Check-in/Arrival: I had shipped boxes of supplies to the hotel in the weeks prior to my arrival for a trade show, and the doormen happily took the 12 or so boxes out of storage and loaded my rental car for me. Check-in was a bit slow, but it went smoothly. (19/20)

Guest Quarters: The most stunning aspect of my room at the Taj was the gorgeous view of the Boston Public Garden. One fully windowed wall allowed me an incredible view of the park and the skyline. Accompanying the view was a plush king-size bed, an adequate amount of workspace and a large armoire housing the television and minibar. However, I felt as though I was constantly searching for convenient plugs, especially around the work area. I also had a problem with the phone system. The extensions were not matching up properly and when I tried to call the concierge, I reached emergency services! When the front desk was alerted to the problem, someone came to fix it immediately. The hair dryer was also missing from my room, but once again, my request was quickly honored and the hair dryer arrived almost immediately. (11/15)

Services/Amenities: All three of the hotel’s eateries offer good food served by a professional staff. They even do afternoon tea. Every member of the Taj staff was incredibly helpful and always very pleasant. My group utilized the hotel’s banquet facilities, and the food, décor and overall quality of the event was superb. We did discover that we were missing a box and it took several minutes to get everything settled, but the concierge personally retrieved it for us from storage. As the Taj recently took over this location from Ritz-Carlton, there are still some kinks to work out. The hotel has major renovations planned and will soon offer guests additional amenities. (43/45)

The Experience: The Taj Boston boasts a warm staff and comfortable accommodations: two important components to providing guests with a great stay. Plus, the hotel’s location cannot be beat as it is easily accessible from all areas of the city, within walking distance of many historic locations and on the corner of Newbury Street, one of Boston’s famed shopping and eating locations. (19/20)

Total Score: (92/100)

TAJ BOSTON
15 Arlington St. Boston, Mass. 02116
tel 617 536 5700
http://www.tajhotels.com