The Hotel Commonwealth is the official Boston Red Sox hotel. It’s located next to Fenway Stadium and offered many customary treats – as well as some unusual ones – for its guests who love the Red Sox and baseball. The Hotel Commonwealth also hosts an annual family event called Bedtime Stories with loads of teddy bears and treats worth checking out.
The Hotel Commonwealth is the official Boston Red Sox hotel.
What does that mean?
First, its location is fabulous for attending a game at Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox. The hotel is just around the corner on foot. This is a huge perk, as the city somewhat shuts down from gridlock in the surrounding area. Even the public transportation is hindered by the volume of people leaving the area when the games end.
Second, it means some are lucky enough get fantastic Fenway Park views from their rooms at Hotel Commonwealth. Fenway Park is an iconic historic ballpark that teams and fans across the country revere — unless you root for the New York Yankees.
The Hotel Commonwealth recently debuted refurbished rooms and suites to create fantasy quarters for every baseball lover, young and old. There are Red Sox touches throughout the hotel ready to delight and surprise, somewhat like the hidden Mickeys one can find at the Disney resorts.
Check your curtains, for example, that are cleverly inspired by the stitching on a baseball. The bookshelves in the lobby contain bobble heads from Wally the Green Monster, the Red Sox mascot, and other players.
But for those who really love baseball, you have to check out the Fenway Suite’s views of the park from your room adorned in Red Sox décor and memorabilia. If you’re staying in the suite, the hotel can still deliver some Fenway stadium seats to your hotel room or put a little Fenway dirt on your pillow at turn down service. Fortunately, it is in a sealed Ziploc bag.
More Than Just Baseball at this Boston Hotel
My son is only four years old so Red Sox fever hasn’t hit this little Bostonian yet, but I’m sure it’s coming. In the meantime the Hotel Commonwealth has him covered in another way.
Every winter they have an annual family event called Bedtime Stories. Families are encouraged to attend a Saturday night of fun. Kids receive a special Bedtime Stories welcome gift at check-in that includes a teddy bear, story, and blanket.
The hotel’s teddy bear mascot provides some hugs during a story time evening that included an impressive sweets buffet that would have put any Pinterest-worthy party spread to shame. There’s also a wine and cheese spread for parents. Children were given teddy bucks to spend at the buffet, and the whole area was piping music from Disney films. It was a very well-executed family event.
It was both adorable and unpredictable in a way that one expects when you fill a hotel ballroom with infants, toddlers, and kids in their pajamas. My favorite moment clearly was when an early walker kept toddling onstage and slapping the magician in the groin in the middle of his act.
Festivities for the Bedtime Stories Weekend didn’t end on Saturday night. On Sunday all the children were given pancake-making lessons with the hotel kitchen staff. The children get to put all of their dry and wet ingredients into a bowl and mix them together.
I think most of it must have gone into the garbage because I’m sure those they made were not in compliance with health codes. The kitchen had several pancakes waiting in addition to every topping you can imagine. Fortunately a full breakfast buffet was also available.
This fantastic annual event for families is held during the Massachusetts February break, the weekend after President’s Day. This year the weather was unseasonably warm to enjoy walks around the Back Bay neighborhood, a stop in Georgetown cupcakes, and the Boston Public Garden. We can’t wait to see what it will be like when we attend the next time.
The Hotel Commonwealth Location
Everything fun to do with families in Boston is within easy reach. Boston’s best shopping on Newbury Street is right there as is the Boston Public Library (which has a fantastic children’s room and tea room). The hotel is next to a T station, Boston’s subway. Boston’s Museum of Science is a direct ride, and families can walk to a nearby T-station to reach the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum.
I really liked that our room, classified as a junior suite, was very generous in size including a sitting area and sleeper sofa separated from the bedroom by giant houndstooth curtains. It’s an excellent choice for families, though it lacks an indoor pool, and the fitness room is basic.
It has two acclaimed restaurants on site, Eastern Standard and the Island Oyster Creek Company, both popular with local foodies. One skews to classic French bistro fare and the other local seafood. Although Eastern Standard opened a few years ago, it is still buzzing at night. Bostonians had long awaited their own Balthazar (a New York brasserie in SoHo) and can’t seem to get enough.
For those who prefer boutique hotels on their travels, the Hotel Commonwealth is an excellent fit for families boasting an ideal location, spacious rooms, and local flavor.
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