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Jason Wessel
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JAMES BAIGRIE
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JAMES BAIGRIE
Bob & Tanya Waite
It is getting close to winter in Boston when Tanya and I get into our car to drive to Boston and stay at two of Boston’s most interesting hotels: The Whitney Hotel in the Beacon Hill section of Boston and The Envoy Hotel in the Seaport District. Neither of us have been to Boston in the last ten years and even though cold weather is expected, we are leaving Bucks County with large suitcases wearing fairly light jackets for the trip.
The Whitney Hotel
When we arrive at the Whitney, we are greeted by the valet, Frank. He looks and talks like someone from Boston, but I learn later that he is not a native—just someone who loves Boston and has really made it his home. He is very helpful and takes our bags to the room while we check in. Tanya hardly steps into the lobby before she has iPhone in hand and is taking photos. Office Manager Ryan Wilson checks us in.
When we enter Room 516, Tanya exclaims, “This is great Babe!” In the sitting area is a comfortable gray couch a round table and a very comfortable brown leather chair. On the table is a bottle of Moet, orange juice and snacks. There is also a package with socks and a soothing foot lotion—all of which are included in the Beacon Hill Shopping Package.
The Beacon Hill Shopping Package is a great deal. It includes overnight accommodations, welcome amenity-wine and chocolate, a $50 AMEX gift card, 20% off treatments at Bella Santé, scheduled appointments and special offers from Neighborhood Passkey Partners (shops that offer discounts for guests staying at the Whitney), Aveda Foot Relief and World’s Softest Crew socks. Although we did not have the package, we did shop Beacon Hill, which has the historic gaslights, colorful storefronts, restaurants and independently owned boutiques—all unique and colorful as are the brick pavements, and narrow side streets. And, by the way, the Aveda Foot Relief is so soothing.
Beacon Hill was originally built in 1795 and seems like a town within a town. The architectural style is primarily Federal, but it has smatterings of Colonial Revival and Greek Revival buildings. The bridge to Cambridge is cattycorner to our room, which has a wonderful view of Charles Street and Beacon Hill. Crossing the bridge we enjoy a mild breeze and watch the joggers, bikers and walkers from MIT and Harvard come into Boston.
Tanya is thrilled and puzzled at the same time. It seems that everyone is either jogging or riding a bicycle. She loves her daily five to six mile walks and sees others walking, jogging and riding bikes, but never this many. I feel guilty as most couch potatoes do when they see people exercising, but I also realize that for the cyclers, it is may be more about transportation than about keeping in shape. Tanya seeing my skepticism, humors me and insists that it is about getting from one place from another in a way that promotes health and fitness.
The Whitney Hotel is gorgeous. Tanya wears out her iPhone taking photos of both the interior and exterior. The director of sales and marketing, Kimberley Lowthers meets us in the lobby and introduces us to Marina Aslanidou, the general manager. Marina is not only pleasant and gracious but is very concerned about our comfort.
Kimberly gives a quick review of the Whitney’s history and then gives us a tour of the facility, which is a seamless combination of an older building and a modern addition. On the inside there is no difference between the rooms in the older building and the newer building.
The hotel opened in in June 2019 and is named for Henry Melville Whitney, a prominent Boston industrialist and one-time owner of the site. The Whitney offers guests generous hospitality through sophisticated simplicity and cultured comforts. A painting of Mr. Whitney and another one of his wife are in the lobby. Art is strategically placed everywhere.
Kimberly is the perfect host. She not only tells us about this amazing luxury boutique hotel, but also about the history of Beacon Hill, the garden show, the Boston Duck statues and the wooden ones on the mantle in the lobby, but also the butcher shop next door, Savenor’s Market. Savenor’s history goes back to 1939 and was frequented by the Rockefellers, Kennedys and Schlesingers and the owner was television chef pioneer Julia Childs’ butcher.
We have a reservation for lunch at Peregrine, which has COVID compliant indoor and outdoor dining. The lunch menu has such interesting sandwiches that we were not sure what to order. I order the Sardinian, which is described as “like an Italian grinder, but distinctly “Peregrine” made with Jamon Serrano smoked turkey, provolone, tomato, pickled peppers, oil plus sherry vinegar. Tanya orders the Braised Beef with Caramelized onions.
While eating we hardly speak, not wanting to miss the subtle taste sensations. The dinner menu has small plates, appetizers and entrees that include Squid Ink Gnocchetti, Pasta Pomodoro, Bolognese, Mushroom Ragu, Pappardelle with Braised Chicken, Tagliatelle alla Vongole, Peregrine Steak, Roasted Dog Patch Farms Pork and Bluefish Fra Diavolo.
We are sad to see our two day stay at the Whitney to end. It is one of the most beautiful and comfortable hotels we visited, but we have to go. We not only enjoyed the stay, staff and room, but we felt safe. The Covid precautions were precise. The rooms were sanitized, and the surfaces in the lobby were continually cleaned. Masks were worn in all public areas.
The Whitney Hotel is located at 170 Charles Street, Boston, MA. To book a room, call 888-673-3650 or visit www.whitneyhotelboston.com.
