Rooms are clean. Lobby is well maintained and unique. Room service staff is very polite. However, I don’t understand the price range of this hotel. $600 for one night in a regular room. If someone wants to order room service, delivery is an extra $6! Breakfast is not even included in the room rate. Very expensive for little pleasure and basic amenities. One advantage, being in the middle of Harvard square. Metro is nearby, which is a plus.

Three thousand dollars for a three-night stay at a four-star hotel should include good customer service. I was arriving early and was told my reservation includes early check-in, which would be accommodated. When I arrived, they didn't have a room but said they would call me as soon as one was available. Four hours later, I go back up, and there is a room available, but they never called. My reservation comes with $100 meal credit. I ate while I was waiting for my room. They would not allow me to use my meal credit since I was not checked in and they would not let me check in because the early check-in I was told I'd have was delayed. The manager, Jamee, came over and, after seeing that my room was not ready and that I had eaten in the restaurant, confirmed he would NOT let me use my restaurant credit that came with the reservation because I was not checked in yet which they would not allow me to do. I went to the spa while I was waiting and the massage was nice but there were no spa amenities. Just a women's locker room with a very old shower and sticky walls. This is definitely not 4-star service. The manager did nothing to solve my problem.

On 10/2 to 10/4, I was one of the panelist for the the International Vietnam Conference at Harvard University and I stayed at Charles Hotel during that time. The hotel somehow misplaced my suit pants and they were not able to find it. I reported it to the Hotel Management and they had promised me to reimbursed the cost of the suit pants. On December I had injured my rib and was not able to go to the department store where I purchased the suit. In March this year, I was able to go to the department store when I finally recovered from my rib injury. I had contacted the Hotel Management that I was finally able to replace my pants. The Management immediately took action and reimbursed me for the lost suit pants. I was so grateful for their action and I wanted to express my feeling of gratitude today.

This is a very reliable hotel. Although rooms are not particularly special in terms of their hard products, they do a great job adding a sophisticated touch. Also, food at Henrietta’s table is very delicious with a lot of local ingredients used.

We had high expectations for this hotel, but our experience was disappointing from the start. Although the front desk staff maintained a polite tone, their manner felt distant and snobbish, which immediately gave us the impression that we were not the type of guests they prioritize. At check-in, no one requested an Amex card for incidentals. Yet the following morning, we received a letter slipped under our door stating that we “must” use an Amex card to receive FHR benefits. After confirming directly with Amex, this is not accurate—the benefits apply as long as the booking is prepaid on Amex Travel with an eligible card. If this rule is actually the hotel’s own internal policy, it should be clearly communicated upfront, not framed as an Amex requirement. More importantly, this should have been addressed professionally at check-in, not through an impersonal letter delivered the next morning. Apparently the check in staff trainings are lacking. The room itself was underwhelming. It was small, and the protruding bed frame corners were a constant hazard. The mattress felt worn, the pillows were extremely flat, and basic amenities were not functioning properly. The shampoo dispenser was broken, and we only discovered this in the middle of bathing our young daughter. It took over 20 minutes for assistance to arrive, and the wrong item was brought the first time. The staff member then insisted on entering the bathroom to exchange the bottle fasten to the wall even though our daughter was still inside—which felt unnecessary and intrusive. The turndown service was, frankly, baffling. We had a reservation for two adults and one child, and the room clearly had two beds, yet the staff came in and left only one bath towel and one pair of slippers. There were no additional slippers in the closet, and the bedside tables had no water or glasses. It made us question who this turndown service was actually meant for. The effort felt incomplete and careless—almost as if the hotel assumed we wouldn’t notice or understand. A service performed halfway is worse than not doing it at all, because it only highlights the lack of attention and sincerity. The location is convenient for visiting Harvard Square, and the breakfast staff were the one truly pleasant part of our stay—their service and the food were excellent. Parking, however, is steep, though there is a more affordable lot next door. Overall, for a rate exceeding $300 per night, the experience fell far below expectations. The service inconsistency, communication issues, and basic room comfort problems make it difficult to recommend this hotel. We do not plan to return.

The rooms are spacious and well appointed and the location is convenient to Harvard and to restaurants and shopping. Housekeeping was very attentive the first 2 days of our 5 day stay, but then fell off. At one point, we vacated the room so they could clean only to return to full trash cans and dirty towels. We also had issues with an inability to stream video to our TVs, poor air/heat circulation between the bedroom and living room and a mattress that was not as comfortable as expected.

Upscale hotel with a great location. Very walkable to Harvard Square. Relatively busy bars and restaurants as it seems to be a meeting place for many people. Room was nice, though I could definitely hear the person walking (and showering) in the room above me. Other than the noise (and the high price), a nice hotel.

The Charles Hotel offers an elegant and comfortable stay with beautifully designed rooms and top-notch amenities. The staff are exceptionally friendly and attentive, making every guest feel welcome. Its location in Harvard Square is ideal, providing easy access to shops, restaurants, and cultural attractions. A perfect choice for both business and leisure travelers seeking a sophisticated experience.

Room spotless. Coffee maker a bit fiddly but fine when we figured it out. Faucet water pressure a bit weak but shower pressure was fine. Bathroom fairly compact but with good fixtures, not cramped and shower itself quite spacious. Mattress extremely comfortable. Parking $50 a day, but then again this is Cambridge. Dinner at Henrietta’s very tasty with excellent service. Room service quick and efficient with very good food. Overall definitely closer to a 5 than a 4.

My mom and I are staying here for Boston Calling. We picked the hotel for its location and we had heard it’s a beautiful, safe, clean hotel. Needless to say we were pretty shocked to find our bathroom curtain had poop on it. When we alerted the front desk, they sent some folks up to clean and to replace the shower curtain. I went down to speak to the manager. We’re here for four days, he gave us three breakfast coupons, said it’s “below their level of service” and that “anyone with eyes should have seen that”, and wished me a pleasant stay. That was it. I am still pretty shocked that human feces on the shower curtain is “sorry, here’s a new shower curtain and a free breakfast coupon”.