“Hey, Siri, turn off the bathroom light.” Presto, the light I’d left on when I sank into bed faded into darkness. Ah, the joys of technology.

Starwood’s Boston property was the first of two rollouts of Aloft’s “Hey Siri” voice-activated system, and we were there to try it out. Our curiosity aside, the hotel was perfectly located for the expo we were attending at Boston’s World Trade Center. It’s even closer to the Boston Convention Center, which is across the street.

Aloft Boston Seaport has more going on than high-tech amenities and a good location. Our room was spacious, the built-in desk had a charging port and a comfortable upholstered chair, and the king-sized bed was dressed in high-count linens. Two full-length windows overlooked the Boston skyline, and a long bench between them easily held our luggage. The expected safe, minibar, coffeemaker and removable hangers in the closet were all there, along with plenty of counter space around the sink.

A 24-hour canteen in the lobby sells sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit, snacks and drinks. In the morning it becomes the breakfast bar, with ready-made breakfast sandwiches and cooked-to-order hot dishes at reasonable prices. There’s plenty of table seating in the spacious lobby, where we found acoustic music and a lively vibe when we returned in the evening. The lobby décor is bright with bold colors and contemporary art.

It was winter, so we didn’t spend any time on the terrace outside the hotel’s swimming pool, but the bright chairs there and on the hotel’s front “porch” looked like places we’d enjoy relaxing in good weather.

Siri performed pretty well for us once we introduced ourselves and read the instructions. It turned on the TV, changed the lights from cool blue to a warmer rose tone, set the alarm and told us how to get to Legal Test Kitchen for fresh seafood. It didn’t change the room temperature, no matter how nicely I asked, but maybe that was just bad luck. After all, we were in room 1313.

Aloft Boston Seaport

401-403 D St.
Boston, MA 02210
tel 617 530 1600