Four Seasons Boston: Preferred Partner guide

Four Seasons Hotel Boston is the city's classic luxury hotel, open since 1985 on Boylston Street, directly across from the Public Garden and Boston Common. It has held a Forbes Five-Star rating for more than 25 years, has an eighth-floor pool overlooking the park, and is one of the most family-friendly hotels in the city. Booked through a Preferred Partner advisor, a stay adds daily breakfast for two, a $100 hotel credit, upgrade priority and VIP recognition, at the same rate Four Seasons publishes.

Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits
The George Washington statue among trees in the Boston Public Garden
The Public Garden, directly across the street from the hotel.
The Property

Four Seasons Hotel Boston at a glance

Opened
June 1985
Accommodations
239 in total: 170 guest rooms and 69 suites, in a 16-storey building
Updated
Guest rooms redesigned in 2017. Lobby and public spaces redesigned by Ken Fulk in 2023
Dining
Coterie (brasserie), Aujourd'hui (breakfast) and Sottovento coffee bar
Pool
Indoor lap pool and whirlpool on the eighth floor, overlooking the Public Garden
Rating
Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star for more than 25 consecutive years
Airport
Boston Logan (BOS), about 15 minutes by car
Nearest T station
Arlington on the Green Line, a three-minute walk
The Perks

Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits at Four Seasons Boston

The program benefits are the same at every hotel. What changes is what they are worth. This is how each one works at this property.

01

Breakfast for two, every day

Full breakfast for two per bedroom at Aujourd'hui, or through in-room dining. Breakfast is à la carte, with no buffet, and reviewers single out the room-service breakfast, so this is a good hotel to take it in your room.

02

$100 hotel credit, $200 in suites

One credit per stay. With no spa at this hotel, it is best used on lunch or dinner at Coterie, or put towards an in-room massage.

03

Upgrade priority

A one-category upgrade when available at check-in. The upgrade that matters is from a city view to a Public Garden view. The rooms are the same size, so what you gain is the outlook.

04

Early check-in and late checkout

Priority for both. Handy for morning arrivals on overnight flights from the west coast or Europe.

05

VIP recognition

A welcome amenity and a VIP note on the reservation. We ask for the garden side and pass on children's names and ages so the hotel can prepare.

06

Combines with Four Seasons offers

Preferred Partner benefits apply on top of the hotel's own promotions. We check what is available for your dates when we quote.

Advisor Picks

Best rooms to book at Four Seasons Boston

The view over the Public Garden is what this hotel is known for, and not every room has it. Standard rooms are about 400 sq ft whichever way they face. Garden-view rooms and suites have bay windows looking over the park towards Beacon Hill and the gold dome of the State House.

The room to book

Deluxe Garden-View Room

About 400 sq ft with the park view. It comes with a king bed or two doubles, and the two-double version takes two adults and two children. If you book one category at this hotel, book this one.

Best value

Deluxe City-View Room

The same size as the garden-view room, facing the city. A reasonable choice when the rate gap is wide, and the category where an upgrade makes the biggest difference. The Superior and Courtyard rooms below it are slightly smaller and have no park view.

Families

Garden-View Executive Suite

About 625 sq ft, with a living room that closes off from the bedroom and bay windows over the park. This is the suite advisors book most for families. The dividing doors fold, so they let through a little more sound than a solid door.

Couples who want the best view

Premier Garden-View Executive Suite

The same size suite in the best positions for the view. Worth asking about for an anniversary or a first visit to Boston.

Special occasions

Senator, State and Garden Suites

Larger suites from about 825 to 1,200 sq ft. The Garden Suite has marble bathrooms and the widest views of the park.

The top suite

Royal Suite

Rebuilt in 2024 at 2,590 sq ft, with Public Garden views and a private cinema room. Ask us about availability.

Connecting rooms are available and popular with families. Ask early, particularly for graduation weeks and autumn weekends.

Before You Go

Advisor tips for Four Seasons Boston

01

Insist on the garden side

A room on the city side is still a Four Seasons room, but it misses the reason to stay here. If the budget is fixed, a garden-view room beats a city-view suite for most couples.

02

Know how it differs from One Dalton

Boston has two Four Seasons hotels, about ten minutes apart on foot. This one is the classic: park views, a traditional feel and the better location for sightseeing. One Dalton is a modern tower with a spa, a larger pool and higher-floor skyline views. Ask us if you are unsure which suits you.

03

There is no spa

This hotel has a pool and a large gym but no spa. Massage is offered in your room. If spa time matters, consider One Dalton.

04

Reserve Coterie

The restaurant is small and popular with locals, so you need a booking even as a hotel guest. Tell us the nights you want.

05

Use the free extras

Each guest floor has a pantry of complimentary snacks and drinks. The coffee bar makes a free morning coffee to order until 11 am, and the hotel lends bicycles.

