Holiday Inn Express Hotels in Cambridge

We were stuck in Boston while one of us was hospitalized with a medical emergency. We chose the hotel based on proximity to Mass General hospital. Hotel ratings looked good and the price was more reasonable than other hotels in the area but still big city prices. It is a pleasant and scenic 1 mile, 20+ minute walk along the Charles River and over the Longfellow bridge from the hotel to the hospital. Staff at the desk were pleasant and helpful. Larry, the gentleman who handles bags, taxis, etc, was kind and helpful. The room was just OK, a bit worn but still pleasant with a great view. The bed was comfortable. Seating was limited. The bathroom was small and a bit inconvenient, also in need of updating and minor repair. In room coffee is free but with only powdered creamer available. Bottled water is $3.00! The ArtBar restaurant in the hotel was a plus. Good food, good prices, good service. There is also a small coffee shop with pastry, sandwiches, etc. Just across the road is a small mall with a restaurant and retail stores. All in all a satisfactory stay even though the hotel could use a bit of updating.

I arrived early and they were able to find me a room that was available which was very nice. As a Globalist they offered a 4 pm checkout and free breakfast. Got a nice room facing the Charles River. A pleasant stay and very convenient to MIT. Also nice that they now have a shuttle that will take you to Kendall, Central or Harvard Square.

The maintenance of this property is abysmal. We were arriving from an international trip and wanted to sleep off our jet lag and visit our adult child living in the area. We arrived exhausted to find a bloody toilet seat, dirty bathroom, peeling paint from the ceiling, moldy bathroom and dusty room. When we called the desk to mention it- they said they would send housekeeping. They didn't offer to change our room- and we were so tired- we didn't ask. Housekeeper arrived (and entered without us opening the door) to clean the bathroom only. But clearly missed a lot of corners. The next day they offered to change our room-but we were too tired and busy to change- in the window of time that they offered us, so ended up staying in the filth. The bed was quite worn/spongy and didn't support us at all. The sofa bed mattress didn't have a mattress cover available. The view of the trash and T tracks were unappealing. The room was rather small/tight for 3,too. It was hysterical that we were sent emails confirming the hotel's commitment to COVID cleanliness. No hotel employees were masked. The best part of the stay was the good coffee always available in the lobby and the access to Cambridge and the T. I am a Bonvoy Gold member and expect a minimum quality to Marriott properties-this property was below all standards. It was the only time I was not recognized as a Bonvoy elite member too. When we complained about the filth- the hotel offered to refund us 1 night- but charged us the full amount. It only refunded AFTER we complained that there was a billing error. This hotel is not worth more than $300 per night. Look elsewhere.

Everything was perfect about our stay from fulfilling our request for a higher floor room with a view, to the breakfast staff meeting our request for a ”hot” vegetarian item. We were leaving at about 5am on the final day and the breakfast doesn't open until 6:30am/7am, but the staff was very nice enough for us to let us pick a few bakery and refrigerated items for to go that early morning. The room was VERY spacious with a fully stocked kitchen with pots and pans. It was very helpful for the Uber Eats delivery we had one of the nights as we could eat in the ”real” plates and use the silverware. We put the left overs in the fridge. The entire staff of the hotel was very respectful and ever smiling. Having a Starbucks attached to the hotel was great and the exit thru the Starbucks to the parking garage was super convenient.

As with most things we do this booking was last minute so we didn’t do the research beforehand. That being said we were pleasantly surprised. Deyli at the front desk was extremely accommodating. She checked us in early to a room with a partial river view. When we asked her if she could move us to a room with a more strait on view she didn’t hesitate. She really did everything she could to make our stay as comfortable as possible. When we asked for extra towels and coffee it was there in less than 5 min. All this during one of the areas busiest weekends. Plus your no more than 15 minutes away from anything you’re going to do. We had a great time and will definitely be back next year. Thanks Deyli and staff. See you next year for HOCR !

Did I spend roughly $50 (pre-tax & tip) on a lobster roll and a glass of prosecco? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes. I'm going to touch on other aspects of my stay, but I can't believe how many fresh tasting, big, succulent chunks of lobster were in this hotel lounge lobster roll. It's cold & mayo based, which I know isn't for everyone (I see you got buttered lobster roll people and I understand completely; I'm just an equal opportunist when it comes to lobster rolls), but it was really good - like, not good for a hotel lounge, but good good. Yum! Ok, so why 4 stars? If it were based on the hospitality of the staff alone, I'd give it 6. Every staff member I encountered was genuinely affable - some were more outgoing than others, sure, but I appreciate mellow kindness. Also, this might be the first time I've remembered to pack all of my extra little charging stations, and I didn't even need them. So many conveniently placed outlets and USB ports - and the main room light was warm toned and welcoming, which is also a little treat :) I had to take away a star because of the general noise. My sleep wasn't disturbed, because I always travel with hardcore ear plugs and a sleep mask, but I couldn't close the curtains all the way (even with the pants hanger clip trick) so there was light coming in, and I could hear everything in the hall. Also plumbing noises (like pipes pinging and gurgling - nothing alarming, just...mildly intrusive). I was also disappointed that there wasn't a laundry bag or dry cleaning service like there are in the other Marriotts I've stayed in; I want to call myself out on not going to the front desk to ask specifically for this, but every other Marriott I've been in has a laundry bag with a dry cleaning order form in the closet. There also weren't any extra blankets in the closet; again, I didn't ask the front for one (and I'm sure they would have given one to me) but I wish there had been one in the room as it was super comfortable until I woke up at 2 am - which is really late and inconvenient to realize you need extra blankets. Ok, so that's why I took away a star. The other 4 are for the friendly staff, incredibly convenient location (anywhere I didn't walk, I took a Bluebike from the stand right outside), gorgeous fitness center (Pelotons?! What?!), and general cleanliness. If I come back to Boston/Cambridge for work, I'm 100% staying here. (If I come for pleasure, I'd probably try a quaint inn or something, but honestly I'd likely stay here the final night of my trip because it is also FIFTEEN MINUTES from the airport. But with a great river view, and no plane noises.) More on the location: walk to the river, and across the Harvard bridge. You're literally right there, and it's a great way to see the city (and while there's a CVS across the street, the one over the bridge is in a historic building. I'm from California, so to me that is very special 😂). It also takes 15 minutes to walk to the Cambridgeside Galleria if you n

This was a wonderful hotel for our visit. Our room was already available upon. A bit of an early arrival. We received friendly front desk service and had no problems with checking in. We found it to be clean and spacious. Everything was clean and provided a comfortable place each night. Close to MIT. We were able to get a car easily when going into Boston. Appreciated the cost compared to staying directly in Boston.

This hotel is in a great location, Safe and busy... My wife and I went to a concert at the Crystal Ballroom last week and this hotel was 0.6 miles away. Cannons and Madi Sipes. An easy walk. Check-in was quick and friendly. Parking is by valet, $28/day plus tip. The room was small, but extremely comfortable. The shower had a large head that dropped straight down rather than from an angle. The bed was very comfortable too. Checkout is at noon as well. Not 10 AM like most hotels. We were also allowed to leave my truck in the garage after checkout. We walked the 1 mile to the Harvard campus and left around 2 PM.

Near Harvard University. There is an amazing bagel shop nearby which is great for breakfast.