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I. The Perfect Boston Address

Beacon Hill is a coveted residential enclave in the heart of the city, and those visiting Boston for business or pleasure will find this to be a convenient outpost, just minutes from the city's business centers, the Freedom Trail and other historic and cultural sights. In fact, when you check in, you'll receive your own custom-imprinted "in residence" business cards featuring your name, the direct-dial telephone and facsimile numbers for your room (yes--your room or suite has its own private line so that callers don't need to fuss with a switchboard operator) and your "in residence through" date.

II. The Blend of Old and New

XV Beacon is located on the site where Boston merchant Edward Bromfield built his mansion in 1722. The present building is a 1903 Beaux Arts structure designed by William Gibbons Preston, the Boston architect best known for the Museum of Natural History, which is now the Louis Boston in the city's Back Bay, and the International Trust Company Building. Inside, the hotel preserves antique touches, and yet the decor is thoroughly modern and minimalist. Classic mahogany lobby walls are graced with fine contemporary works of art. A bust of Ben Franklin peers at arriving guests from its perch atop the sleek check-in counter.

I felt as if I had entered a time machine when I stepped inside the enclosed cage elevator that took us to the third floor, but I leapt right back into the 21st century when I opened the door to the Studio and spied gadgets beyond any geek girl's dreams. More on technology in just a bit.

III. The Service

We had an "above and beyond the call of duty" service experience within moments of checking in and arriving at our Studio room. Immediately anxious to photograph the room's pleasing decor (more on that in a moment), I searched for my digital camera, only to realize that I'd left it on the floor of the front seat of my car, which had already been whisked away by the valet. A panicked call to the front desk to see if it was possible to pinpoint the parking location of my car so that I could go after it was greeted with reassurances that the camera would be fetched and delivered to me. Indeed, a bellman arrived with it what seemed like only minutes later--I am convinced he sprinted.

IV. The Decor

From the lobby, to The Federalist restaurant within the hotel, to each individual room, the decor at XV Beacon is, in a word, rich. Our Studio room featured warm woods, chairs upholstered in muted golds, linens in shades of hot chocolate and marshmallows and simple bursts of color contributed by a dappled metal bucket filled with fresh orange flowers and an Asian-esque single white bloom stretching and curling its way up and toward the light from its wood box planter. Normally, when I think "canopy bed," I envision a room that is anything but masculine, but XV Beacon's queen-size, canopy beds with their 300-thread-count Italian linen sheets are bold and exotic. A windowside desk area is well-lit and spacious. This is definitely a space in which you could feel at home away from familiar surroundings. You know, it is occasionally tempting to leave a hotel with a poofy towel or a fluffy bathrobe--though of course I never have. At XV Beacon--I was tempted to back up a U-Haul and take the entire contents of the Studio room home with me for transplanting. I didn't.

V. The Fireplace

Boston has the dubious distinction of being America's windiest city, even though Chicago commandeered the "Windy City" nickname. Nothing quite cuts Boston's chill on a brisk fall, bone-chilling winter or damp early spring day like a roaring fire. The 61 rooms at XV Beacon are each equipped with a gas-burning fireplace, which means that the heat, crackle and glorious glow of a raging fire is just a touch away... read on.

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