InterContinental Boston

A prime waterfront location in the Financial District is the only natural site for the InterContinental group’s grand entry into Boston, given the demographics of its likely audience — the fact that it’s pretty much the exact site of no less historic an occurrence than the Boston Tea Party is just a bonus.

This is big-time modern luxury hospitality the way it’s supposed to be done: from the building itself, a monument in blue glass and polished granite, to the interiors, sleek and minimal but not too stark, right down to the most minor of details, such as flat-panel televisions mounted on swivels for maximum visibility.

With 424 rooms it’s not exactly intimate, but an army of staffers see to it that you’re never without help. And a hotel of this size can afford some big amenities: the InterContinental’s spa is enormous, 6,600 square feet, with a 24-hour gym and a 45-foot indoor pool.

Dining options include a sushi bar with a Latin theme, a cocktail bar specializing in rum, and Miel, a Provençale-style brasserie — weather permitting, we’d advise you to take a seat outside, where the InterContinental Gardens open onto a two-acre waterfront promenade. Not the sort of thing you’re likely to run across in the average business hotel.