Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel

The Renaissance Boston is on the Waterfront, a picturesque area just outside of the downtown bustle. This 450-room property caters largely to business travelers headed to the Boston Convention Center or who want easy access to the airport and regional train station. The hotel has a fresher-than-usual style -- the bright, modern lobby with sleek furnishings opens onto a popular bar where locals come to watch the big game on Sunday and where business travelers, looking to mix business and leisure, plug in their laptops at one of the handy outlet stations.

At 325 square feet, the Renaissance's standard rooms are about average for Boston, and have some nice upscale features, like Aveda toiletries, mini-refrigerators for guest use, and 37-inch LG flat-screen televisions. This is a distinctly midlevel chain hotel, however, and the finishing aren't always top quality. In fact, one of the headboards in my room had a loose piece, and the privacy lock on the door was broken.

The amenities are modestly impressive. The Renaissance has a surprisingly delicious restaurant, 606 Congress, overseen by noted chef Michael Schlow, who's appeared on Top Chef Masters, a Starbucks on-site, and a popular bar, Capiz, that also serves delicious food. The hotel also has a large indoor pool and fitness center.

The service is what you'd expect at a midlevel chain. If you ask, you'll get help with your bags and hailing cabs. The concierge is competent but not capable of any great feats. And room service trays tend to linger in hallways, as if to remind guests that, well, this is a large, reasonably priced hotel.

Still, even with those dirty room service trays, the hotel is a solid value and a good option for the area. It's also more stylish than the nearby and comparably priced Seaport Hotel -- though the Seaport has some nice features the Renaissance doesn't (including turndown service, a pillow menu, a no tipping policy, and free wireless). To decide between the two, it's worth comparing prices for your dates and taking a closer look at the features that are most important to you.

Smack in the middle of the rapidly developing waterfront district, a block from the water, and closer to the airport and the South Street train station than hotels in central Boston, the Renaissance is ideally located for business travelers. The Boston Convention Center, connected to the more expensive Westin Boston Waterfront, is a seven- to 10-minute walk. With a focus on business and large residential condominiums, the area isn't filled with tourist attractions, but there are a few. Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art is just five blocks away, and the Children's Museum is nearby. Still, the area feels a bit remote, and it's dead at night, though it has a small handful of notable bars and restaurants like the Legal Test Kitchen (one block away) and Drink (five blocks away), a cocktail lounge from Boston restaurant maven Barbara Lynch.

• A five- to 10-minute walk from the Boston Convention Center
• Five blocks from the Institute of Contemporary Art
• Seven- to 10-minute walk to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
• The nearest stop on the T (Boston's subway system) is Silver Line Way station on the Silver Line, one block from the hotel
• The Silver Line runs directly to Logan International Airport. Getting from the airport to the hotel on the Silver Line T takes less than 20 minutes.
• A taxi from the airport takes 10 to 15 minutes.
• South Street Station, Boston's main regional train station, is a five-minute cab ride from the hotel.
• Faneuil Hall, a pedestrian mall and tourist haven lined with Irish pubs, restaurants, and chain stores, is 20 to 25 minutes away via public transporttion.
• Boston Common, the country's oldest park and the start of the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail, is 15 to 20 minutes away via public transportation.
• A 15-minute cab ride or 45 minutes on public transportation to Fenway Park
• Harvard Square is about a half-hour away via public transportation.