Sonesta Simply Suites Boston Burlington

Mixed experience but would stay here again This was an overall mixed experience, but I would stay here again. The staff was very good and the room was clean and well worth the price paid for a 1-week stay. The room was surprisingly spacious, had a nice layout, and the kitchenette was well-equipped. The first hiccup on check-in was being told the elevator was out-of-service. Machines break down and that's part of life, but I did find it odd that the entire week I was there I didn't see anyone working to repair it and other guests and housekeeping staff mentioned the same observation and that it had been out of service for several days before my arrival. I got an excellent rate so I really can't complain but I would think that offering guests a small discount/refund or other compensation for such an inconvenience would have been appropriate - especially for such a lengthy outage. A couple of things outside of the hotel by the staircase closest to my room were a little disturbing. First there was a refrigerator outside by the dumpster area which still had the doors attached (although they were soft of taped closed) which poses a serious safety hazard to mischievous children and as far as I know is illegal in most places (it also was pretty obvious from weathering etc. that this fridge had been outside there for a long time). Second there were a couple of clearly abandoned cars in the parking lot which appeared to have been there for several weeks if not months and seeing that at such a busy hotel combined with the extended elevator outage makes me wonder if the management is being a little too lax in their attention to overall property maintenance and guest experience. Finally, this hotel is a little wonky to access. There really is no "main entrance", you either access it by driving through the parking lot of an apartment building on Second Ave or via a small access road from a parking lot behind King's Bowl. The signage is easy to miss if you're not paying close attention, especially at night or in inclement weather. Again, I would definitely stay here again, but there is a fair amount of room for improvement.

Poor service and depressing room: There are better options Just not good... If it was only about the room, I would have rated this a 2. The service was the bigger issue here. Service was indifferent at best, incompetent at worst: - I called to make a reservation and ask some questions. I specifically requested a handicapped room. I also asked if breakfast was included and was told yes.... OK, book it! We arrived to check in and were told there ARE no handicapped rooms and there is no breakfast. The clerk informed me breakfast was included at the OTHER Sonesta, the reservation person was wrong. They did have a room at ground level, so no stairs and we took it since it was late. We would manage it. I lugged in our suitcase, no help offered. - I strongly recommended to the totally indifferent clerk that he should contact the reservation center to inform them so the error would not happen again. He rolled his eyes. - The next morning, while my husband was showering someone opened our door (NO KNOCK) and walked right in. Saw me, said "sorry" and walked out. WHAT THE HELL?? I followed the person out and was told it was housekeeping. I explained to ALWAYS KNOCK prior to entering a room. Response: eye roll. - At checkout, the woman clerk sat behind some desk that blocked most of her from view -- I could only see the top of her head. The desk was several feet from the counter. She never got up, stated "Just leave the key." No eye contact, no thank you. I spoke to the top of her head stating housekeeping had enter the room with no knock and needed coaching. If there was the now-signature eye roll, I could not see it, but I know it was there. The room was significantly lacking. I found it depressing for an overnight stay. Long term stay? Noooooooooooooooooo.... - It was dark and very very worn. Not dirty, but well used and showing it. Needs a total renovation. - The bed was comfortable. - The end table on the left side of the bed had a light, but the table was broken. I put up the ironing board to use as the table for water and book. - The end table on the right side of the bed was NOT broken had no light, so no reading there! - The work area/desk was not bad. Was able to powerup phones and laptop. - The little kitchenette was a nice "add" for long term stays, but not very well equipped and also worn/low quality. - The room had one window that was right next to a service road. Woken up early by trucks.

Made my 10th wedding anniversary a total success! My wife and I stayed at the hotel to celebrate our 10th anniversary. The check in process was quick and simple. The 2 people working at the front desk were extremely helpful when we asked about entertainment in the area. They went as far as drawing a little map to show us a short cut to the establishment we decided to go to. Walked out the side door and within two minutes we were at “kings” …. I must say that their recommendation was totally accurate and we had a great time. The room was perfect and the price was very reasonable. The room had a kitchen with all the cookware, pans, dishes, dishwasher! I will definitely be back!

Bad Conditions and Lack of Customer Service We noticed a couple issues the first night but thought we could power through. AC unit was in terrible condition. Didn't look like whatever that would come out of that would be safe to inhale. The bed lamps were dusty, and had crumbs and stains. A chair in the room had leather peeling off. Second night we noticed there were brown splatters on the bathroom wall. Shower drain had a lot of questionable build up and we hadn't used it. There was brown liquid oozing from the corners of the sink. The elevator is kind of a nightmare, enter at your own risk. I have never left a hotel early until now. We asked if we would be able to get a refund or even partial refund and the Assistant Manager, a middle age blonde woman (worked Thursday and Friday night May 9/10) responded “no” before I finished the sentence or hearing out the issues at hand. She proceeded to tell me it was too late in the day to resell the room. (It doesn’t look like the issues listed could have been resolved within the few hours anyway). We also noticed additional issues the second night when it was into the second day so it’s not like we would have been able to know before checkout time. She didn’t bother asking the specific issues until afterwards when it seemed like an after thought. It’s understandable if the refund wasn’t within the company policy, but she didn’t try to rectify the situation or display much sympathy for the filthy room that we were given. This manager was nice during check-in but as soon as there was mention of an issue her demeanor changed as if we were inconveniencing or lying to her. Understandable if the company policy is out of the manager's control, however the lack or sympathy or interest in resolving the issues were quite disappointing. Would not recommend staying here as the prices aren't much different from some of the much nicer hotels in the same plaza.

Truly the best care I've experienced at any price point I've struggled to write this review because it's so positive I don't know how to do it without sounding like their undercover ceo, instead of just someone raised to say thank you - especially for extraordinary care - and to finally write a review after the thank yous become countless. I’ll expand later but been so remiss after 10+ yrs of exceptional short- and long-term stays not to have already written: Truly the best care I've ever experienced at any price point. Not just best care for a hotel at this price/category but best for any of the 100+ hotels I've stayed at as a frequent Boston business traveler with luxury hotel app deals and as a son who always visits/stays a few mins away from his suburban parents every major holiday. What’s even more exceptional is this best care isn’t one or two people but literally every employee I've had any interaction with - front desk, housekeeping, sales, general managers, etc - and it's somehow been consistent for over a decade of hotel stays, so accolades well deserved for all the individuals like Neil and Mark, Kate and Talia and so many others I'll include here soon, but accolades also for whoever/ whatever process they’ve perfected to continually hire the most kind, patient, authentic, big-hearted people. Friendly is expected in hospitality, as is helpful. But I don't think you can train people to be so inherently kind and thoughtful, countless examples of empathetic, active listening and camaraderie and troubleshooting, offering/providing me with help I would never have even thought to ask for. It makes a huge difference to me. Especially during extended work stays, when I inevitably have ups and downs to my work days and even to holiday visits. It's mawkish/syrupy to say but really is the difference for me between feeling like you're getting great care as a customer and feeling like you're getting great care as kindred person, as friends/family at home. Long list of names/examples/thanks en route but it’s late tonight and this review is already a decade belated, so posting now and will update soon as go thru notes. So many noteworthy examples of staff going above and beyond, I’ve long been personally recommending this hotel. Glad to finally recommend thru review too. With a ps also driving my decade-long recommendation: Clean rooms and convenient location (major highways; great bars, restaurants, supermarket et al, all 1 minute drive or 5-minute walk away) and parking that's proved safe overnight all these years for my bmw even with sensitive key fob occasionally unlocking doors / popping trunk. I highly recommend this hotel.