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Boston

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Touch of Tinseltown on Top

The newly renovated rooftop pool at the Colonnade Hotel is an out-of-this-city experience. Small and chic and 13 floors up, the new design, front-gate lounges, and modern furniture leave any institutional feeling behind. Get in while you can, and decide whether it’s the heralded bar scene, views, or glamour that keep you coming back like the locals.

120 Huntington Ave.
617-424-7000
www.colonnadehotel.com

Wyeths in Residence

One unique and surprising venue in Boston is the Wyeth Room at The Langham Hotel. The American illustrator N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945) was commissioned by the Federal Reserve Bank in 1923 to paint two murals depicting the gravity and drama of American military conflicts, particularly their financing, for the Boston branch of the bank – which is now the site of The Langham. The Lincoln mural portrays the 16th President standing over Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury at the outbreak of the Civil War. The opposite mural shows George Washington with Robert Morris, a wealthy Philadelphia merchant known as the “Financier of the Revolution” and founder of the Bank of North America, along with Alexander Hamilton. Today the room is primarily used for meetings, making it largely accessible to casual hotel foot traffic. Note: Surviving Wyeths, including painter Jamie and his brother Nicky, frequent the hotel as guests and on occasion can be found in the Wyeth Room admiring their family history.

250 Franklin St.
617-451-1900
www.boston.langhamhotels.com

The Eyes Have It

Book the Cloud Nine penthouse suite at Nine Zero Hotel and you’ll feel like you’re in a James Bond movie. The front desk will scan your eye, which is then digitally converted into a code in the hotel’s computer system. The space-aged camera outside the hotel-room door can identify any scanned iris to permit or decline entry to Cloud Nine. (The technology even works if the guest is wearing glasses or contact lenses.) Once inside the suite, enjoy what Jerry Seinfeld, Kid Rock, and Christina Aguilera have all raved about: Spectacular views of Beacon Hill, Back Bay, the State House and the Charles River; a 42-in. plasma screen TV with surround-sound; wet bar; telescope for city and sky viewing; an oversized marble bathroom with Jacuzzi, and steam shower. 007 rates a 10.

90 Tremont St.
617-772-5800
www.ninezerohotel.com

Gold Service

Staying in the Fairmont Gold at the Fairmont Copley Plaza is like vacationing in an old New England Back Bay mansion at the turn of the century, where the style rivals that to be found in Paris. Guests choose among the mansion’s several rooms to enjoy breakfast, snacks, and evening hors d’oeuvres. The drawing room features a roaring fireplace and board games, the library is stacked with classics and thick leather chairs, and there’s a comfortable den for meetings or visiting over breakfast. The serving pantry is always stocked with china and silverware, and pantry butlers deliver small meals throughout the day. Cocktail hour is resplendent with a rotation of smoked chicken and apple tarts, crab cakes, lobster rolls, crab claws, shrimp, sushi rolls, shrimp tempura, chicken wings, and won tons – and that’s just for starters.

138 St. James Ave.
617-267-5300
www.fairmont.com/copleyplaza/

Watery Ride

The choice between hailing a regular cab, or a cozy, covered, scenic water taxi is the easiest call you’ll make in Boston. Upon landing at Logan International Airport, take the complimentary water transportation bus, look for the Rowes Wharf boat, then for a mere $10 enjoy the 15-minute ride to the front door of the Fairmont Battery Wharf. Once inside your room, you’ll find the contemporary American design is sleek and elegant, with oversized bathrooms and sweeping harbor views. Should the wind be whipping outside, use the underground passageway between the buildings. Outside the hotel doors, the blustery bay breezes will swoosh you through the North End’s winding streets that make up this predominantly Italian neighborhood, which is also Boston’s oldest.

Three Battery Wharf
617-994-9000
www.fairmont.com/batterywharf