Boston Marriott Cambridge

This hotel meets Marriott's standards, but doesn't offer any particularly outstanding features. Its location is excellent, right next to the MIT station on the Red Line, and there's a Google building nearby. Getting to downtown via the Red Line is very convenient. We arrived by car at 1 AM and valet parking was no longer available. Valet parking costs $62 USD, and we ended up parking in the public parking lot next to the hotel for $52 USD/day. After parking, we used public transportation to visit Boston Common, the Freedom Trail, and Harvard University. We bought a one-day pass for $11 USD, which was quite convenient.

The room was great, but the best part was its super convenient location. It's really close to MIT and the subway station, and there are lots of good restaurants nearby.

The hotel is under renovation, and there isn't even a proper front desk. There were no slippers or bottled water in the room. The premium price is really not justified. The only decent thing was the soundproofing in the room.

The lobby was under renovation, which was fine as the hotel had sent an email beforehand to inform us. The main issue was on our last day when we needed to pick up our stored luggage to catch our flight. We were told to join the check-in queue to retrieve our bags. We waited for 20 minutes just to get our luggage. It's normally a separate queue for luggage retrieval, and they shouldn't waste guests' time just because their lobby renovation means there's no dedicated luggage service counter. This service was terrible!

The location is great, right above Kendall subway station, making transportation super convenient. Google is also right next door. However, because of the subway, you can hear trains passing by every few minutes, or at most every 10 minutes, from about 5 AM until past midnight. I stayed in a room facing the MIT Science Museum, and I wonder if rooms on the other side would be quieter?

The hotel itself has a good ambiance, but the service is absolutely terrible. For all Marriott hotels in the US, beware when booking: they don't just pre-authorize or freeze a deposit, they actually charge your card directly! They overcharged me $124. When I emailed them to inquire, they replied to the first email, stating it was for two days of parking + valet. However, when I replied again, telling them they made a mistake as I only parked for one day and provided evidence, they ghosted me completely – no more emails or phone calls! Ultimately, Trip.com reimbursed me $62, and I'm very grateful to them for being so responsible. But I still have to give Marriott a bad review. For such a large corporation, is a few hundred dollars really worth it? Such a low-class move!

1. The view outside the room was a large construction site. 2. The hotel has no lobby; it's currently under renovation, and the temporary reception area is on the third floor. 3. The hotel does not provide slippers or dental kits. There were two bottles of mineral water, priced at $6 each. 4. For breakfast, you're expected to tip. After you're seated, a server asks what you'd like to drink, which you'd normally expect with a complimentary breakfast. However, halfway through your meal, the server brings a bill for you to sign and fill in the tip yourself. It felt like the breakfast wasn't truly complimentary. Overall, the stay was not a good experience, but the location was decent.