The Envoy Hotel
We are on our way to The Envoy Hotel in Boston’s booming Seaport District. As Beacon Hill represents the distinguished old Boston and is steeped in history, the Seaport District represents a new, energized Boston. On www.bostonseaport.xyz the district is described as a … “beacon of all things new and unexpected. It’s a home for technology, innovation, art and doing things a little differently. It’s a neighborhood for what’s new and what’s next … nestled between Boston’s scenic waterfront and the historic Fort Point District–and you’ll feel the energy shift. There’s a little more excitement, a little extra style and a sense that something interesting is just around the corner.”
We have some time before check-in and we ride around the financial district and waterfront and are in awe of the architectural beauty and scenic views of the Boston waterfront.
As the day wanes, it is time to check into The Envoy, which is a part of Marriot’s exclusive Autograph Collection. We arrive at 3 p.m. sharp, ready to relax and enjoy the rest of our stay in Boston. On the sidewalk outside the hotel written in bronze we see “This Way Forward.” Once inside we notice the same energy that we felt driving around the Seaport District.
Inside the lobby of this hotel built on September 25, 2015 is another world. On a large marble wall it says in huge black letters, “On The Way To Everywhere.” Feeling like a Pennsylvania rube visiting the city for the first time, I marvel at the art, a high tech colorful flashing board behind desk and all kind of things to accommodate every kind of electronic device.
The seating in the lobby is comfortable and there is no place where you cannot charge whatever device you are carrying. The lobby lets you see everything outside with floor to ceiling windows. Also there are comfortable blue couches and bright yellow pillows. What catches Tanya’s attention is the virtual pool table that has all sorts of games that can be played, as if it were a giant tablet. The centerpiece of the lobby is the huge chandelier made from reclaimed materials including rope and coiled phone cords.
We are shown the hotel by Marc Kruger, the director of sales and marketing, and we meet the general manager, Joseph A. Mellia, who is proud of all the hotel’s accomplishments including its AAA Four-Diamond rating. Marc, who loves the hotel, takes us around showing us the art—all of which is museum quality. The ride up the elevator to the Lookout Rooftop & Bar, a rooftop bar and eatery with gastropub food, has a rough seas mural. Marc says that the trip up after a stressful day can be represented by the rough seas, but on the way down another elevator has a calm sea mural indicating that the stress is over after a few of the Lookout’s special cocktails.
The Marriot Website says, “Rooms and suites are oriented to the water, and have a quintessentially urban view, providing a uniquely efficient and comfortable roost with carefully considered custom details, bits of surprise and pops of color.” And this bit of New England understatement just doesn’t do justice to the amazing views of the waterfront and creative design that we encounter when entering our room.
Tanya, a décor junkie, is balled over by the creativity involved in the design of our room. “Check this out,” she says of the bicycle turned into a television stand. And then the bathroom, which has a glass door to enter by and a separate booth for the shower and another one for the toilet, is smart and up-to-date. On the glass doors an old map of Boston is etched.
Every room in the hotel has an umbrella and tote bag. The large king size bed is firm and comfortable. The hotel has 136 contemporary guest rooms, including two luxury suites and 19 two-queen doubles. All the furniture was created specifically for the hotel, including the TV stands made from bicycle frames and sleek white desks wrapped with a retro inspired leather look. The TV acts as a digital concierge and has Enseo technology for instant access to the Internet and channels like Netflix, Hulu, You Tube, Pandora, and More.
We are tired when we finally go to our room. We watch a series on Netflix we were binge-watching at home. Then we go to the Lookout Rooftop & Bar on the sixth floor. There we are offered the chance to eat outdoors but are a little concerned by the fact that it is cold outside. No problem, there are igloos built for eating in the cold. The view of Boston’s skyline is breathtaking on the Rooftop, and inside the igloo, the heater keeps us warm to eat and drink. To begin with we each order a cocktail. I order a Dewar’s on the rocks and Tanya orders a Margarita. We share orders of Carbonara Deviled Eggs, Chopped Caesar Salad, Sausage and Three Cheese Flatbread and Shrimp Cocktail. It is delicious. After eating we go back to our room and continue binge watching our series.
The next morning we go to a local café and have coffee and some scones. It is 30 degrees and we are under dressed. The wind is strong, so we cut our walk short and return to the hotel. We then return to the room and change. We go out again and walk around the Seaport District discovering it is very different than walking around Beacon Hill. There are no hills, people are not slowly browsing shops but walking at a faster pace one would expect in a city—and we saw only one jogger.
Although the Whitney Hotel and The Envoy Hotel are very different upscale hotels, they are both serious about COVID and like the Whitney, guest safety is a prime objective. We felt safe at the Envoy and the precautions were scrupulous—as they should be.
Checking out is sad, just like when we left the Whitney, yet we muster up to the task and leave. Rather than going straight home, we take a ride to southern New Hampshire and go to a shopping mall. Tanya’s attention is on the clothing, especially the shoes, and I am kind of just tagging along, holding her pocketbook when necessary. We leave the mall and drive back to Bucks County.
The Envoy Hotel is located at 70 Sleeper St, Boston, MA To book a room, call 617-338-3030 or visit www.theenvoyhotel.com.
Bob Waite is the editor of Bucks County Magazine and Tanya is his wife, travel companion and co-writer of this department.