I walked into AKA Back Bay honestly a little stunned — the space is so classy. The vibe, the music, the aesthetic… it’s gorgeous without feeling stuffy. It immediately feels elevated but still warm. What really made the experience, though, was the people. From the moment I arrived, I felt like I’d found a home away from home. The staff were down-to-earth, welcoming, and genuinely attentive. A special shoutout to Nick— he went above and beyond to make me feel comfortable and taken care of. You can tell when someone takes pride in creating an experience, and it made all the difference. The bar and restaurant were also fantastic. Do yourself a favor and order the Lily Collins cocktail with the pomme frites — elite pairing. ? Beautiful space, great energy, incredible hospitality. I’ll absolutely be back.

We were very impressed with AKA, beginning and ending with the doormen — not only to valet the car, but carrying our bags up the entrance steps, and as we were leaving, they let us stay comfortably in the lobby until they came in and told the car was at the door. All other staff also very friendly and helpful. We enjoyed breakfast in the restaurant (a full and varied menu) and really appreciated having this in house. And our room was clean, well-appointed, and very comfortable. We originally chose to stay here as it is just a 2-minute walk to Mistral restaurant, but we came away very pleased with the hotel itself.

Very poor experience for our anniversary getaway and won’t be using AKA anymore. Bummer because we have had two prior trips that were great at the Commons Boston location. Please be cautious when booking at this property. We booked a premium king corner room that very clearly has an 4 piece bathroom, and the room we got assigned was not renovated, had a tub/shower combo and was clearly not a corner room. When we went back to the front desk to sort it out, and even show them pictures of the room we paid for with confirmation number, she apologized that the room is already booked for the night. In all my hotels stays in my life I’ve never encountered this. Deceptive and unprofessional. We didn’t get the room we paid for and basically offered nothing but an apology which was shocking because this hotel claims to be “luxury”. Terrible start to our night but we put it behind us. We didn’t realize until we got back to our room at 11pm that the AC wasn’t working and we had a terrible sleep. Because it was so late we didn’t bother with trying to change rooms for the third time in one night. Having a good location is the only thing this hotel has, everything else is disappointing and really put a damper on what was supposed to be a special night.

Want to preface this by saying I’m not a rich fancy person, we normally do a Hilton when traveling. For $300 a night, we got a hotel that was missing the most basic amenities- no place to purchase snacks drinks or essentials (was told to walk to CVS), no microwave in room, the tv was not working (they did come fix it). We tried to get dinner from the restaurant the first night but when attempting to get a table the host looked at us like it was the oddest request she’d ever heard and told us they were completely full. When we arrived a bellhop took our bags while we checked in, but then disappeared with them and we had to wait for him to come back at which point he still insisted on cramming into a stuffed elevator with us to bring the bags to our room (I tried to take them back), and when we got there he inserted himself into the room and made us take down his Zelle info after we said we didn’t have cash for a tip. He also walked into the room to give me props as if I were a child. We also requested a swap from two doubles to a king, and mind you, it’s okay that they couldn’t do it but they made us wait several hours before telling us no, so we were waiting to settle in. The second night we went down to the restaurant again and it was full again, so we tried the bar just to get a quick desert to bring upstairs and wound up wasting 45 minutes getting the servers attention each time we needed a menu, to order, to pay, and the ice cream sundae came back partially melted and it was clear that it had been sitting there waiting for the bartender to grab it. There weren’t that many people at the bar either. The sundae was $22, and the ice cream tasted like the most basic tub of chocolate you could get from a Walmart. This was a special weekend for us, we had just gotten married and while this wasn’t our honeymoon we had paid extra for a nicer stay in Boston than we normally could afford and the resulting stay was lacking, to stay the least. We did tell them at the front desk of our celebration and didn’t expect anything special or extra but the general customer service and attentiveness was disappointing. It felt like they were “too full and busy to deal with us” and like we were in the way or a bother. Location was great and room was nice but I would not recommend this hotel.

The hotel was amazing for my husband and I. It's centrally located, so we could walk to Fenway, the North End, and Chinatown with ease. Just a few blocks from Newbury St. with tons of food and shops. The doorman, Chris, was the best. Super friendly and spent extra time showing us around and answering all of our questions. Along with the front desk, I never was met with anything but a smile. The restaurant is also amazing! Lots of yummy gluten-free options. You will not regret staying here!

What a wonderful gem of a hotel. We spent a long weekend in Boston during frigid Feb 2026 and the AKA staff took very good care of us. The room was very pleasing - modern with all the amenities. The large lounge with fireplace was a cosy spot to kill a few hours between checkout and our flight. Chris, the Bellman, is the best: just so friendly. On our last day he offered to store our bags so we could grab lunch and when we returned, he checked in with us in the lounge room to see if we needed anything. Definitely will come back! ??

