It has no pool of its own, but guests aged 18 and over can use the adjoining Equinox Sports Club and its 25-yard pool, free with Club Lounge access or for $20 a day. The Artisan Bistro and the Avery Bar, which hosts weekend afternoon tea in season, are on site. Best for: theater nights, with the Boston Opera House, the Paramount and the Wang Theatre minutes away, and Boston Common across the street.
The Langham, Boston
The Langham fills the 1922 Federal Reserve Bank building on Post Office Square. It reopened in 2021 after a two-year, $150 million transformation, with 312 rooms. The former banking hall is now Grana, an Italian restaurant, The Fed is the cocktail bar, and the Wyeth Room keeps the N.C. Wyeth murals painted for the bank. There is a heated indoor pool, and dogs up to 50 pounds are welcome. It holds two MICHELIN Keys. Best for: the historic center, 6 minutes from Faneuil Hall, and business trips to the Financial District.
Fairmont Copley Plaza
The grand hotel of Copley Square opened in 1912 and still has its gilded lobby and the OAK Long Bar + Kitchen. With 383 rooms, 17 of them suites, it is one of the larger luxury hotels in the city, and its canine ambassador, a black Labrador, greets guests in the lobby. There is no pool, but there is a rooftop fitness center. Some rates carry a $35 nightly Urban Experience fee, which includes a $45 food and drink credit per stay. Best for: history and the Marathon finish line, a short walk away.
XV Beacon
This small hotel occupies a Beaux Arts building on Beacon Street that housed the Boston School Committee until 1999. Its 61 rooms all have a fireplace, the steakhouse Mooo is downstairs, and a courtesy car drops guests downtown. Dogs of any size are welcome for $85, half of which goes to an animal charity, and MICHELIN gave it its first Key in 2026. Best for: a quiet, discreet stay by the State House, 8 minutes from Faneuil Hall.
The Liberty
Few hotels anywhere have a stranger past: The Liberty fills the Charles Street Jail, built in 1851, whose last prisoners left in 1990. It opened as a hotel in 2007 with 298 rooms around a 90-foot atrium where the original catwalks still run. The restaurant CLINK. keeps some of the old cells, and Scampo and the Alibi bar complete the list. Best for: atmosphere, the Charles River Esplanade, and Massachusetts General Hospital next door.
The Whitney Hotel
Opened in 2019 at the foot of Charles Street, the Whitney combines a 1909 building with a new wing and has just 65 rooms, four of them suites. Peregrine serves coastal Mediterranean food, there is a courtyard with a fire pit, and a free pantry on every floor. Bookings made since April 2026 carry a $30 nightly amenity fee, which includes a $20 daily food and drink credit. It holds one MICHELIN Key. Best for: a boutique stay among the antique shops of Beacon Hill.
The Lenox
Open since 1900 on Boylston Street and run by the same family since 1963, The Lenox has 215 rooms, some corner suites with working wood-burning fireplaces, and a mail chute that still works. The Boston Marathon finishes less than a block away. It is a member of Historic Hotels of America, with Sweeney's, an Irish pub, on the ground floor. Dogs up to 20 pounds are welcome. Best for: old-Boston charm at the heart of Back Bay, and Marathon weekend.
The Eliot Hotel
Built in 1925 on Commonwealth Avenue next to the Harvard Club, and named for Harvard president Charles W. Eliot, this 95-room hotel celebrated its centenary in 2025. UNI, the izakaya by chef Ken Oringer, is on the ground floor, and pets of any size are welcome. Best for: Fenway Park and Kenmore Square, a few minutes away, on a quiet residential stretch of Back Bay.
The Charles Hotel
Harvard Square's landmark hotel opened in 1985 and has about 295 rooms. It has no pool, but it does have the Corbu Spa & Salon, the Henrietta's Table restaurant and the Regattabar jazz club, open since the hotel's first year. AAA rates it Four Diamond. Best for: visits to Harvard, a Red Line ride from downtown Boston; see hotels near Harvard and MIT.
Which luxury hotel suits which trip
- A first visit to Boston: Four Seasons Hotel Boston or The Newbury Boston, both on the Public Garden.
- Swimming laps: Four Seasons One Dalton (64 feet), Raffles (20 meters) or the InterContinental (45 feet); the Ritz-Carlton's Equinox pool is 25 yards but for adults only.
- A spa weekend: One Dalton (Five-Star spa), Mandarin Oriental (16,000 square feet), Raffles (Guerlain) or Encore.
- Harbor views and the Freedom Trail: Boston Harbor Hotel, or The Langham two blocks inland.
- Theater: The Ritz-Carlton, across the street from the Theater District.
- History in the walls: Fairmont Copley Plaza (1912), The Lenox (1900), The Langham (1922 bank) and The Liberty (1851 jail).
