Mandarin Oriental Boston

Bright hallways lead to the 136 hotel guest rooms (13 of them are suites) on eight floors, which begin at 450 square feet (oversized in this neighborhood). The decor is composed of woods and warm colors, and the amenities are nice, including Frette linens (there's a Frette shop downstairs), yoga mats, and touch screens on the telephones that call up news, the local forecast, and menus for the hotel's restaurants. Even if you don't stay here, check out the impressive art collection in the public spaces, with selections by Frank Stella and David Hockney (ask for the guidebook to the collection at the front desk). There's a huge Asian-inspired spa that is a destination in itself, and a little-known spa café that's a hidden oasis in the busy Back Bay.

Photograph courtesy of the Mandarin Oriental Boston