The good things about this hotel are the location – right in Back Bay – a comfortable room, good pillows, good room furniture, the concierge and the staff in the lobby. We had a room on a high floor and it was quiet. The downside is that our shower was really weak, very poor and the staff we spoke to on the phone were quite unhelpful. We would still stay there again if we wanted to be in that area of Boston but we prefer the Boston Raddison as a hotel.

(NB: We booked this thru purelyamerica.co.uk which was the cheapest rate we could find for our room).

This was my first stay at the Marriott Copley Place/Back Bay; my previous trips to Boston were at the Financial District, Theatre District and Waterfront.

The bellstaff and doorman are great to work with! Charles and Tony were especially helpful during my stay, especially when I had several heavy boxes that needed shipping due to the conference I was working.

As one review mentioned, this is very much a conference hotel, so the hotel layout can get confusing. There are two sets of elevators, one for floors 1-27 and another for floors 1-5 then 27-38. The elevator chime is soft, so for someone hard of hearing like myself, I missed a few elevators at first. Once I got the hang of it, though, I was OK.

My room was on the 17th floor and faced the Prudential center. I had a king bed and the room was very nicely sized for a hotel in the downtown area. the bedding was the newer collection and the television had been upgraded to the flat-screen. There was a small fridge in the dresser, which was nice although your items had to be cold before you put them in there.

The bathroom was decently sized and for a 6-day trip, it was nice to be able to spread out. The water pressure was OK, especially if you enjoy the "rainshower" type of shower heads. If you're looking for a hard-driving shower, prepare to be disappointed.

The rest of the staff was very pleasant to work with and the bellman were very helpful in getting packages/items from the meeting rooms down to shipping/receiving or the UPS store. This is the first hotel I've stay at that has had a UPS store located inside (usually, it's FedEx or an independent company). While the staff was OK, it was very frustrating to learn that packages insured for over $999 were not accepted and that the packages would have to be taken down to shipping/receiving. The bellmen were very nice about it (obviously used to this little caveat), but I found it very frustrating.

Regarding the restaurants, yes they are a bit pricey and there are plenty of restaurants within walking distance. As a solo business traveler, I tend to default to the hotel restaurants because of safety concerns. Champions is decent and serves typical Marriott sports bar food; the Terrace Bar is a bit more upscale but has a smaller menu, and on Thursday and Friday nights, has live entertainment. Gourmeli's is decent as well.

BONUS: Shaw's 24-hour grocery store is located across the street, so you can bypass the expensive gift shop for sodas and munchies (as well as toiletries).

My biggest complaint is about the internet service and Marriott's continuing insistence on charging $13/night for service. This is frustrating for a business traveler who needs the connectivity.

Overall, however, the Marriott is a good hotel. Perfectly located in the Back Bay, with access to the Prudential Center shopping plus three blocks away from Newbury Street shopping.

I booked the Marriott through Priceline, and stayed there for two nights, having spent three nights at the Westin.

Upon check in at the Marriott I was greeted by a very friendly receptionist. However I was disappointed that they did not have details of my Elite Rewards status, and therefore they had not guaranteed my king bed request. Therefore I had to have a twin room, which while not a problem, was disappointing.

My room was nice, more than adequate, but nothing out of the ordinary. I felt that everything was very 'uniform' at the Marriott.

A highlight of my stay was being able to use the Club Lounge on the Concierge Floor. As I travel alone and often stay in large business hotels, it is nice to know that there is a friendly face who will always remember your name. Beatrix was a prime example of this. Unfortunately I had to leave earlier than expected, and did not get the chance to thank her for all her assistance during my stay, so if anyone visits the Marriott, please search her out!

Whilst I would give this hotel four stars, I would not say that it is at the better end of this market. They miss the little touches that make a hotel more enticing. I was also surprised that when I requested a travel adaptor (mine had disappeared between New York and Boston!) all they were able to offer me was one from the hotel shop ... for $30! I went over the road to Walgreens and picked one up for $12!

Overall, a hotel of a solid standard. However, if you are looking for somewhere that bit more special, go to the Westin.

The Boston Marriott Copley was wonderful. The hotel is right in the heart of Copley Place, which is the home for the Prudential Building and shops, Trinity Church, the Boston Public Library and very close to Newbury Street- tons of shopping and great restaurants. It was such a great location- there are two subway stops close to the hotel which made getting around very easy. The hotel staff was very attentive and very friendly. On the second floor of the hotel it leads you to all the shops in the Prudential Building and Legal Seafoods Restaurant. Our room was great, we had almost 180 degree view of the Back bay of Boston- beautiful!! Our room was very clean and very spacious. The bed was very comfortable, and we always had clean towels. I have no complaints of the hotel, it surpassed all my expectations. It was a great place to stay. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to stay in Boston and is looking for a great deal, and a great place to stay!!