Steps from botanical Boston Public Garden and historic Boston Common, the Boston Park Plaza occupies a distinctive place in U.S. hotel history. Originally the Statler Hotel, this 1927 Back Bay heirloom set a new standard for the “modern business hotel” as part of E.M. Statler’s pioneering American hotel chain, which introduced concepts including the en suite bathroom and “Do Not Disturb” sign.
Incorporating 16 million pounds of steel, 5 million bricks, 10 acres of carpet and 7,000 doors, his 1,300-room titan was then Boston’s tallest building, and for five decades, the world’s eighth-largest hotel.
In 1954, Hilton Hotels acquired the chain in a landmark deal. The brand eventually faded, but the Boston property, renamed in 1976 and among a handful of surviving former Statlers today, carried on through.
Following a $100 million lobby-to-roof renovation unveiled in April 2016, the beloved local treasure, earning “Best of the East” recognition from Meetings Today’s readers in 2018, is timelessly alluring for groups.
Boston Park Plaza Hotel Lobby, Credit: Boston Park Plaza
Over breakfast in Off the Common, the hotel’s sleek new lobby restaurant and bar, Suzanne Wenz, the hotel’s complex director of marketing communications and PR, filled me in on the makeover.
“Statler created a ‘city within a city’ where business travelers could stay and conduct their affairs without leaving,” she said. “The renovation upholds that tradition with a range of high-end amenities.”
These include the independent STRIP by Strega steakhouse; secluded library room; full-service Starbucks; 20,000-square-foot Lynx Fitness Club, featuring Boston's first Topgolf Swing Suite; FedEx Office Business Center; and Leica camera store and gallery.
“Blending historical elements with contemporary lifestyle updates, our repositioning reflects local fondness for the hotel as a place rooted in good memories,” Wenz said.
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The neighborly welcome extends to groups large and small. With 1,060 newly renovated guest rooms in five styles, including 57 suites, the hotel offers 55,000-plus square feet of space in 36 meeting rooms for up to 1,130 delegates.
Boston Park Plaza Imperial Ballroom, Credit: Boston Park Plaza
Highlights include the opulent Grand and Imperial Ballrooms; historic boardrooms; fourth-floor conference level; and Avenue 34, a versatile new self-contained 7,000-square-foot industrial chic event space.
BOSTON PARK PLAZA CONTACT INFORMATION
Boston Park Plaza
617.426.2000
