Candlewood Suites Boston-Burlington

I had to shelter my family due to a water heater incident at home. This hotel did the job. They allowed my dog to stay which was huge considering my problem. Wife, dog, two kids and I stayed in a one bed room suite for five days/​four nights. Nothing fancy, but that wasn’t what I was looking for. Staff was polite and helpful at check in and out, wifi was strong and they left us alone. My only complaint, the TV didn’t work. When we called about it they offered us a different room, but after the ordeal we had been through and just getting settled, we dealt with our own devices.

So this is part of the IHG chain of hotels. I generally stay at their other brands… holiday inn, crowne, indigo, etc. But Candlewood popped up a couple times recently so I thought I would try them.
Pros
— Candlewood cupboard… which is basically a mini mart in the lobby you can buy snacks at
— free WiFi
— free parking
— free coffee, tea, hot chocolate in the Candlewood cupboard
— suite rooms with a full kitchen. Including stove top and fridge
Negative
— not the cleanest room. My room had valentine’s glitter hearts on the bathroom floor still and the doors had finger prints on it
— more out dated than the other hotel brands in the Ihg family
I probably won’t stay at another unless it is a newer build.

we stayed here before our house was ready to move in. Rooms had lots of space and comfortable. Evening reception and breakfasts were good. It was a little hard to find because of GPS confusion but the front desk was very helpful and got us there! For price and space this place is a winner

This place is meant to be for extended stays, so they will only do maid service once a week. That’s fine with me. I had a pet (pets are allowed) so I wouldn’t want someone coming in everyday, which would mean I’d have to fit that into my daily schedule. The external and hallway appearances are nothing like the room itself. The room appears to be remodeled. We stayed in Room 115. It had 1 queen bed, a bathroom with shower/​tub and a kitchen with full fridge, microwave, toaster, coffee maker and stove.
Others have said there is no pool. I’m not sure why that is a big issue/​surprise. If I wanted a pool, I’d do the appropriate research to find out if my hotel has one. I don’t see a need for a pool. Boston isn’t really a spot people come to swim in pools.
Next, the fitness center. Yes, it’s small and limited (no free weights). As I write in almost all of my hotel reviews, if you’re a true workout fanatic, you can find a way to get a workout in when traveling. Go for a run outdoors, do an urban workout, or do a bodyweight workout. The Internet can help you come up with ideas.
Wi-​fi: free and fast! Very easy to connect and once connected, I was not required to re login every time.
There is a laundry room, which again is commonly found at extended stay places.
The front desk is very helpful. I don’t see how asking for more towels at the front desk is a hassle. You’re bound to pass it on your way in, so all you have to do is stop to do so. Plus even when you do have maid service, sometimes you still need that extra towel.
There is free coffee. You’ll have a coffee maker in the room but I just preferred to walk down the hall to the maxwell house coffee maker. Free coffee, tea and hot chocolate. They have a lot of other stuff available for purchase (candy, oatmeal, drinks, ice cream) that is on the honor system. I think it’s great for when you have a late night craving and the prices are fair.
It’s a small place and I can’t imagine them being at full capacity since there are other places to stay nearby, so it doesn’t make sense for them to offer breakfast –free or paid– unlike a large hotel in downtown. There are stores and restaurants next door, a mall across the street, and a Mcdonalds, Dunkin Donuts and more down the road. Amongst all of these I’m sure you can find a spot to grab a bite. If not, the highway is right there and a quick Unilocal search will take you where you want to be.
The bed is very comfortable so you can count on getting great sleep. A queen bed for 2 people was not an issue for me. The room also has a sofa chair, two chairs, a desk area, plenty of outlets, and a tv. The TV offers ESPN channels and even HBO.
As far as the noise, I was either out or had my TV on so I never noticed any neighboring sounds. I think it’s natural to hear people walking down the hall, especially if they are the ones being loud, but I did not have any issues.
My only complaints is that the electric stove did not work as well as I would have wanted to. I wanted to sizzle bacon and throw some eggs on top of it. My bacon never sizzled… I had to revert to a pot (that will be in your room) to heat the bacon and eventually the eggs. I also found the sink to be very tiny. When rinsing something off, water kept getting everywhere. They do have plates, utensils, cups, mugs and 2 pots for your use.
The pet walking area is behind the hotel. They have a patio with two nice grills for your use.
This was a great spot to stay if you want to be close to Boston but don’t need the crowds, high prices, and daily parking fees. I like to have breathing room.

