Editorial score of 9.3 of 10, the composite average of the three factors above (Rooms, Service, Location). Method at our methodology page. Affiliate disclosure: booking links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you, and never change our verdict.
Why is The Newbury the number two hotel in Boston?
The Newbury is our number two Boston hotel because it offers the one thing the city's modern towers cannot manufacture: a genuine 1927 landmark on the best corner in Back Bay. The building opened on May 18, 1927 as one of the earliest Ritz-Carlton hotels in the United States, designed by the Boston firm Strickland, Blodget and Law, and it anchored the city's social life for decades. It later ran as Taj Boston, closed for a full restoration, and reopened as The Newbury on May 18, 2021 under Highgate, ninety-four years to the day after it first opened. What separates it from the newer five-star arrivals is that the address, the proportions and the sense of occasion were already there. The work was to restore them rather than invent them, and that is a head start no glass tower can buy.
The second half of the case is what the restoration added. The rooms were enlarged and brought up to a current luxury standard, the public rooms were reworked around a new Newbury Street entrance, and the top of the building was given over to Contessa, the first Boston restaurant from New York's Major Food Group, which turned the roof into one of the most sought-after dinner reservations in the city. For an anniversary, a proposal or a considered business stay where you want a real Boston address facing the Public Garden rather than an altitude view, this is the benchmark. Set expectations for a historic building, with the character and the small quirks that come with one, and it rewards you on every front that matters.
What are the best rooms to request?
Request a corner room or suite on a high floor facing the Public Garden, and treat the park view as the thing worth paying for. The 286 rooms and suites sit within the original 1927 structure, so they vary far more than the uniform floors of a modern tower: ceiling heights, layouts and outlooks change from wing to wing, and the gap between an interior room and a park-facing corner is real. The best of them look south over the Public Garden and its swan boats, with the Back Bay streetscape filling the other windows, and the restoration gave these rooms larger footprints, marble bathrooms and a calm, residential palette that suits the building. For a milestone it is worth booking up a category for the outlook alone.
One honest caveat that older writeups gloss over: this is a period building, and not every room has the postcard park view or the square footage of the top suites. Lower and interior rooms face the street or the light wells rather than the garden, some layouts are shaped by the old bones of the structure, and a traveller who expects the seamless uniformity of a new-build tower will notice the difference. There is also no full spa-and-pool floor of the kind the newest towers offer. Book a park-view corner in the highest category your budget allows, go in expecting a restored landmark rather than a blank contemporary box, and the character reads as an asset rather than a compromise.
Book Contessa for the evening you arrive, before the rest of Boston fills the roof, and ask the front desk for a high park-facing corner when you confirm. For a proposal, the team can arrange the room and a Contessa table together, so give them your timing a day ahead. The Public Garden and Boston Common are a two-minute walk out the front door, so plan an early walk before the city wakes for the quietest version of the park.
What is the dining and bar scene like?
Dining is a genuine reason to book, not an afterthought. The headline is Contessa, the rooftop Italian restaurant that was Major Food Group's first Boston opening when it launched in the summer of 2021, from the New York group behind Carbone and Santina. It serves handmade pasta and a glamorous Italian menu under a glass roof, with a terrace that becomes one of the best outdoor dinner seats in the city on warm evenings and a wide view over Back Bay and the Public Garden. Because it pulls in locals as much as hotel guests, a prime table needs booking well ahead. Down at street level, the Street Bar is the hotel's lobby bar, a handsome room off the Newbury Street entrance for a cocktail before dinner or a nightcap after. Between the roof and the lobby you can spend a full evening without leaving the building.
What about the setting, spa and fitness?
Beyond the restaurants, The Newbury runs as a full-service five-star hotel with a fitness centre, spa services, concierge, valet and around 16,000 square feet of event space, all inside a location that does much of the work. The single greatest amenity here is the corner itself: the front door opens onto Newbury Street's galleries and boutiques in one direction and the Public Garden in the other, with the Arlington Green Line stop directly outside. The one thing to be clear about is that this is a city hotel in a landmark building rather than a resort, so there is no large pool or sprawling grounds. What you get instead is the address, the rooftop and the park at the doorstep. For most guests, in Back Bay for the shopping, the dining and the walkable historic core, that is exactly the right trade.
