Marriott’s Custom House

Location, location, location!!! I loved our stay in this hotel. You are in the middle of everything and the restaurants around are excellent.

Unique Vacation Club property
Outstanding location
Supple, historic accommodations
The architecture is what drew my wife (and thus my family) to the Custom House. The fact that Marriott acquired this as a Vacation Club property gave us entrée and we’ve enjoyed several stays here, despite living only ~45 minutes away.
It’s a great launching point for Boston visits. Walk to Faneuil Hall, North End, the Greenway, the Children’s Museum, Seaport area, and more. Enjoy a 360 degree Boston view from the observation level viewing areas. Let your kids blow off a bit of steam in the Kids’ Club room. Enjoy beds that are the height of comfort and restfulness. Appreciate the layout of the room that enhances your experience.
Renovations are improving the Custom House in 2016, I’m happy to say. We stayed in early January and while much painting and general improvement was occurring, our stay was still comfortable and enjoyable.
Sadly, there isn’t as much to «do» in the hotel itself — few amenities that would keep you on-​site for very long. However, that’s forgivable when you’re surrounded by activity and enjoyment provided by Boston, and supplied with a comfortable, historic, and convenient home base for your adventure.
Book well ahead (or relatively late) for best rates, and enjoy what the Custom House has to offer.

Definitely will be back to this fantastic resort. Only downside is the room size for our family of 4, small kitchen, one bathroom, and pull out sofa, but the historical aspects of this property and the great downtown location more than makes up for this minor room overcrowding.

Location can’t be beat! Natalie, the manager was awesome and service was great. It was a bit noisy at night due to outside bar activity and the TV was a pain to operate but we were overall very pleased with our stay and would stay here again.

Great service from Natalie. We had the eagle suite and loved the location. The spot can’t be beat – main reason we stayed here in the first place. Overall, would recommend for travels in Boston.

Stayed here this past Memorial Day weekend, great experience. Clean, spacious. Would stay here again.
Had no issues booking the room, did so from their website the day before arriving. Hassle free. Arrived around 3pm, no issues checking in. Rooms were ready. Stayed with a large group. We had 2 rooms on the same floor. We had to utilize the sofa beds. Not the most comfortable thing in the world, but that’s to be expected.
This is an A+ location. Central to the Freedom Trail and a lot of different Boston landmarks. Fanueil Hall and Quincy Market are right across the street. Subway stops for the orange and blue line are no more than 2 blocks away. Airport is 10 minutes away on the blue line. And if ever you get lost in the city, just look for the clock tower.
This hotel offers lots of amenities. There’s a level dedicated to kids with a playroom and movie room, a floor for gym/​workout equipment and laundry, and an observation deck. We were just unfortunate that the observation deck was closed due to renovation during the time we stayed (and will be closed until October 2015 for anyone else wondering). Access to wifi is included with your stay.
They don’t offer complimentary breakfast here, although coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are available at no charge all hours of the day. They do have breakfast items available during breakfast hours at reasonable prices (waffle ~$ 3.50).
But what made up for not having complimentary breakfast was that they offer events throughout the day. During our stay, they had a wine and cheese social. Choice of wine/​beer/​soda to go along with chesse and crackers in their continental room. Immediately after was a session of bingo with various prizes awarded to winners. My dad won the first 2 games lol. And just outside was a photographer taking portraits with a backdrop of the boston skyline, with complimentary prints.
All in all, we had to good time. The hotel is very family friendly and is centrally located in the heart of Boston.

We just stayed a week in room 903 and loved the views of the water! The staff is excellent and super accommodating! Matt you are wonderful and are perfect for your job! The location is about as perfect as you can get!

Location location location! Great views of everything! Very clean. Friendly staff. It has a full gym, a playroom, gameroom. The observation deck is unfortunately closed for renovations.