- Small and quiet: XV Beacon (61 rooms), The Whitney (65) or The Eliot (95).
- Traveling with a large dog: XV Beacon, Raffles, Fairmont Copley Plaza and The Newbury accept dogs of any size; see our pet-friendly hotels guide for the full comparison.
- Fenway Park: The Eliot Hotel or Four Seasons One Dalton.
- Harvard: The Charles Hotel.
- Families: InterContinental Boston (pool and Kid's Club, by the Greenway) or the Four Seasons Hotel Boston (pool, Public Garden across the street).
- Couples: XV Beacon, with a fireplace in every room, or a fireplace suite at The Newbury Boston.
- A view: Boston Harbor Hotel for the harbor, the Four Seasons Hotel Boston for the Public Garden.
- Business: The Langham, in the Financial District, or One Dalton, by the Hynes Convention Center.
- A suite: see what each hotel's suites offer in our guide to luxury suites in Boston.
Pools and spas: what each hotel really has
Luxury in Boston does not always mean a pool. Only six of the central hotels have one of their own: the two Four Seasons, Raffles, the InterContinental (45 feet), The Langham and Boston Harbor Hotel. The Ritz-Carlton relies on the Equinox club next door, the Mandarin Oriental's water is in its spa, and The Newbury, Fairmont Copley Plaza, XV Beacon, The Liberty, The Whitney, The Lenox and The Eliot have none. Spas are rarer still: One Dalton, Mandarin Oriental, Raffles, the InterContinental, The Charles and Encore have a full spa, while the Four Seasons Hotel Boston brings treatments to the room.
How much do luxury hotels in Boston cost?
Rates change daily, so we don't print them, but the pattern is steady: luxury hotel rates rise sharply for Marathon weekend in April, graduation weeks in May and the peak autumn dates in September and October. A stay in January, February or early March, outside holiday weeks, is the simplest way to afford a better room: see Boston hotel prices by month. Whatever the season, budget for 16.45 % in taxes at the larger Boston hotels (14.95 % of state and city lodging taxes plus a 1.5 % tourism district assessment), $65 to $85 a night for valet parking and, at some hotels, a nightly fee on top of the rate.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best luxury hotels in Boston?
By the 2026 ratings, the Four Seasons Hotel Boston, Four Seasons One Dalton Street, Mandarin Oriental and Boston Harbor Hotel are both Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond. Raffles Boston, The Newbury Boston and The Ritz-Carlton are also AAA Five Diamond, and Encore Boston Harbor, in Everett, is Forbes Five-Star.
How many five-star hotels are there in Boston?
Forbes rates five hotels in the Boston area Five-Star for 2026: Four Seasons Hotel Boston, Four Seasons One Dalton Street, Mandarin Oriental, Boston Harbor Hotel and Encore Boston Harbor. AAA lists seven Five Diamond hotels in Boston.
Which Boston luxury hotels have a pool?
Four Seasons One Dalton (64-foot lap pool), Raffles Boston (20-meter lap pool), the InterContinental (45-foot lap pool), Four Seasons Hotel Boston, The Langham and Boston Harbor Hotel have indoor pools. Ritz-Carlton guests aged 18 and over can use the Equinox club pool next door. The Mandarin Oriental has spa pools but no swimming pool.
Which luxury hotels in Boston are on the water?
Boston Harbor Hotel, at Rowes Wharf, is the only Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond hotel on the waterfront, with the water taxi to Logan Airport leaving from its wharf. The InterContinental, a few minutes south on Atlantic Avenue, faces Fort Point Channel.
Which area is best for a luxury stay in Boston?
Back Bay has the most luxury hotels and the easiest walking for a first visit. Choose the Public Garden side for Beacon Hill and Boston Common, and Downtown or the waterfront to be close to the Freedom Trail and Faneuil Hall.
Do Boston luxury hotels charge resort fees?
Most do not. The InterContinental mentions a $39 daily urban destination fee, The Newbury Boston adds a $45 nightly residential fee, The Whitney a $30 amenity fee with a food and drink credit, and the Fairmont Copley Plaza a $35 Urban Experience fee on some rates. Boston Harbor Hotel states that it charges none.
Which Boston hotels have MICHELIN Keys?
Seven Boston hotels hold MICHELIN Keys for 2026: Raffles Boston, The Langham and The Newbury Boston have two Keys, and the Four Seasons Hotel Boston, Four Seasons One Dalton Street, XV Beacon and The Whitney Hotel have one.
How much is parking at Boston luxury hotels?
Valet parking costs $65 to $85 a night. Boston Harbor Hotel also offers self-parking at $55, and Encore Boston Harbor has free self-parking.