Background: The hotel is located in a redeveloped property of the former Boston Police Department Headquarters. The building screams character, especially for you architects and engineers. Worth a study of the history. Let's dive into the details: Room: The room, with two beds, was huge, clean (nice job to housekeeping), and had the amenities you would expect: television, kettle (found it in the closet), blow dryer, steamer/iron. Shout out to the person on the design team who mandated the heated towel racks! You're the Real MVP. However, two big issues: (1) For a room with such ample space, where were the bedside tables? One small attached table in between two beds was perplexing when there was space for even the smallest tables on either sides of the beds could have been installed. (2) Large bathroom with a separate shower and bathtub. No curtain for the bathtub? Granted, there isn't a shower head installed, but I'm guessing they thought they'd have tub only for baths? Okay? But it's not like it was a tub with jets. So, are we using the tub for bubble baths? I'm confused. Regardless of those two issues, still, a very, very good room but two questionable design choices. Service: Exceptional. Now everybody's experience will be different, but our stay was extremely positive with every team member we came in contact with, including housekeeping, front desk, doormen/security. Pleasant, courteous, and responsive. Location: Location is based on preference, full stop. You stay in Back Bay if you wish to have access to cool shops, upscale and "neighborhood" eateries, and relative quiet in the evenings. Particularly at this hotel's location, you are somewhat surrounded by businesses/offices, so after 5:00 or 6:00 pm (17:00; 18:00), it's calm. You are three blocks away from Newbury Street. You are two blocks away from Back Bay Station T station. You are five blocks away from the Arlington T station. There's a bus. To get to Boston Logan, you can take the Logan Express Bus by walking through the Back Bay T station to Dartmouth to get the bus for $3.00 (paid by card pre-boarding going to Logan but FREE when you taking it from Logan to Back Bay). You can walk almost anywhere you need to shops, restaurants, bars, even Trader Joe's (which is two blocks away). Let's also add Affordability: Let's be real. Unless you're part of the 20% in this country, this is not an "affordable" hotel but you can get a deal IF you travel off-season. Don't expect to come during any of the major holidays and for it to be "cheap". If you've never been to Boston New York City, Miami, or any other major city in the U.S., news flash, this is a reality. So, New Year's, the summer (yes, the entire season, especially this year with the World Cup matches and Tall Ships), etc., will be expensive. Should it be as expensive as it is? Candidly, I think it is 15% more than it should be. Note: There's no spa on site and no pool. Their business center was a teeny tiny area in a hallway. However, I will give it small points for (1) their restaurant - The Berkeley Bistro & Bar, which was a pleasant surprise - but full disclosure, we only ate their bar food (the lobster rolls were chef's kiss and perfect for the price, but a little bit more salad was needed), and (2) their small on-site gym - but full disclosure, we did not use. I wish I could give it a 4.5/5.0 on this Google review - how to do that? Ugh. With that said, even without it not being a 5.0 for me, it has risen to the top 5 of my Boston hotel list SOLIDLY. I've been to this city a number of times, so yeah, I've stayed in a a number of places.

We stayed 3 nights at Hotel AKA Back Bay with my mom and aunt, and everything was absolutely perfect. The rooms were beautiful and comfortable, the building is stunning, and the cleanliness and overall service were outstanding. We ordered room service and the food was amazing as well, such a great experience all around. At check-out, Ryan was incredibly attentive and made sure we had everything we needed while waiting for our Uber to head to the airport, which we really appreciated. The location couldn’t be better, and we would definitely stay here again. Highly recommend.

Hotel AKA Back Bay delivers a truly elevated stay in the heart of Boston. My hubs and I recently stayed here and were genuinely impressed by how seamlessly the hotel blends historic architecture with a modern, residential-style design that feels both refined and welcoming. The guest rooms are calm, beautifully designed, and thoughtfully appointed, making it easy to unwind after a day in the city. The lounge + library is a standout space, ideal for lingering with a book, getting some work done, or simply people-watching. Every detail feels intentional rather than overdone. The on-site amenities round out the experience perfectly, including a state-of-the-art fitness center and excellent French bistro dining at The Berkeley. The location in Back Bay is unbeatable, offering easy access to shopping, dining, and iconic Boston sights. WE LOVED this location so much! This is the kind of hotel that encourages you to slow down, settle in, and experience the city from a fresh, sophisticated perspective.

Stayed here last weekend for my first ever visit to Boston. I really loved it. It is in the old police department building. They go above and beyond across the board. Decorated quite beautifully for the holiday season. Cleanliness A++ Friendliness A++ Amenities A+. The doorman/bellhop I guess is the right title, Chris, was an absolute angel. He is so kind, always met with a smile. Helped us with ideas of how to get the most out of the hotel and Boston.The room was not saturated with tacky furniture and art, minimalists dream. Also, the light and window shade controls were kinda cool. A first for me. The Berkeley Bar and restaurant downstairs was OMG so good. We arrived a little early so we went to the bar to wait for our room to be ready. We both had the lunch special, of a half of sandwich and cup of soup. We had New England Clam Chowda...lol and French Dip. It was so good, it has been a long time since I experienced such a good meal out. I had a drink, Weekend In Miami, it was simply fab!! The bartender was a joy, super friendly and knowledgeable. He offered to write down stuff to do while we visited Boston. We had room service for dinner and dined in the restaurant for breakfast. Again, delicious. I had a sausage and cheese omelet. We attempted to try other dining options but were drawn back to the hotel and the Berkeley Back Bay. I don't know if I will be back in town again, but if so, AKA Back Bay will be where I lay my head!!! Oh yeah, one more thing, the bed was the most comfortable sleep I have had in ages. Softest cloudlike mattress and clean fresh pillows and linen. Hospitality was also very nice.