The Envoy Hotel, Autograph Collection

Though it’s long had a reputation as one of America’s most tradition-bound cities, a look at the Boston hotel scene reveals a town that’s not afraid of a bit of experimentation. Just over the bridge from downtown, in the newly revitalized Seaport, is another example: the stylish, modern, fully wired Envoy Hotel. It’s a member of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, but what you’ll find inside its doors is proof that there are some corporate hotels that can hang in there with the independents — this is their luxury boutique sub-brand, for one thing, and one thing it’s not short on is personality.

Nor is it short on the sort of professionalism that’s the strength of the big chains. The rooms are attractive, contemporary, and a bit whimsical, with TV stands made from old bike frames and furnishings that split the difference between modernist classics and contemporary experiments — and they make the most of their full-length windows and their views of the harbor.

Outlook, the ground-floor restaurant, serves modern American fare, craft cocktails, and microbrews, including one brewed specifically for the Envoy. Meanwhile Lookout, on the rooftop, serves specialty cocktails and makes use of transparent “igloos” and fleece blankets to make a four-season Boston rooftop bar possible.