Cambridge Hyatt

Planning only two months in advance, we had a very difficult time finding a reasonably priced hotel for our guests. Foliage season is a peak travel time in New England and most of the hotels we talked to quoted $325-375 per night. We were able to negotiate a rate of $215 at the Cambridge Hyatt and get a discount down to $15 per day for parking. They also gave us a low rate on some huge suites with river views.

The Cambridge Hyatt was designed by Moshe Safdie and was the first of the atrium Hyatt Regencies.

The hotel has a couple of big function rooms overlooking the Charles River. One that works great for a dance party is on two levels. The band and people dancing are on the lower level. People watching or eating are on the upper level, which has a balcony that wraps around the dance floor. Everyone has a river view through huge windows. Guests who want a bit of air can walk out onto the balcony. Drawbacks: the dance floor is tile rather than wood; the room is close to some guest rooms and therefore you have to shut down the band at midnight.

If the weather is nice and the events are mostly at the hotel, the Hyatt is well-located. Guests can walk up and down the river or roam the adjacent MIT campus. The restaurants and catering at the Cambridge Hyatt were surprisingly good. The hotel is a long walk to the subway, to the restaurants and shops of Harvard or Central Squares, and to downtown Boston. Guests would have to take taxis.

The hotel has a large pool and brand new gym.

We had about 35 friends and family members at the Hyatt. All were happy with their rooms and their stay.

Contact: cambridge.hyatt.com (Mike Westfield is the room sales manager and a very good guy to work with).

philg@mit.edu