For travelers with disabilities visiting New England, there are a number of wheelchair accessible hotel rooms in Boston and in nearby neighborhoods.
Accessibility varies between hotels, but this guide provides important information and photos of ADA accessible hotel rooms in Boston. Please note that this is not a complete list of accessible hotels in the city, only those which I have personally stayed in and verified or toured to perform accessibility assessments.
Boston Marriott Long Wharf
Located steps from the New England Aquarium and overlooking Boston Harbor, the Boston Marriott Long Wharf Hotel is one of the city’s premier downtown hotels and a great choice for disabled tourists.
ADA accessible rooms are dispersed across a variety of room types, including standard and deluxe rooms, as well as suites. Rooms with one and two beds are available, and those beds measure 22 inches in height from the floor to the top of the mattress. There is 7 inches of clear floor space under each bed, making them accessible to transfer hoists and lifts.
The high level of accessibility continues into the bathroom, with roll-under sinks, toilets with grab bars, and roll-in showers with folding seats securely attached to the wall. Of all the Boston hotels that I have seen, this hotel on Long Wharf is at the top of the list for accessibility.
For more information or to make a booking, visit the Boston Marriott Long Wharf Hotel website.
Boston Harbor Hotel
The Boston Harbor Hotel is the city’s only Forbes Five-Star & AAA Five Diamond hotel, a luxury property on the Harbor Walk that has welcomed presidents, pop stars and professional athletes. The hotel offers a luxurious escape while being at the heart of the action.
Tap your key card outside one of the Boston Harbor Hotel’s ADA accessible guest rooms and the power assist door opens automatically, revealing a high end guest room with many a suite of accessibility features that will make for a great and comfortable stay. With a bed height of 20 inches measured from the floor to the top of the mattress, and a stated commitment to adjust it to whatever height the guest prefers, it is among the most wheelchair-friendly accommodations in Boston.
The bathroom, also with a power assist door, features a roll-under sink, toilet with grab bars, and a roll-in shower with a built-in seat. Water controls, wall-mounted soap and shampoo, and a handheld shower spray unit are all within reach.
For more information or to make a booking, visit the Boston Harbor Hotel website.
Aloft Boston Seaport District Hotel
Located directly across from the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and just a few blocks from the World Trade Center Silver Line station, The Aloft Boston Seaport District Hotel opened in 2016 and is a modern and wheelchair accessible hotel in the midst of the lively seaport district.
The hotel offers ADA accessible rooms with both one and two beds. The bed height from the floor to the top of the mattress is 24.5 inches and the mattress sits atop a platform that is 11 inches high. There is clear space underneath but only to a depth of 12 inches. Each accessible guest room has a roll-under sink and toilets with grab bars.
ADA accessible bathtubs have a securely mounted seat at the head of the tub, parallel grab bars along the back wall and a handheld shower head. Rooms with roll-in showers feature a folding seat securely attached to the wall, grab bars and a handheld spray unit. In both the shower and the tub, soap and shampoo are available from dispensers mounted behind the seat — I shared feedback with the hotel and hope they will relocate those dispensers to a more accessible location.
For more information or to make a booking, visit the Aloft Seaport District website.
Element Boston Seaport District
The Element Boston Seaport District Hotel is located adjacent to its sister property, the Aloft Seaport, and benefits from the same ease of access to the convention center, Silver Line and Seaport District attractions. Part of the Marriott family of hotels, the Element is an extended-stay hotel a kitchen in each suite and community amenities like guest laundry.
ADA accessible rooms are available with either one or two beds. The bed height from the floor to the top of the mattress is 25 inches and the mattress sits atop a platform that is 14 inches high. There is no clear floor space beneath the platform base.
Each accessible guest room at the Element hotel has a transfer shower, which differs from a roll-in shower in that it is three feet square. Wheelchair users can transfer onto the securely attached shower seat, benefitting from grab bars on the adjacent walls and water controls within easy reach. The transfer shower is my favorite accessible shower type. The Element ADA accessible bathrooms also feature a roll-under sink.
For more information or to make a booking, visit the Element Seaport District website.
Aloft Lexington Hotel
Have you heard of the Battle of Lexington and Concord? The Aloft Lexington is located about 15 miles outside of downtown Boston, and is a hotel that I would recommend for people who are taking a road trip. Hotels in the City of Boston are oftentimes very expensive, and a stay at a hotel outsider the city can save money not only on the room, but on parking as well.
My room at the Aloft Lexington had a platform bed about 24 inches high and a roll-in shower. The shower had a built-in seat, but there were no grab bars. The hotel’s shuttle van was not wheelchair accessible. For more information or to make a booking, visit the Aloft Lexington Hotel website.
Boston Marriott Burlington
Located about 15 miles northwest of downtown Boston, the Boston Marriott Burlington has been recently renovated and offers comfortable, wheelchair accessible accommodation.
During my stay at this hotel, my room had two queen beds and an ADA accessible bathtub. The tub featured one of two approved designs in the ADA Standards for Accessible Design, featuring a seat behind the tub basin, grab bars and a handheld showerhead. For more information on this hotel or to book a room, visit the hotel website.
Boston Marriott Newton
One of my favorite properties in the Boston area, the Boston Marriott Newton Hotel is located about 10 west of the city center. The hotel is located less than half a mile from the Auburndale MBTA Commuter Rail Station, but that station is not wheelchair accessible and there are no alternative public transportation services nearby. I have been able to get UberWAV and wheelchair taxi pick-ups from this hotel, however.
The hotel is modern, with fantastic bathroom accessibility in ADA guest rooms. The roll-in showers feature a built-in shower seat, grab bars and a handheld showerhead. For more information or to book a room at the Boston Marriott Newton, visit the hotel website.
Courtyard Boston Cambridge Hotel
Located along the Charles River and near the MIT campus, the Courtyard Boston Cambridge Hotel is one of the more affordable options in the area. The hotel is within walking distance of public transportation and offers wheelchair users excellent accessibility.
The guest rooms are spacious and feature ADA accessible bathrooms with the required accessibility features, including a roll-in shower with a wall-mounted shower seat and grab bars. For more information or to book a room, visit the hotel website.
Courtyard Boston South Boston Hotel
The Courtyard Boston-South Boston Hotel is an affordable 3-star property located within walking distance of the Andrew Square station, which is served by the red line.
Accessibility at the hotel is fairly good, but the roll-in showers do not have built-in seats; only a portable plastic shower chair is available. For more information or to book a stay, visit the hotel website.
Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel
I have stayed many times at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, primarily due to its convenient location. It is just one stop away from the airport on the Silver Line and within walking distance of the Convention Center and the great restaurants on Seaport Boulevard.
The accessible guest rooms are exceedingly comfortable, with plush beds and all the features one would expect in a mid-range hotel. ADA guest rooms feature an accessible sink, toilet with grab bars and a roll-in shower. The roll-in showers do not have a built-in seat, but a fairly sturdy plastic chair in provided. For more information or to make a booking, visit the hotel website.
Sheraton Boston Hotel
Connected to the Prudential Center and the Hynes Convention Center and located just a short distance from Fenway Park, the Sheraton Boston Hotel is a large property with more than 1,000 guest rooms. Its excellent location provides easy access to Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, and nearby public transportation connections make it easy to visit other parts of the city.
I have only stayed once at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, and was upgraded to a small Junior Suite, which was essentially just a standard room with an additional sitting area. The room had a king size bed and a roll-in shower. The roll-in shower lacked a wall-mounted seat, and a plastic shower chair was provided instead. The seat had a fixed armrest, which limited my options for positioning to chair in the shower. For more information or to book a room, visit the hotel website.