Beautiful hotel, but, is also a timeshare and that can mean limited rooms. I stayed here with my fiancé last month as part of a surprise birthday gift. I booked the room weeks in advance and requested a room on an upper floor as suggested by many reviewers to experience the amazing views. Unfortunately, when we arrived they gave us a room on the First floor, the only floor I did not want to be on. Okay, it happens I guess, due to also being a time share. I didn’t think that would be a problem in the end of February when tourism is low. We did ask for a different room but were told none were available. I wasn’t too upset about the room because I knew we could still check out the views from the observation deck. Unfortunately, it was CLOSED! Due to snow on the deck. MInd you the whole reason I booked this hotel was for the amazing views and reviews. You can still see the views from inside but from 10 feet back and behind windows, was really difficult to take pictures. When we got to the room (room 101) I immediately had to close all the shades as the large windows in every room were open to the busy streets and bars/​restaurants across the street. Being on the first floor everyone can see into the room, especially as night came. I had to get dressed in the bathroom because the old curtains were basically starched open even when unlatched from the holders. I reserved a King bed but this bed looked more like a Queen, it was okay comfort wise. Fortunately, the room was very clean.
Before dinner we stopped at the bar for a drink and were taken care of by a very rude bartender who didn’t even know how to make the drinks on the hotel cocktail menu. Then she insulted my fiancé by telling him the drink he picked off their featured drink menu is for 18 year olds looking to get drunk. We also had to sit and listen to the bartender bad mouthing the hotel and its horrible credit card paying system. After waiting about 30 minutes for the bartender to cash out another table we put the drinks on out room tab and left. The next morning we woke up around 7 and after having a rough nights sleep we headed out immediately.
Some other issues with the hotel: low floor rooms are noisy-​loud music from bars across the street, self parking is $ 40 ($ 40 to park your own car 6 feet from the hotel door with no security fence or gate), the game/​laundry room had 3 vending machine/​washer/​dryers out of order– this didn’t effect our stay but could hinder someone staying in the time share.
As for the hotel, it is beautiful, no denying that and staff is very friendly (minus bartender). Unfortunately, it is not what I was expecting after paying over $ 350 for a night’s stay. I would not stay here again if given the option, too many other 4 star hotels with much more reasonable rates.
I did contact the corporate office and wrote a lengthy email about our stay and issues and really only got back a canned, half-​effort apology, which was extremely disappointing.

This is a hidden gem in the heart of Boston. The staff is friendly, professional and made our stay very comfortable. The location is excellent. You can walk everywhere including T-​Stops. Lots of places to eat & conveniences available. Rooms are clean & there is even a little museum on one of the floors and an observation deck. The only thing that would have been great would be a pool — or if they still had the agreement with Marriot Long Warf that Custom House guests could use the pool — but you can’t have everything. One of the entrances to the hotel opens up right into Faneuil Hall — doesn’t get any better than that! It’s also amazing quiet — got the best night sleep ever there — couldn’t hear anything outside or any of the other guests!

I did not stay in this hotel, but I proposed to my girlfriend at the observation deck of the Custom House Tower last weekend.
Hidden gem! So many people propose engagements at the Top of the Hub at the Prudential… but don’t waste your money!
There aren’t many tourists (or even locals) who know about the Custom House Tower observation deck. For us, it was the perfect, intimate spot for me to propose. Of course, she loved it.
It’s only $ 5, weather permitting, and it’s open daily at 2 pm. The views of Boston are absolutely stunning.

A timeshare but they have a sunset tour open to the public. You get a cocktail to take with you up top if you pay a little extra. Phenomenal views and the bartender was a delight! Don’t miss this if you are in Boston!

Location, cleanliness, comfort, service all are five star

My husband booked a room for me at the Custom House while I was working in Boston, and it was such a treat! The room has 2 floors, a comfortable queen-​sized bed on the upper loft, dining area and kitchen bar with an elegant sitting room on the lower floor. Beautiful drapes adorn the tall windows overlooking the city. Also enjoyed the movie about Boston and its history in their cozy 6-​person theater. You could even put your feet up on an overstuffed ottoman and watch the show! The observation deck was unfortunately closed because of ice on the deck, but I was able to gaze at the city and nearby Charlestown from the windows.