My fiancé and I went to Massachusetts for a week back in May for a short vacation/​networking with prospective employers. We found that this Candlewood was very fairly priced and in a convenient location with a nice view.
The staff were very receptive to our needs and concerns — they were even willing to help us negotiate a way to keep our reservation and plans after the Amtrak derailment in Philly canceled our train to Boston. Any questions we had were answered quickly and politely — we were never made to feel like we had asked too many questions, even though we had a lot about the area.
I felt the cleaning schedule was fair. It was sufficient to the needs of the room without being too disruptive. Given that we picked an extended stay location, I felt this was worth nothing to anyone else. The staff are very responsive to requests regarding keeping the room clean.
The only downside was that when we entered the room, we saw a stain on the carpet that was clearly laundry detergent — from another guest, I assume. We made sure to tell the staff at the main desk immediately so they would know it wasn’t from us. They made a note and made sure it was cleaned promptly.
All in all, both of us enjoyed the experience and service there. We definitely got a deal for what we paid, and if we’re ever in the area again, we will definitely come back!

I was in Massachusetts for business and stayed at this Candlewood for a week. The location is great and the views are nice, but I’ve definitely stayed at better candlewoods. I wouldn’t exactly call things dirty, but it didn’t really feel like the room was clean. The kitchenette also lacked a dish brush. My ac also didn’t really blow cold air. You could only really feel the chill if you stood directly over it. Fortunately the highs were in the 70s while I visited, which was amazing for a Texas girl who is used to 100+ degree weather in August. The window also opened, so that helped with the breeze.
I will say, in response to some reviews on here, that if you don’t know what a Candlewood is when you book a room here, you might be disappointed. Yes, there is only housekeeping once per week, and yes, you get clean towels from the front desk. It’s a Candlewood, that’s what they do. Candlewood is a great place for business professionals who travel frequently, don’t want to deal with housekeepers potentially stealing their crap, and who don’t want to eat out everyday.

My husband and I were visiting the Boston area from California and were advised to stay outside the city for a better bargain. I found candle wood suites on the AAA website and the rate was good. This was by far our favorite place to stay over our 10 day east coast vacation. The front desk was very helpful giving us great advice about how to use the public transit. There was free coffee and laundry services which we used before check out and have no complaints about. The room accommodations were nice, the double curtains kept the light out and I used the stove top to make breakfast. I would recommend and stay again if in the area.

Friendly staff clean rooms in a great location this is my third stay here and I will return for another stay!

After having spent time on the phone personally booking the room to make sure we had 2 Queen Beds and not a pull out sofa, we arrived to a room with a Queen and a pull out sofa. The desk clerk said it was the same thing. When we explained our call and pointed out the notation «printed on our reservation» she said she had one room left. When we arrived at the room it was one queen and one double… nearly impossible to use for the sized of the adults sharing the bed. The rooms were decently appointed and clean. The room appeared to be fairly recently updated. Just don’t expect to get two queen beds, no matter what they advertise!

The Candlewood Suites in Boston-​Burlington is truly my home away from home. I would not think of staying at any other hotel for a 20 mile radius. If you need to be in Woburn, BIllerica, Boston, Burlington, Lexington, Concord, Bedford, Medford, Wilmington, or Redding. The Boston-​Burlington Candlewood is your nexus.
Directly across the street is the Burlington Mall and an AMC movie theater. Great restaurants and a tavern. The staff is exceedingly helpful and genuine. I frequently stay at this hotel and feel absolutely at home there. My dog Bruce is always welcome and the hotel offers a fantastic PAWS (pets always welcome) walkway that he loves and even provides enough space for play. The grounds are always well kept and all the rooms are very clean.
Not a lot of hotels offer smoking rooms, which may be a turn-​off to some guests. However, from my experience, these rooms are resigned to a particular stretch of the top floor which amounts to no issue.
I love the Candlewood – did I mention free coffee? Also, the wifi is fast compared with most hotels I’ve stayed in.

