Boston has been on our travel list for years, and with some airmiles to take advantage of we finally found ourselves planning an Easter break in this historic American city. Our hotel must-have check list for families is typically a long one.
For a city break, being in a great location is always near the top as we want to maximize our time in the city rather than travelling into the city each day, along with friendly staff and spacious upscale rooms, creating that home from home feel.
With so many different areas of Boston and an abundance of hotels to choose from – we spent hours researching, but I’m so glad we did, we chose the Dagny and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
We spent several days here over Easter weekend during our visit to Boston, to check out its family friendly credentials, this is our honest review.
First Impressions
Sometimes you just walk into a place and you just like it. That was my immediate reaction when we arrived at the Dagny in torrential rain and straight from a 7 hour flight from London.
This is one of Boston’s latest luxury hotels, opening in summer of last year following a $32 million comprehensive refurb and rebranding of what once was the Hilton Boston Downtown/Faneuil Hall, so everything still feels swish and new. This independent hotel is something really special and it ticked all of the boxes of what we look for in a luxe yet family friendly hotel.
Located in the financial district of downtown Boston, the hotel occupies the historic 14-story Batterymarch building built in 1928 which was also Boston’s first skyscraper, so it has a stunning art-deco vibe both inside and out.
Arrival
As soon as you enter the hotel’s gorgeous lobby we were greeted by the friendly concierge who helped with our luggage and caught our first glimpse of the hotel’s décor. The lobby of the Dagny is not just aesthetically beautiful, its full of character with lots of unique design touches, an example of which is its longstanding art deco goldleaf mural of Greek mythology figure Atlas on the ceiling of the lobby entrance.
The hotel manages to cleverly capture the original art deco feel of the 1920’s with new stylish and modern furnishings creating such a welcoming first impression.
After a full day travelling, as soon as we walked through its doors we instantly felt at home and had a warm welcome from the staff on check-in.
We arrived during the hotels sip and sounds weekly event which was taking place in the lobby, featuring live music and complimentary champagne, which was fantastic – the next day between 4-6pm complimentary hot chocolates were served between 4 and 6pm.
We had heard good things about the Dagny before our visit but experiencing its charms firsthand was a real joy. One of the many unique touches here at the Dagny, were its uniquely shaped room keys which are in a similar design to the original art-deco keys.
This art deco influence continues throughout the hotel, right through to the elegant rooms and suites.
Rooms
There are over 400 rooms and suites at the Dagny Boston, designed to suit every type of traveller and all of which have been newly redesigned and refurbished.
We had the pleasure of staying in one of the hotel’s interconnecting rooms featuring two bedrooms. This consisted of a king suite and a superior double queen room so it was perfect for a family, giving us all enough space to lounge in luxury after busy days exploring the city.
At 700sqt ft our king suite had a large separate living room with sofa, dining area and wet bar and a separate bedroom with a king sized bed whilst the girls room at 345 sq ft also had two queen beds.
Calling it a room would not do it justice, this room configuration provided us with apartment size accommodation for our stay in Boston and our five nights went by far too quickly.
We arrived from London late on a Thursday evening to find a welcome amenity of drinks and a food platter awaiting on the dining table in our lounge and snacks and drinks for the kids in their room, which was a really thoughtful touch.
The art-deco inspired rooms here are pristine, with their high ceilings and intricate coving that add a touch of grandeur while the rich blue hues and brown leather accents exude an inviting and luxurious ambiance.
As beautiful as the interiors of our rooms were, the views from the multiple large windows in our rooms was just as impressive – we had incredible views over the skyline of Boston. One of my favourite things to do each morning was to open the curtains and wake up to this incredible view of the sunrise over downtown Boston.
Both of our rooms had ample storage, which always comes in handy with us as we typically pack half of our wardrobe when we travel long-haul plus we had all the amenities you would expect at a hotel of this standard and more.
Our rooms had three large flat screen smart TV’s, complimentary high speed wifi, complimentary bottled water, mini fridges and Nespresso coffee makers – we were also pleasantly surprised to see Dyson hairdryers, having these at home, these are some of the home comforts I loved about the Dagny.
Other details such as a comfortable leather sofa, snug armchairs, a sizable desk, dining table, art-deco lamps and more than enough plugs, USB ports and light switches all within reach of your pillow.
The girls in particular were more than happy to relax in their own room, using the free high speed wifi for their iPads or watching their favourite American programmes on their TV in their room.