Thoroughly enjoyed our 1 week stay here! This was the most historic time share property that we have ever stayed at.
The location was fabulous. We either walked or used the Subway to tour Boston. The Subway station was located conveniently close. Faneuil Hall & Quincy Market are a quick walk away.
Our room was fantastic! Each night after that day’s adventures, we would come back to the room and sleep so good. The bed was so comfortable and it was peacefully quiet. The views of Boston from our room were excellent. Although the view of the Marriott’s Custom House clock tower was just as impressive when you’re walking around the city. The tower is so tall that it can be seen from a long ways. It was cool cause while we were touring Boston we could still see the hotel which gave us a good idea of where we were.
Our room also had all the amenities. There was a kitchen of which we only used the refrigerator and microwave. The bathroom worked well. There were a couple of televisions for our viewing pleasure. Complimentary Wi-​Fi. Wish they had a washer and dryer inside the room, though. This is one of the few timeshare properties we’ve stayed at that has not had a washer and dryer inside the room. We had to take our laundry to another floor to get it done, and I believe we had to pay. That was the only negative.
The property also has an Observation Deck on the 26^th floor that should not be missed! The views of Boston are amazing from up here! Since you’re a guest there, it is included with your stay. If you’re not staying at the property, you can still pay to get up here.
Other notes about the Marriott Custom House.
There is an Activity Center for the kids.
There is a game room beside the washers and dryers on the 24^th floor. The game room includes a billiard table, air hockey, and other games.
There is a Fitness Center with free weights and cardiovascular equipment.
We rented a car for 2 nights during our 1 week stay here. They only have valet parking here, and It is not cheap. Paid over $ 30 a day for those two days.
Considering everything, we had an awesome 1 week stay at Marriott’s Custom House! I’d love to come back here again. It makes for a great base for exploring Boston and the surrounding area. There is so much to see and do.

The «beautiful clock tower» that I’ve enjoyed along the Boston skyline actually has a name. It is the Marriott’s Custom House, and you can get a 1 Bedroom Villa, 1 King, Sofabed for the current rate of $ 199.00/night on the date of my visit ($ 229/​night on the date of my posting). It is also a resort and as such offers timeshares, which is how my friend was able to trade for a week here via Interval International. And that is how I obtained access to the Observation Deck on the 26^th floor.
With the guest pass in hand, I scanned it on the black pad in one of the two small elevators facing one another and selected floor #19. Once there, I disembarked and turned to face another single elevator that had the potential of taking me up to the 26^th floor. Given the small footprint of the Custom House, the narrow observation deck encircling the exterior of the building does not take long to transverse. However, I could have easily spent longer than I had, simply relaxing and enjoying the quiet and the view. While I did not see the peregrine falcon that resides atop this tower, my visit up there was only somewhat overlapped with that of but one other visitor.
On the way back down, I stopped off at each floor of interest.
25^th floor — Exercise Room with perhaps 7 machines, and some free weights and a weight machine; water and towels
24^th floor — Game Room/​Laundry/​Ice Machine with air hockey, a board for checkers or chess, Wii, pool table, snack and soda machine, and 3 sets of washers/​dryers
20^th floor — Activity Center — a nice indoor play area for the more youthful guest, cutely decorated and supplied with things my parents never bought me when I was a kid
Heading further downward, I walked the two loops under the cool rotunda visible above the ground floor, on the 2^nd and third floors. which included a variety of pictures and objects.
My friends’ room was one of 5 on their floor. Their door opened into a small vestibule, and from there into a kitchenette/​living room which included a round table for 4, a mini fridge, microwave, and the tiniest sink I’ve ever seen in a hotel room as well as a couch and several chairs. Off to the side was a small hallway with a full bath off the inner wall, which led into the small bedroom with a pair of windows overlooking the city.
A nice little room in a resort with a ton of amenities. Breakfast is not included, but it is in such prime location with the Aquarium on one side, Faneuil Hall on another, and 3 of the Metro lines (blue — Aquarium, orange — State Street, green — Government Center (although the Government Center station will be closing for 2 years beginning with 3÷22÷2014)) within an easy walk. The North End is within convenient reach, and a bit further off in another direction is Chinatown. Enjoy the walkability of our walkable city!