Signature amenities
On Newbury Street, facing the Public Garden
The Newbury sits on the corner of Newbury and Arlington Streets in Back Bay, directly across from the Public Garden, which is the most useful luxury-hotel position in Boston. From the front door you can walk into the Public Garden in under a minute, reach Boston Common in three, and browse the length of Newbury Street's galleries and boutiques without crossing a major road. Copley Square, Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library are under ten minutes on foot, the Theater District and Beacon Hill are close by, and the Arlington Green Line stop is right at the corner for the airport link and the rest of the city. For a first-time visitor it puts the walkable historic core within reach and removes any need for a car.
Back Bay, corner of Arlington · facing the Public Garden
What's nearby
- Public Garden
Swan boats1 min walk - Boston Common
City's oldest park3 min walk - Newbury Street shops
Boutiques & galleriesAt the door - Copley Square
Trinity Church8 min walk - Boston Public Library
Copley landmark9 min walk
The facade, the rooms, Contessa
Facade
Park-view room
Contessa
SuiteHow does The Newbury compare with Boston's other five-star hotels?
Against the field, The Newbury is the historic-landmark, address-and-rooftop benchmark, and the choice comes down to what you want your stay to feel like. Four Seasons One Dalton is the modern-tower alternative, higher and newer, built around a Forbes Five-Star spa and skyline views. Mandarin Oriental Boston is the quieter Back Bay choice, smaller and run around one of the city's best spas. Boston Harbor Hotel trades Back Bay entirely for the Waterfront at Rowes Wharf and its landmark arch. XV Beacon is the intimate Beacon Hill boutique near the State House. The Newbury's own trade-off is that it is a restored period building rather than a new-build, so rooms vary and there is no full spa-and-pool floor.
| Hotel | Style | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Newbury Boston | Historic Newbury Street landmark | Address, rooftop Contessa, park views | Period building, rooms vary, no pool |
| Four Seasons One Dalton | Modern Back Bay tower | Views, spa, newest five-star service | Contemporary, not historic |
| Mandarin Oriental Boston | Quiet Back Bay luxury | Spa, calm, service | Fewer rooms, less of a scene |
| Boston Harbor Hotel | Waterfront at Rowes Wharf | Harbour views, arrivals by water | Away from Back Bay shopping |
| XV Beacon | Beacon Hill boutique | Intimate scale, central location | Small, no big-hotel facilities |
Frequently asked questions
When did The Newbury Boston open and what was the building before?
The Newbury reopened on May 18, 2021 inside a building that first opened in 1927 as one of the earliest Ritz-Carlton hotels in the United States, designed by the Boston firm Strickland, Blodget and Law. The address later operated as Taj Boston, closed for a full restoration, and now runs as an independent five-star hotel managed by Highgate.
How many rooms does The Newbury Boston have?
There are 286 rooms and suites within the historic 1927 building. Because it is a period structure rather than a modern tower, layouts and outlooks vary, and the best rooms are the higher corners facing the Public Garden.
What are the restaurants and bars at The Newbury Boston?
The headline is Contessa, the rooftop Italian restaurant that was Major Food Group's first Boston opening when it launched in 2021, the New York group behind Carbone and Santina. At street level, the Street Bar is the hotel's lobby bar off the Newbury Street entrance.
Where is The Newbury Boston located?
The hotel is at One Newbury Street, on the corner of Arlington Street in Back Bay, facing the Public Garden. Boston Common, Copley Square, the Boston Public Library and the Newbury Street shops are all within a short walk, and the Arlington Green Line stop is directly outside.
Is The Newbury Boston still open and independent?
Yes. The Newbury Boston is open and operating in 2026 as an independent five-star hotel managed by Highgate, rather than part of a chain flag, with Contessa and the Street Bar both running.
Other luxury stays in Boston
#1 · Back BayFour Seasons One Dalton
#3 · Back BayMandarin Oriental Boston
#4 · Waterfront