A new Boston hotel offers ‘a modern take on the hostel concept’
The new hotel in the Theater District is targeting international travelers and millennials.
A micro hotel with a mix of private and shared rooms and a focus on communal living opened Thursday inside a 141-year-old renovated building in Boston’s Theater District.
Found Boston, located at the former Milner Hotel at 78 Charles Street South, offers 66 private and two shared hotel rooms, and will have two lounge areas where travelers can gather. The idea behind the hotel is to provide an affordable, social, stylish place for travelers to stay in a prime location of the city, said Ross Walker, co-owner of Found and managing partner at Hawkins Way Capital, the real estate company behind the hotel.
“We wanted to do a modern take on the hostel concept, and we thought it would resonate well with international travelers and millennials who want this affordable luxury,” Walker said. “You stay at affordable prices, and part of the luxury is being in a great area.”
The front desk at Found Boston.
Found Boston is steps away from the area’s theaters, restaurants, and nightclubs, and a few blocks from the Boston Common and Public Garden.
Its minimalistic rooms have ivory white walls, dark blue wallpaper, dark herringbone floors, and walnut accents. Guests can book traditional private rooms with queen, double, or single beds, or shared rooms with bunk beds that sleep up to four travelers. All rooms have private bathrooms. Found provides bed linens and towels for guests, as well as lockers where they can secure their belongings.
The hotel is currently constructing a lounge area in the basement, where guests will be able to gather in a communal kitchen to heat up and store food, and a smaller lounge area on the rooftop. It’s planning to hold social activities for guests that will take place both inside the hotel (think: social hour) and outside of it (think: pub crawl).
A room inside Found Boston.
The shared rooms and activities create an experience similar to one you’d get at a hostel, Walker said.
“We try to, with our programming, encourage interaction among travelers,” he said. “With hostels, or these communal hotels, you’re there to meet people. You’re there to meet the backpackers from Europe or Australia who are staying there. That really resonates with the millennial traveler today.”
Walker said that he and his team, which includes California-based hospitality group The h.wood Group, opened the first Found hotel in Chicago in September and plan to debut six more in the U.S. by the end of 2020.
Nightly rates at the Boston hotel start at $39.