(+) Great observatory deck, best aerial views of Boston without tourist crowds
(+) Free wifi
(+) Workout center has basic necessities-​wished it had the same views as the observatory deck though. Instead of floor to ceiling windows, you get floor to ceiling mirrors. Would rather look at scenery than myself when I’m working out.
(+) Central location. 30 seconds to Quincy Market, Faneuil Hall, Financial District. A short 7 – 8 minute walk to the North End.
(+) All the rooms are suites with two TVs, couch, and a small kitchen (microwave, fridge, dishes, small appliances).
(-) Water pressure not strong enough!
(-) Sparse breakfast options. They offer a few select items for $ 1 – 3 in the lounge on the first floor including cereal, breads, pastries, fruit, hard boiled eggs, and mixed fruit.

Amazing night away in the heart of Boston. Had dinner in the North End, steps away. Caught the Celts game a couple blocks away and strolled Faniuel Hall right out the front door. Ended the night in the Counting Room Lounge with one of David’s famous Expresso Martini’s. Barbara at the front desk was exceptional and really set the tone for such an excellent weekend for us. Can’t wait to come back.

This is a review for the view up top, not the hotel accommodations or amenities.
It’s a $ 4 «donation» (they even give you a slip for your taxes, haha) and the view is pretty AMAZING! (pics to come)
It’s an old building with a lot of history and we even met locals up there who just visit it every so often to remind themselves of the wonders of Boston. You can see the top of it (the clock) from throughout the Boston area and its awesome to be up at the top and get an amazing view when the sky is clear.
I’d highly recommend going if you’re in Boston!

The Custom House is part hotel and part time share, it’s a setup where you get more than a standard hotel room. It’s a great concept for families or a friends getaway when you need more than one bed and even better separate rooms. You get a bedroom and living/​dining room with a sofa bed. A small kitchen area with one of those dorm sized refrigerators, microwave and bar sinks. There is plenty of dishware, ice bucket, wine opener and a toaster, the toaster is a nice perk as a place that I stay in Manhattan like this doesn’t have a toaster in their suites. The city of bagels with no toaster. I like places like this because I’m not a big breakfast person, but I do like my coffee and maybe a yogurt. I usually have leftovers from my dinner the night before, and these make a great late lunch during a mid day sightseeing break.
The location is very good if you want to be by the water front and the north end, in general I found it very convenient overall, it’s just a few T stops to Back Bay and the South End. It’s also just two stops from the airport on the blue line. The orange and green are just a few short blocks too. You’re also close to Faneuil Hall and Quincey Market, if this is your cup of tea. (bad pun). Your right on the Freedom Trail, which is something that every American should do at least one time.
My room was very clean and the staff friendly and helpful with information about the area and the Custom House itself. On the 26^th floor is an observation deck not to be missed, the building also is known for their Peregrine Falcons which are the real owners of this place, they watch over Boston and the harbor. Before you step outside onto the observation deck take a moment to check out the live webcam of the falcons.
My only gripes and they are small is the room safe, it is a wall safe that the door isn’t that wide or deep, I couldn’t fit my mac air in it, a full sized laptop wouldn’t work at all. My iPad mini did get in, I think a regular one would do too. A 35 mm camera, would be a no go. The other issue which is insignificant but I thought odd in such a nice property was the mini refrigerator, the door had several dents in it. At a property such as this it should have been replaced, this one could be used in an employee area or kept on hand as an emergency spare.
You’ll also find a game room with an air hockey table in it, and the workings of the clock tower, and lastly but can be very useful a small laundry room.
I’d definitely recommend the Custom House to anyone that wants a little more than the standard hotel experience, and I’d stay here again. However, there is no room service, not that you need it with so many places around it. Speaking of around it are three bars one for almost each side of the building, so if you’re a light sleeper bring ear plugs or try to get a high floor.