Raffles Boston

Raffles may be based in Singapore, but there’s arguably no city better suited than Boston to the task of hosting the brand’s first American hotel. Raffles is all about classic elegance, after all, and so is Boston’s Back Bay. And while both are occasionally overshadowed by bolder and brasher competitors, there’s a quiet stylishness about them that goes deeper than trends.

The setting is a 35-story tower whose top half is given over to permanent residents; the hotel occupies the bottom half, from the ground floor to the three-story Sky Lobby on the 17th floor. Designers Stonehill Taylor crafted its spaces in tribute to Boston’s classic visual language and to Raffles’ hospitality history; the rooms and suites are handsome and understatedly chic, and functionally they’re among the finest in town.

Also of note is the hotel’s spa and wellness center, featuring a 65-foot indoor swimming pool with elevated views of the city. And among the restaurants and bars is Amar, by the Portuguese chef George Mendes, set 17 floors above Back Bay; it’s soon to be joined by La Padrona, an Italian restaurant by James Beard Award winner Jody Adams.