Nine Zero
90 Tremont Street, (617) 772-5800
www.ninezero.com.
OVERVIEW
A fabulous Kimpton hotel!
Finally, a hotel for dog-loving, yoga-practicing, environmentally conscious history buffs. Nine Zero, near the Beacon Hill area of Boston and within easy walking distance of the city’s Freedom Trail, is part of the Kimpton hotel chain, which promotes itself as offering a “premium guest experience through nonintrusive, high-quality, eco-friendly products and services.” Thus, the hotel says it uses environmentally friendly cleaning products, prints its materials on recycled paper with soy-based ink and that its coffee is “organic, shade-grown and/or fair-trade.” Oh, and you’re expected to do your part as well: Guests are reminded that it helps the environment if you reuse your towels.
THE LOOK
Sleekly designed and kind of hip (particularly by Boston standards), the 190-room, 19-story, red-brick and limestone hotel is fronted by a discreet — in fact, almost easy to miss — facade on bustling Tremont Street, and the coolly elegant lobby is dominated by polished marble floors, dark wood finishes and boldly striped club chairs in an inviting sitting area. (The sitting area looks, in fact, like a great place to hang out and read a good book, but avoid doing so from 5 to 6 p.m., when the hotel offers glasses of wine to guests and the place is jammed.) Guest rooms continue the design theme of dark woods and boldly patterned fabrics, and some on the upper floors have sweeping views of downtown Boston.
THE ROOMS
Elegantly appointed, but a little cramped for space, especially the standard-size rooms, which are dominated by large beds and ergonomic chairs and desks. A somewhat uncomfortable side chair is more suitable as a holding space for discarded clothes than as a place to sit while you’re watching TV. The marble bathrooms, though, are huge, with a large, glassed-enclosed shower big enough for two. The minibar, in addition to offering the usual snacks and drinks, also sells Stirrings brand Lemon Drop and cosmo mixes ($25 each).
AMENITIES
In your room you’ll find an “In-Room Mind, Body, Spa” guide, which, among other things, includes five illustrated yoga poses to try out, along with offers of a yoga mat and core-strengths bands from the concierge.
Guests who bring their dogs are provided an in-room pet bed at no extra charge, as well as a pet bowl and a “welcome treat.”
The hotel’s small fitness center has only free weights and a few treadmills, but guests can also get a daily pass to the Bally’s gym, one block away. The hotel’s restaurant, KO Prime, is among the city’s most highly regarded steakhouses.
ROOM SERVICE
A breakfast of pancakes ($11) and grapefruit juice ($3) ordered at 9:25 a.m. and promised “within 20 minutes” arrived exactly 13 minutes later. Room-service orders come with a built-in 18 percent tip and a $3 delivery charge.
THE CROWD
During the week, visiting business executives looking for a conveniently located and slightly hipper alternative to the Intercontinental or the Four Seasons. On the weekend, young couples who want to be near the city’s night life, families who want easy access to its tourist attractions (Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market are just a few blocks away) and dog owners who want to take their pets for a romp in nearby Boston Common.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Even if you care nothing about staying in a “green hotel” and the notion of traveling with a dog seems like the worst idea in the world, Nine Zero still offers a pleasant diversion in a city that isn’t exactly overflowing with innovative hotels. Standard rooms (called “deluxe”) start at around $329 on week nights, $279 weekends.
Nine Zero, 90 Tremont Street, (617) 772-5800, www.ninezero.com.