Saturday, April 27, 2024

Omni Parker House Boston, Massachusetts Hotels

omni parker house

I’m happy to report I had no experiences with ghosts at the Omni Parker, so I can’t add any more to the already rich lore of this historic Boston hotel. My room was on the small side, like those you find in any downtown city unless you’re ready to spend a fortune, but I had everything I needed and was perfectly comfortable. As one of Boston’s historic cornerstones, Omni Parker House displays a character as storied and unique as the town itself. With classic style, modern amenities and personalized service, we offer one of the finest experiences in the country for leisure and business travelers alike. If available, multiple free night certificates may be used for a single stay, however each certificate must be booked separately.

Restaurant in Room

The addition was designed by architect Gridley James Fox Bryant and featured a marble-facade, a pavilion roof, and an iron balustrade. Sometime in the 1870s, the now famous Parker House rolls were invented. Coincidentally, John Wilkes Booth also stayed at the hotel in the 1860s.

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Parker and Hunt’s fabulous new hotel debuted in 1855 as the “Parker House.” Architect William Washburn designed the building’s beautiful exterior, using Italianate-style architecture as the source for his inspiration. Harvey D. Parker soon became its sole owner and proprietor, eager to make the hotel one of the nation’s most exclusive getaways. He did not have to wait long, as many of the world’s leading figures quickly flocked to the hotel. Among the most prominent individuals to visit frequently were the members of the Saturday Club.

Historic Omni Parker House

With its grandiose legacy, opulent gilded lobby, and uniformed valets and porters waiting to greet guests, the Omni Parker House projects an image of Old World luxury and white-glove treatment. But the first word in the hotel's title sums up what you can expect once you've checked in. The Omni chain provides decent, but by no means extraordinary, service, and sometimes a lack of professionalism mars the hotel's luxe veneer. In general, service is about what you'd expect from a mid-tier chain hotel -- perfectly fine, but not overly impressive. During the early part of the 20th century, a number of now famous political leaders and activists worked in the hotel’s historic restaurant. The rolls became so popular that through the 19th and 20th century, they were packaged and shipped from the kitchen to hotels, restaurants and stores across the country.

An impressive history and a grand lobby elevate an otherwise standard property to mythic status

You, too, can stay overnight at the Omni Parker House, though it doesn’t run cheap. The most affordable time to stay is during the dead of winter, because only us fools go to Boston in February. Malcolm X didn’t stay in the Omni Parker House to my knowledge, but he still has a literary connection to the hotel. Among the Saturday Club writers were Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Henry James. These famous American writers were regular members of the Saturday Club, but they would also host guests from time to time.

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Malcolm X, the African American activist, worked as a waiter in the hotel's restaurant. JFK gave his first public speech in the hotel's Press Room, announced his bid for the U.S. Senate here, and even proposed to Jacqueline Bouvier in Parker's Restaurant. Mention the name “Omni Parker House,” and a century and a half of rich and varied history comes to mind. Founded by Harvey D. Parker in 1855, the Omni Parker House is the oldest of Boston’s elegant inns and the longest continuously operating hotel in the United States. It was here where the brightest lights of America’s Golden Age of Literature—writers like Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Longfellow— regularly met for conversation and conviviality in the legendary nineteenth-century Saturday Club.

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Executive Chef Gerry Tice is a master at creating a feast for your senses. All diets are off with Boston cream pie and the Parker House rolls on the menu. Our Boston restaurants are the perfect place to refuel after visiting the city’s many attractions during your Boston getaway. The restaurant has been part of the culinary scene since the late 1800s and helpe launch the careers of Emeril Lagasse, Lydia Shire, and Jasper White. The restaurant is also the birthplace of the Boston Cream Pie and Parker House rolls.

omni parker house

On this property, which adjoined the rear of his hotel buildings, he built a third hotel extension, closely modeled on the School Street annex, with bay windows and a steep mansard roof. Opened in October 1855 by Henry D. Parker, the Parker House is the longest continuously operating hotel in the United States and is located in historic downtown Boston on the Freedom Trail. The hotel was home to the Saturday Night Club including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson, James Russell Lowell, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. and John Greenleaf Whittier.

Omni Parker House is located in the heart of Downtown Boston, putting guests in the center of the city. The hotel's physical address is 60 School Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108. Our hotel is located in downtown Boston, MA and surrounds guests with endless things to see and do. At Omni Hotels and Resorts we strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for current and future Omni family members. If you need accommodations or assistance to apply for a posted position, please send an email to We aspire to bring a sense of adventure and enrichment to your every day through culinary innovations, one-of-a-kind events, distinctive programs and engaging activities.

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In the Omni Parker Hotel mezzanine, you can also see Charles Dickens’ hotel mirror, in front of which he supposedly practiced his famous dramatic readings of his works. The Parker House was originally designed in an Italianate-style, but under the ownership of J. The updated design of the Parker House Hotel was in the classical style, and it retains this style to date. John F. Kennedy announced his congressional campaign here in 1946 and also proposed to Jaquie at Table 40. More ominously, John Wilkes Booth stayed at the Parker House for eight days before assassinating President Lincoln at the nearby Ford’s Theater. The Omni Parker first opened in 1855, the dream-come-true for a farm boy from Maine seeking his fortune in the big city.

Before joining IT&T, he was the Resident Manager of the Americana Hotel (1842 Rooms), General Manager of the Drake Hotel (680 Rooms) and General Manager of the Summit Hotel (762 Rooms), all in New York City. He serves as a Friend of the Tisch Center and lectures at the NYU Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism. He is certified as a Master Hotel Supplier Emeritus by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

Charles Dickens lived at the Parker House for two years and gave his first public reading of "A Christmas Carol" at the Saturday Night Club. The hotel’s ascent as a preeminent holiday destination continued unabated for many years, even after Harvey D. Parker passed away in 1884. By the mid-1920s, Whipple finally had enough capital to buy the hotel from Harvey D. Parker’s estate.

From New England the Dunfeys expanded their interests into New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Illinois, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas and California. The success of the Parker House led Harvey Parker to begin a program of improvement and enlargement. He acquired the adjoining Horticultural Hall in 1860, demolished it, and in its place built a six-story addition to the hotel. Stepped forward of the old marble facade, the new building was faced with bay windows and topped with a stylish mansard roof. Three years later Parker acquired the land behind the new wing and again expanded the hotel. In 1866, he bought a narrow lot at 66 Tremont Street, a few doors from the corner of School Street.

Up to 30% savings to honor the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Preservation Month. Most of these books can be ordered from AuthorHouse—(except Heroes of the American Reconstruction, which can be ordered from McFarland)—by visiting , or by clicking on the book’s title. He operates his hotel consulting practice serving as an expert witness in hotel-related cases and providing asset management an and hotel franchising consultation. Prior to forming his hotel consulting firm, Turkel was the Product Line Manager for worldwide Hotel/Motel Operations at the International Telephone & Telegraph Co. overseeing the Sheraton Corporation of America.

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