How quick we are to complain - and how likely to forget entirely to compliment! We recently experienced a most unusual stay, under the most unusual of circumstances, at the "Residence Inn by Marriott Boston Cambridge"! And how unusual that there is not a single unkind word one could possibly utter about our experience - thanks to all of the staff in several different departments who clearly all went above and beyond - before, during, and even after our stay. We were coming from Canada for a special very small family visit that we simply could not miss, and for a stay that ended up being a little bit longer than two weeks' duration - all of this, despite our apprehensions, and the challenges and limitations of [cross-border] travel during the pandemic, as well as the onerous requirements to quarantine, and our decision to self-isolate further (and to then get tested at the nearby covid test centre before we finally greeted family there) and despite our strong desire to remain safe and to feel protected and comfortable in our environment, despite our not having ventured far from home very much in the preceding many months, and despite now being far from the safety and familiarity of home. We were three family members - and we each also needed to be able to be connected and to continue to "work from home" while on the road. We had the great good...How quick we are to complain - and how likely to forget entirely to compliment!

We recently experienced a most unusual stay, under the most unusual of circumstances, at the "Residence Inn by Marriott Boston Cambridge"!

And how unusual that there is not a single unkind word one could possibly utter about our experience - thanks to all of the staff in several different departments who clearly all went above and beyond - before, during, and even after our stay.

We were coming from Canada for a special very small family visit that we simply could not miss, and for a stay that ended up being a little bit longer than two weeks' duration - all of this, despite our apprehensions, and the challenges and limitations of [cross-border] travel during the pandemic, as well as the onerous requirements to quarantine, and our decision to self-isolate further (and to then get tested at the nearby covid test centre before we finally greeted family there) and despite our strong desire to remain safe and to feel protected and comfortable in our environment, despite our not having ventured far from home very much in the preceding many months, and despite now being far from the safety and familiarity of home.

We were three family members - and we each also needed to be able to be connected and to continue to "work from home" while on the road.

We had the great good fortune to connect - before our stay - with the Front Office Manager, Donovan Roberts, who provided a wealth of relevant information and reassurances about services in the vicinity of the hotel - and services in the hotel itself including the complimentary breakfast each morning - and who specifically made it possible for us to have an enormous two-bedroom suite for the duration of our stay, at a rate we could afford. This made all the difference in the world! One room - or even two adjoining rooms in any other hotel (we considered a few other properties, and also looked at many Air BnBs) would simply not have been as comforable, secure, and workable for us!

At this Residence Inn - which was close to the family members we were coming to visit - we had a suite with two full bedrooms, so everyone had their own space including their own work area (with the bonus of beautiful views of Cambridge below, and even the Charles River, the Longfellow Bridge, and Boston beyond!) as well as their own tv and full bathroom - and then, in addition, also a full kitchen and eating area for us all, and a large living room with a couch, comfortable side chair, and another tv that we used and greatly enjoyed in the off-hours - including watching the US Presidential Election results and countless hours of Netflix and other services already loaded into the hotel's system and which only required us to log in to our accounts.

Before arriving, we explained to Donovan what we thought we needed - and made a crazy inquiry about whether the suite could be stocked before our arrival with anything and everything that we might need for the three of us, for a two-week stay, so we could keep our space private and secure and so we would not need to have housekeeping enter our unit - at all!

We were graciously assured by Donovan that this request could be fulfilled and that it would be fulfilled - and were delighted and amazed to find, on arrival, a multi-tier cart in our unit, piled high with an enormous supply of multiple sets of towels, linens, and bedspreads, as well as a large quantity of individually wrapped rolls of paper towel to do our own cleaning as needed - as we had requested - and also a very generous supply of toilet tissue and an additional ample supply of all the other bathroom amenities we could possibly want.
There were also all manner of kitchen supplies and consumables waiting for us in our kitchen area.
The quantities that were provided did indeed suffice for all of us for the entire duration of our stay.
And we did not, in fact, need anything further from housekeeping, nor did we need them to enter our suite at all during our stay.
At night we would put - just outside our door - the trash cans that we asked to have emptied and left outside for us. And that is exactly what happened.
We were later advised that it was none other than housekeeping manager Enercida Pimentel who correctly anticipated and looked after our every need - even before we arrived! And what a difference this made, to our ability to function, to feel safe and secure in the privacy of our unit, and to continue to be connected and productive!

When we did exit the room - for one of us to pick up the abundant breakfast for all of us, at the physically-distanced breakfast service on the main floor each morning (lots of fresh fruit, a wide variety of baked goods, different types of yogurts, packets of hot and cold cereal and lots more - and seemingly limitless Starbucks coffee - all picked and packed from behind plexiglas dividers by courteous masked and gloved hotel staff) and when we would then take it all back to our room to eat in the comfort and privacy of our ensuite kitchen and eating area - or when we ventured out to pick up packages and deliveries (food deliveries or online shopping deliveries!) or to exit the hotel to visit family nearby or to go out for walks in Cambridge - and in beautiful Beacon Hill and Back Bay, across the nearby bridge over the river - it seemed that it was almost always Mirela Sisic who was everywhere all the time, greeting us and providing service with a smile - at virtually every breakfast, capably aided by other staff - and then usually also staffing the hotel's front desk for one shift a day.
Mirela was truly amazing!!

There had been some anxiety about leaving home and travelling across an international border, and staying in a somewhat unfamiliar place and worrying about health and safety - and generally about how we would manage and function in the middle of a global pandemic. We also wanted to ensure the family that we were visiting would not be at any added risk.

Not only did the hotel staff not shrink from their responsibilities, but they truly did go above and beyond to make every aspect of our stay and every interpersonal encounter friendly, pleasant and cheery, as well comfortable, productive, and safe.

In times of old, I suppose this was the purpose of inns along the way when travel was also fraught with uncertainty and risk.
The staff of this property lived up to those ideals in ways we might have imagined and hoped for - but weren't sure could be attained.
In fact, they were attained and exceeded despite the challenges that all those staff - like all of us - must've encountered in their professional as well as personal lives, in these challenging times.

Thank you very much for everything you do - and for everything you did for us during our recent stay ... even answering a few questions that we had after checking out and arriving back home!

After being so wary of traveling at all, we now hope we may be able to return, maybe sometime in the new year, if all is well and circumstances permit.

Thank you again, Donovan, Mirela and Enercida, and all of your colleagues who joined in this very successful endeavour!More