(Editor’s note: OK, with a record-tying 2 feet of snow and cold temperatures, Boston might not be your winter ideal. But for the hardy, the city has enough cultural, historical pleasures, not to mention a new hotel, to warm the heart. For the faint of heart, remember: Snow eventually melts, and the weather will turn warmer. Our Boston-based senior travel, fashion and beauty writer Debbi K. Kicham has this report:)
I have news for you that will be music to your ears.
Boston has a new kid on the block – since last September – and it’s the wonderful Omni Boston Hotel at The Seaport in South Boston. Everything there is musically themed and, like a good symphony, it will uplift and entice you.
My husband Bill and I started our tour at lunch in The Sporting Club, whose repurposed parquet floors were once used by the Boston Celtics. There’s a pommel horse doing double duty as the reception desk. Lockers are embedded in the walls. And two punching bags – with the Omni logo embossed on them – stand at attention, just in case you feel like getting out your frustrations. Not that you will have any.
For lunch at the club, I had an absolutely delicious grilled salmon with sundried tomatoes, quinoa and a lemon aioli. Bill had a lovely salad with grilled chicken, and we both loved the meze platter of pita bread and hummus. I would also recommend other goodies that I saw on the menu – say, the crispy brussels sprouts, lobster roll and pot de crème dessert with dark chocolate custard and cinnamon churros. Lunch was a winner, indeed.
Adjacent is the Trophy Room, so aptly named because of what graces its walls. Back in The Sporting Club bar, you’ll find eight wraparound TV screens showing all of your favorite sports events. Make sure to have some of the specialty drinks. There’s a $17 Paper Plane made with bourbon and Aperol; a $17 Lucky Margarita created with silver tequila; and a yummy $12 mocktail called a Sam Malone – with homemade Sprite, agave nectar and ginger beer. (The last is named, of course, for the teetotaling bartender on the hit 1990s series “Cheers,” which was based in a Boston Bar.)
“Cheers” had a catchy song about being where everybody knows your name. The Omni’s musical theme continues more overtly. On one large wall in the lobby, there is a huge reproduction of the sheet music from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, which, I was told, was the first piece of music ever played by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Other walls are filled with images of backstage photos and shots of musicians and ballerinas. Then there is the lobby bar, called Crescendo. Don’t miss Coco Rico, a dessert-wine bar featuring homemade pastries that sound as delicious as they look. Nearby is Kestra (a play on the word “orchestra”) that serves fine cuisine all day long.
Meanwhile, to complement The Sporting Club theme, there is a huge gym on the property – perhaps the biggest in the city. I was totally impressed, as it was airy and featured Peloton bikes, treadmills, stair steppers and free weights. Working out there would be a distinct pleasure. The fifth floor also features an outdoor pool (that is always heated to 85 degrees), and the Lifted Pool Bar, where the windows open seasonally to offer that perfect al fresco feeling.
I also received a massage at the Breve Spa – “breve” being a double whole note – where I started with the Sound Immersion Treatment ($225 for 60 minutes). My therapist noted to me that this musical pampering used tuning forks to sound C and G in order to “make a perfect fifth (interval in the key of C major).” “It calms your nervous system and ends with the use of a singing bowl to close your energy enter,” the therapist said. While that may be fine for some people, I realized minutes into the treatment that what I really craved was a light Swedish massage to get out all of my kinks. Lucky for me, my therapist was the very definition of the word “pivot” and indulged my request. She gave me an excellent massage, especially on my neck and shoulders. If you take advantage of the spa, try the best-selling Scents of Love Couples Massage ($339 for two people) or the Youthful Radiance Facial for superlative stroking. And after the salon opens for business, make sure to book a blow-dry for your hair from the Blowout Bar. “We sell experiences, not services,” said the spa manager, Kim D’Auvergne, and she was right. “You walk in the spa to reconnect with your partner and to take yourself to oblivion.”
Our visit was topped with an amazing dinner at Coquette, the hotel’s on-property high-end restaurant, and it was a delight. This French bistro enchanted us with its colossal shrimp towers, Pyrenees mushroom flatbreads and excellent salads. Also on the menu are clams gratinée, tuna au poivre banquet, duck confit and Tahitian tuna made with lime and coconut. This restaurant is so impossibly French and gorgeous, with its hand-painted walls and signature plates that the only thing missing was Edith Piaf herself. Make sure that when you need a destination restaurant for a special occasion that Coquette is on the top of your list. And I haven’t even yet mentioned the flourless dark-chocolate cake with sour cherries and pistachio semifreddo, a kind of frozen mousse. We were too full to indulge in this delight – but hope springs eternal. We’d like to return to the hotel just to visit the not-yet-opened salon – and to savor this decadent dessert. You can order room service from any restaurant in the hotel – and you know what’s going to be on my order.
When you book your stay, try Suite 20004 on the 20th floor. It’s an endcap suite with fantastic views, gray-and-white décor and archways. All feature Nest amenities and Keurig coffeemakers to perk up your visit.
During my visit, I interviewed Michael Jorgensen, the hotel’s managing director:
What makes the hotel special?
“The employees are the number one denominator that separates us. I’ve worked at two of the larger hotels in the city before coming here. And I can say with confidence that our employees are incredible. They treat everybody like guests coming into their own homes. It’s a culture Omni has created….If you take care of your employees, they take care of the guests. We have had nothing but accolades about the professionalism and friendliness of the staff. That’s really the differentiator: They are so willing to make a connection. They are tuned into the needs of the customer. We are almost a destination within a destination – with seven food and beverage outlets, a full spa and rooftop pool and two distinct towers.”
What type of traveler is the hotel hoping to attract and what demographic?
“We are attached to the Convention Center….We do a lot of group business, 50%, and then transient and leisure is another 50%. What Omni has figured out is that large, dynamic stay-cation hotels – convention hotels with amenities…we are good with that. We’ll do a lot of leisure travel on the weekend and then we will do some corporate guests for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday. We can fill that all in with group business. We cater to everybody.”
What has the response been to The Sporting Club?
“The first night we opened we did $28,000. It has been jammed. Not your typical sports bar, more sophisticated. On the nights the Patriots play, you can’t get a seat. We might play the Grand Prix of Monaco on TV. There’s nothing else like this in the Seaport District. We created a place where everyone wants to be…and it creates a greater district. The Sporting Club has been very successful because of locals and in-house patrons.”
Why did you go with a musical theme?
“We gathered some of the more prominent folks in Boston and brainstormed about what makes Boston what it is – we think the arts community here is unrivaled – ballet, (Boston Symphony Orchestra) and even rock’ n’ roll. With Harvard and MIT and all the universities here – it’s art and science, and we are in the innovation district.”
What more can I say? This musically-themed new Boston hotel deserves a bravo.
For more, visit here. And for more on my Wanderlust Travels, follow me on Instagram at @DebbiKickham.
