Any recommendations that don’t break the bank? Heading for a tour next weekend and would like to spend some time before/after looking around. Need the hotel to have parking! Willing to stay out as far as Brookline or anywhere else you might suggest with maybe a 30 minute T ride to BU. Thanks.
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It’s a great convenient location, and the prices are better than most anything else downtown. BUT the site says it is fully booked through winter…whatever that means!
Thanks - I think it’s full of Northeastern students!
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Parking by itself will break the bank. And Brookline is very close to BU. BU actually extends a tiny bit into the northeast corner of Brookline.
The Residence Inn just south of Fenway breaks the bank, but breaks it less than most other places. There is also the Hyatt in Cambridge, right across from the BU. bridge. Rates of both vary widely - from expensive to outrageous. That’s Boston.
As fart as parking, it will be cheaper to buy a car that’s already parked. 
Hilton Garden Inn on Brookline Ave. Built in 2021. Easy drive or train to BU. Hotel has valet only, but 24 hour garage across street. Would definitely stay again.
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I would look at the C and D lines for easy access inbound to Kenmore Square. There is a Courtyard Marriott in Coolidge Corner that would be a fantastic location and has a parking garage. There’s also a Homewood Suites out near Brookline Hills, an AC Marriott near Cleveland Circle, etc. Coolidge Corner would be my choice if it were in budget, though. Cute area with lots around it and super convenient to BU.
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Yes, we’re figuring it out. Looks like even in Brookline parking adds 40$ per night. Holiday Inn Express in Cambridge might come in under budget (I guess budget is $200 per night including parking); any knowledge about it? Looks like a 10 minute walk to the T, which is ok. I’ll check the Hyatt in Cambridge. Thanks.
Consider the Wyndham on Cambridge Street near Mass General Hospital. It’s a few hundred feet from the Charles-MGH stop on the red line and is generally more reasonable due to the proximity to the hospital. It’s an easy T ride to BU from there — switch to the Green Line at Park Street.
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Now that I see your budget, I’ll throw in an option that is not as convenient but that has reasonable rates and parking is only about 12/night: check out the Wellington Circle/Station Landing area in Medford. AC Hotel, TownPlace Suites, Fairfield, etc. are all in that area. New hotels, plenty of restaurants around, and super convenient to the orange line. It’s about a 20 minute drive to BU but will take you 40 minutes on the T since you have to go into downtown and then switch to the green line. It’s a straightforward journey even with switching lines, however.
Do you really, really need a car? One option would be to park out in the hinterlands - say the Alewife station - and take the T to BU. That would be around 45 minutes, with a transfer at Park Street. Now this option has its own issues, but it is out there. Heck, even parking it at Logan will be cheaper.
I do my best to avoid having a car in Boston. In some cities, they are a convenience. In others, they are a necessity. In Boston, they are just a nuisance.
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Or the Riverside station in Newton has a ton of spaces and is on the green line and can get you to Kenmore directly in less than 20 minutes. You can definitely find affordable hotel options west of there if you don’t mind driving in to the the Riverside station to get the T.
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Our daughter lives in Allston, I think Manhattan hotels are cheaper than Boston, when you see the hotel prices there are a lot of taxes and fees added (went in September, not the regatta, and I think $70 extra was added).
We visit Boston a lot (kiddo is at school there) and unless we’re really wanting to splurge on the city experience (we usually don’t - having lived there for nearly a decade), we stay out in Waltham at one of the many places on RT 128. For around $150/night, it is worth it. We then drive and park at Riverside and take the green line in. This last visit, we discovered that the parking lot right behind D’s apartment building has SpotHero spots available for $20 per day, so we just used that instead.
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That’s too bad! It was a great and convenient option for visiting downtown.
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There’s a reasonably-priced Hampton Inn in Watertown, self-parking 25/nite, though no obvious train route across the river. BU parking garage is a good walk from the admission office, so allow time. Parking garage at BU was maybe $17? Can’t remember. (Northeastern admissions parking is free.)
Leave your car at your hotel if it’s possible to take public transport into Boston. There is absolutely no need to have a car there. And it’s a huge headache!
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As of right now, the Waltham Westin is $109 a night. It’s a 4-star business hotel about 15-20 drive to BU. Hard to beat that deal. Worth exploring.
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Boston is the only city in the world where you have to back in to double-park.
This. I’m surprised that place like the Waltham don’t make more of an effort to attract college-visiting families. Place is just empty on weekends and it’s a fantastic hotel.