If you don’t mind finding used, dirty needles in your towel compartment, then candlewood suites is your place.
To make things worse, the manager tried to deny responsibility and say it was mine. I’m sorry but I will never stay in any of IHG properties ever again. Poor management and terrible customer service are what you will get from this location.

This place was nothing special
It was one of those extended stay places. We stayed in a studio suite.
The studio was good, ¾ size fridge, two burners (electric though).
However, the bed was a tad small and the worst part of it was the Temperature Control. We even turned it off at night and it kept turning back on! What the heck?!
It wasn’t a bad place, not a great place, decent enough for 90 bucks

Very nice low-​budget hotel, once you find it. Getting to the location up on the hill, especially after a late night flight arrival. The rooms are nice, with a bit of a strange layout — but not off-​putting.
Good options for food in their pantry and very helpful staff.
I’m not a fan of the once a week housekeeping service. They will service if you call and request it.

The only thing that’s good about this place is the free wifi. The rooms smell weird, there are bugs everywhere, the fridge makes the loudest noise every half an hour, maid service is available once a week, and if you want new towels or sheets you need to go to the front desk and ask for them which isn’t very convenient. Definitely the worst hotel I’ve ever been to, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

I am a realtor and needed to find an extended stay situation for my clients who had no where to live. They had been able to close on their home but the closing on their new home was delayed due to circumstances beyond their control. Essentially they were homeless thru no fault of their own. They are 75 years old and from a generation that doesn’t always take to credit cards very well and rather deal in cash.
The hotel met the needs of my clients as the wife had just been released from a medical facility, needed to be able to bring in her own food. This would mean they wouldn’t have to go out to restaurants to eat — something that she was not up to and also wasn’t good for her diabetes.
My initial contact with the hotel (after explaining their circumstances) was a willingness to help. We set them up for 5 day stay — paying cash, and using my credit card to hold on the account to satisfy the hotel while we figured out something more permanent
Then on the 5^th day the husband went to pay for additional days. He was told there was nothing and they didn’t take cash (really — just had taken his $ 500 for the room only days before).
I happened to be in the parking lot babysitting his car as he had dead battery. I had driven to get him a battery pack from where he had just recently bought his car (for cash by the way) and brought it to him at the hotel to get his car started.
So I went in and talked to the girl at the desk. I explained that they were homeless and had no where to go. I know (having booked rooms for myself and others over the years) that many times hotels have extra rooms in case of emergencies. She went over to the person who apparently was the manager on duty for the day (being it was a holiday — Veterans day).
That person reiterated there was no rooms — not looking at the screen, not offering to call around to other hotels to see if she could help. I explained again they were homeless and had no where to go. She said they didn’t accept cash, only credit card. I reminded that my credit card was on their room (even though they had paid cash). Her words — «There are shelters.» Really? These people are 75 years old and that’s the best answer. And even if they weren’t that was the best answer.
I was so upset that I said that I was not going to have that conversation with her. She told me she didn’t like my attitude. Customer service? Not sure if she thought that was. Being an older person myself, having been in some form of customer service for over 40 years I was appalled and angry. But what happened next was even worse.
I walked away to leave and could hear her say to the front desk clerk — we’re not a homeless shelter. I turned around and went back and reminded her that they had paid for their room with cash — there was no handout. She reiterated that she didn’t like my attitude.
I asked for her name — she told me it was Nancy and she was the Operations manager for the hotel — obviously someone without customer service skills to be handling any situation or teaching the clerk how to as well.
I would never recommend this hotel to anyone As realtors it is not uncommon for someone to be in this situation — needing a place to stay short term. This will not be one of my choices.
I hope this operations manager never finds herself in the position of needing help from someone like herself — she is a disgrace.
BTW — I got in my car and drove up the street to another extended stay hotel who had several rooms which I booked for the next several nights. Had she only picked up the phone and made a call that whole scene would never had played out. I would not be writing this review. That’s called customer service.