These touches really give the impression that the hotel wants you to relax and enjoy the room – creating a real home from home feel, rather than use it just to sleep and use the public areas of the hotel – although these are stunning – more on that later…
The huge beds in our rooms were definitely as comfortable as they looked, with the gorgeous soft white snuggly duvet and super soft bed linen ensured that we all had a great night’s sleep so we were refreshed after long days exploring everything this historic and beautiful city had to offer.
Our two bathrooms were as stylish and impressive as the bedrooms, equipped with all the bathroom essentials, plush bathrobes and Lockwood New York toiletries, which smelt amazing. I took some snaps for inspiration for when we redo our bathrooms in our home, I was that impressed.
Floor to ceiling clad in marble, art deco lights and ornate gold edged mirrors, one room had a huge walk-in shower, the other with shower over bath, both of which having super powerful showers, – everything felt brand new. The interiors were just gorgeous, so be prepared to be impressed!
Dining
After great night’s sleep (full marks for the comfortable beds) breakfast was waiting at the Tradesman coffee shop and lounge, one of the two dining options at the Dagny and perfect for a grab and go. Like the rest of the hotel this dining space had a relaxed yet stylish quirkiness about it, the kids described it as a really ‘aesthetic’ breakfast spot.
Here we had some delicious freshly baked pastries including their famous Boston crème pie croissant and hot drinks to start our day. As an alternative the hotel’s main restaurant, serves an a la carte breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays.
We also tried a family dinner at Fin Point Oyster Bar and Grill, the hotels chic restaurant. The kids happily tucked into their dinner of margarita flatbread and fries, while we enjoyed the burger and fries, and local Boston drinks.
The food here is delicious, as was the service which was excellent throughout our meal. The staff were incredibly thoughtful and attentive creating a really memorable dining experience.
We also took advantage of the hotels room service one evening which is always a favourite with the kids, they loved being able to chill in the room eating pizza and watching the favourite American TV shows. I mentioned earlier their family room configuration was like having our own apartment in Boston and having a dining space in the lounge allowed us all to enjoy room service in comfort.
Amenties
We didn’t have a chance to use the gym but we did check it out and for a hotel gym, it was impressive with a good range of gym equipment including some of the latest Peloton equipment on offer.
As seems to be the norm at many hotels across the world these days, there is a $25 daily destination fee to factor into a stay at the Dagny. This includes benefits such as a $10.00 daily food and beverage credit to use at one of the hotels restaurants, weekly yoga classes, bike hire, access to their gym, premium wifi and more.
There were beautiful communal spaces to relax in, my favourite being the cosy wood panelled library off the lobby with comfortable seating, a really cool book wall and stunning gold chandelier, we loved coming in here to relax and plan our next day in Boston.
A stylish bar off the lobby area was always a popular spot for both local and hotel residents and I loved the ambience in here, there is something about American bars and this was one of our favourite spots to relax with evening drinks after busy days.
Although there is no swimming pool or spa facilities here, it’s the hotels excellent location to explore Boston that will make it a popular option for families.
Location
You couldn’t honestly ask for a better location – right in the heart of downtown Boston, in the financial district.
The hotel is perfectly based to explore Boston and some of its best attractions, we were within walking distance to Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, the Freedom Trail, the Boston Waterfront and New England Aquarium.
When we needed to go further afield such as Fenway Park or Harvard, Boston’s transport network ‘The T’ was less than 5 minutes’ walk away although we found getting Uber’s around the city more convenient for a family.
Getting from Boston Logan International Airport was a quick 20-minute taxi ride away, so it was great to know that after a long transatlantic flight the hotel was only a short transfer away.
Overall
You can probably tell from my Dagny Boston review that I adored this hotel. The Dagny Boston is not just a hotel; it’s an experience, a home away from home for families wanting the perfect place to explore this stunning historic city. From the sumptuously appointed rooms to the levels of service, we loved every moment of our stay in this family friendly hotel, hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
If you are looking for a luxury family friendly hotel then the Dagny Boston will be very hard to beat, the levels of service and quality here were extraordinary. We can’t wait to return.
Ready to book
Ready to bookPrices at the Dagny Boston when booking direct start from £167 per night for a superior double and £360 for a king suite plus there are often additional promotions on such as up to 25% off your rate when you stay 3 nights or more like we did.