06

Skip the car

Valet parking costs $65 to $75 a night and street parking is difficult. The hotel is three minutes from the Green Line, has a house car for drop-offs within about two miles, and most of central Boston is walkable.

07

Book early for busy weeks

Boston fills for the Marathon in April, university graduations from mid-April to late May, and the Head of the Charles regatta and autumn colour in October. January and February are the best value.

08

Bring the children

Children choose a toy from a hidden closet at check-in, the pool has park views, and the Swan Boats and the Frog Pond on the Common are across the street. Under-18s share with parents at no charge.

Where the Credit Goes

Dining at Four Seasons Boston

Dining was rebuilt with the 2023 redesign of the public spaces. The Bristol, which older reviews mention, is no longer here.

Brasserie, lunch and dinner

Coterie

The hotel's restaurant and lounge, with brasserie dishes such as a seafood tower, escargots, a lobster roll and a well-regarded burger. Small, so reserve.

Breakfast

Aujourd'hui

The breakfast room, serving an à la carte menu that includes a lobster omelette. The name revives the hotel's original fine-dining restaurant.

Coffee bar

Sottovento

Morning coffee made to order, complimentary for hotel guests, with pastries and items to take away. It closes at 11 am.

24 hours

In-room dining

Available around the clock, and delivered to the pool if you ask. Preferred Partner guests can take their daily breakfast this way.

On Property

Pool and facilities at Four Seasons Boston

The facilities are fewer than at a resort or at One Dalton, but what is here is well done.

01

Eighth-floor pool

An indoor heated lap pool and whirlpool with windows over the Public Garden. Quiet in the early morning and popular with children in the afternoon.

02

Fitness centre

A large gym of about 7,000 sq ft, open 24 hours.

03

Floor pantries

Key-access pantries on each guest floor, stocked with complimentary snacks and soft drinks.

04

House car and bikes

A complimentary car for drop-offs within about two miles, and cruiser bikes to borrow for a ride along the Charles River.

05

Families

A toy closet at check-in, child-size amenities, two-double rooms and connecting rooms. One of the easiest city hotels in the country with children.

06

Pets

Small dogs and cats are welcome. Weight limits apply, so let us know when you book.

Timing

When to visit Four Seasons Boston

Boston has real seasons, and hotel prices swing more here than in most American cities.

April to June
Spring in the Public Garden, with tulips and the Swan Boats back on the lagoon. Marathon weekend and graduation weeks are expensive and sell out early.
July and August
Warm and lively, with the Common and the Esplanade at their best. Rates are moderate by Boston standards.
September and October
The most expensive months of the year, with autumn colour, the start of the university year and the Head of the Charles regatta in mid-October.
November to March
Cold, quiet and the best value, especially January and February. The Frog Pond becomes an ice rink, and the park under snow is a fine view from a garden-side room.
Travel

Getting to Four Seasons Boston

The hotel is on Boylston Street at the south-west corner of the Public Garden, between Back Bay and downtown.

From Logan by car
About 15 minutes outside rush hour. A taxi or car service is the simplest option with luggage.
From Logan by T
Take the free airport shuttle to the Blue Line and change to the Green Line at Government Center for Arlington, a three-minute walk from the hotel.
Around Boston
Newbury Street, Beacon Hill, the theatre district and the start of the Freedom Trail are all a short walk. Copley Square and the Prudential Center are about 20 minutes on foot, and Harvard is about 15 minutes by subway.
Beyond the Hotel

Things to do near Four Seasons Boston

Much of what first-time visitors want to see starts at the front door.

01

Public Garden and Swan Boats

Across the street. The oldest public botanical garden in the country, with pedal-powered Swan Boats on the lagoon from spring to early autumn.

02

Boston Common and Frog Pond

Next to the Public Garden. A water play area in summer and a skating rink in winter.

03

The Freedom Trail

The walking route past the city's Revolutionary War sites starts on the Common. Allow half a day.

04

Newbury Street

Eight blocks of shops, galleries and restaurants running west from the Public Garden.

05

Charles River Esplanade

A riverside park for a morning run or a bike ride. The concierge has route maps.

How to Book

How to book Four Seasons Boston with Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits

  1. 1Send us your dates, the room category you want, and who is travelling. Tell us if it is a special occasion or a first visit.
  2. 2We reply within 24 hours with the Four Seasons Preferred Partner rate, which matches the hotel's own published rate, plus any hotel offer available for your dates.
  3. 3Confirm, and the hotel contacts you directly to collect your card details. The benefits are on the reservation from that point.
  4. 4We add your requests before you travel: flight times for early check-in, dining reservations, dietary notes and the upgrade request.

Already booked direct?

Send us your confirmation. A reservation booked directly with the hotel can usually have the benefits added, with the dates, rate, room type and cancellation policy unchanged. Bookings made through an online travel agency cannot be moved.

Book Four Seasons Boston with every Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefit.

No fees. Same rate as direct. Rates within 24 hours.

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