First of all, I knew what I was paying for when Priceline found me a room here for $ 45. It’s a decent place to crash. Bed was comfortable and my room was clean. It lacked nothing essential. Everything in the room looked redone. Even the bathroom was nice. Money well spent.
I noticed the two smells other Unilocalers noted: the carpet glue smell in the lobby was not a big deal. The elevators do smell like the smoke of a thousand cigarettes.
Our go-​to hotel, by the way, is Hyatt Place. What this placed lacked in small luxuries it made up in affordability.

Overall 2.5 stars. It’s «OK» for around $ 100 a night it’s better then most and above a 2star, but it’s not quite even a 3 star even due to various reasons. PROS & CONS below for your consideration. I probably would not stay here again, which is rare when picking hotels for travel because usually will get comfortable and stick with the same spots when revisiting areas. This hotel just had too many downfalls overall in the T Bar Chart, I even considered changing hotels after the first two nights as they were tearing up all of the floors and hallways without warning.
PROS:
+ Room was very nice, you’ll appreciate the design instantly
(living room, nice desk/​counter-​space, 2 lcd tvs)
+ Full Kitchen suite (full size fridge, microwave, sink, 2 burners, no oven)
+ Allows Pets
+ Strong FREE wifi internet
+ Convenience Supply Pantry with snacks etc (similar to most ‘suite’ hotels)
CONS:
— Hotel was under construction during my stay without any advance warning
— Entrance is difficult to find the first time (it’s behind on 2^nd ave NOT middlesex)
— NO COFFEE [this was brutal in not being able to start my day right]
— NO BREAKFAST [and no real breakfast places anywhere nearby diner-​wise]
— NO POOL
— Nearby Food and restaurants are not great options
— Not an ideal location, takes 20+ minutes to get anywhere you’ll need to go [boston]
— Lack of maid service… they don’t do daily cleaning, I’m not messy but seems standard to have the garbage taken out, room freshened up.
— Bed was smaller then usual for a single, and only 3 half-​sized pillows
— was non-​smoking (and as a smoker I’m good with going outside) hallways smelt bad though (partly like cigarettes) and there were butts inside.
— no vent in the bathroom… legal requirement which was clearly neglected and deserves to be mentioned as you will need to buy air freshner spray to breath.

I continue to have good luck with Candlewood Suites. After my original review, Scott M posted the suggestion of contacting the Sales Manager to get better than online rates; I found this to save $ 10-​$ 20 per night in my case; the staff continued to give its usual level of pleasant and efficient service (not the case with some hotel brands) even at the lower rate. The WiFi is excellent, and the hotel continues to appear well managed and well maintained.

Friendly staff, but the third floor coming out of the elevator always had a smell for the three nights we were there.
Also no room service for seven days… though you can bring in your towels and sheets and exchange it with them.

I’ll start with the pros of the hotel…
The front desk staff are very helpful. I was asking about the buses/​subway schedules and the lady gave me all of the time schedules organized and highlighted. This helped so much since I didn’t have a car. They also provide a shuttle bus on the half– hour up to 5 miles away and they can pick you up also. Close to the mall and nice restaurants near by. They have a fitness center with 2 treadmills, a bike, and an elliptical machine. The weight machines didn’t work at the time. They have free use of the washers and dryers (you buy the detergent/​dryer sheets). They have a pantry type store, it’s on the pricey side but it’s about convenience. My room was equipped with a stove, microwave, full sized refrigerator and pots and pans to cook with. Our floor was entirely non– smoking, but there were hints of a smokey scent.
On to the cons…
First off, this hotel is on a hill. So if you plan on walking anywhere you must wear walking shoes. The major street, Middlesex, is not pedestrian friendly so running across is probably the best way to go. The hallways and stairway smell funny. The carpet was wet right by the air conditioner. Room cleanings are every 6 days. Our bathroom was not very clean. There was a few hairs on the floor and on the towels. The bathroom vent didn’t work. The queen bed came with 3 small pillows. Probably could have asked for more.
All in all, our trip was to go to Boston and this place was pretty far. So, that would be a main reason way we wouldn’t come back. It’s an average hotel and the price is reasonable. There are many pros and cons to this hotel. I would like to see less cons in a hotel so I guess I wouldn’t come back.