$150–250

Oriental rugs and sleigh beds deck out every room of the Harborside Inn of Boston (85 State St., 617/723-7500, www.harborsideinnboston.com, $119–169), a converted 19th-century mercantile building that is one of the most affordable hotels downtown. Exposed brick walls hung with reproductions from the Museum of Fine Arts give a unique Boston feel to large rooms that overlook a central sky-lit atrium.

Unlike most of the cookie-cutter Courtyard by Marriott hotels, the Theater District’s Courtyard Boston Tremont Hotel (275 Tremont St., 617/426-1400, www.marriott.com, $149–269) is located within a historic 1925 brick building with thoughtful touches like granite countertops in the bathrooms.

$250 and Up

One of the most unique hotels in Boston is located in the landmark 500-foot-tall Custom House Building, which for decades was the highest point in Boston. Marriott’s Custom House (3 McKinley Sq., 617/310-6300, www.marriott.com, $189–329) has guest rooms elegantly decorated in navy and taupe, as well as kitchenettes and drop-dead views of downtown and the North End.

Located right on the park, the Ritz-Carlton Boston Common (10 Avery St., 617/574-7100, website, $395–645) eschews its chain’s stuffy reputation in favor of a towering building of glass and steel, filled with contemporary art and a stylish ambience. All of the luxury you’d expect is still there, however, including overnight shoeshine and laundry service, and a “bath butler” who will draw you one of a selection of aromatic baths. Packages include access to the on-site Sports Club/LA.

© Michael Blanding and Alexandra Hall from Moon New England, 2nd Edition