Thank you for the very frank and thorough review. I see that you stayed with us back in May, so I would like to respectfully point out that at the time of publishing, the review is already out of date. I will first provide some updates and make some corrections and then provide some additional information which may help future guests better understand the property, including how well maintained 100% wool carpeting provides an entirely different ambience then that from the much more common man made products.
• Rates are as shown on the website and are currently all lower than the $317 quoted in the review. There are no hidden fees or taxes.
• Garage parking is available for $20 per night on the property. Spaces are limited, so contact us before reserving a room if you need to know parking availability before booking. Anyone who knows Boston is aware that parking is a precious commodity. I am not aware that any other South End guest house has garage parking on the premises, but if our parking is full or if you book at another guest house, the Dartmouth Street garage is a very reasonable alternative. It is at 126 Dartmouth Street (1/2 mile from the house) and is open 24 hours. They currently charge $35 per night.
• The building is historically intact and does not have an elevator, so stairs are required. The guestrooms and kitchenette, however, are up one flight of stairs less than described in the review.
• Regarding the interior storms on the bay window: In room 2, two of the three windows have interior storm windows which cannot be opened. The third window in room 2, and all of the other windows in all of the other guest rooms can be opened. The house has a curved "bow-front" and two of the windows in room 2 are on the curved or bowed portion. They have interior storms since exterior storm windows would degrade the appearance of the original curved sashes with flat historic glass as seen from the street. The storms are framed Plexiglas. Finding interior storm windows which conform to a curve was one of the many challenges of the renovation. These interior storm windows have never previously been mentioned to me, perhaps because there is a state-of-the-art heating and cooling system in each room.
Although the house is quite historically intact, the guest rooms and bathrooms were updated in the last couple of years to be competitive with luxury hotels in the area. Most of the feedback received to date would indicate that this has been successful.
If anyone is interested enough to still be reading, I would like to take this opportunity to point out that the carpets in the main hall are custom made Wilton wool based on original carpets from the period in which the house was built. These houses were designed to have wall to wall carpeting which was quite popular in the 1800s. I had the carpets custom manufactured to my color palate based on carpeting which I saw in the Gibson House Museum in Boston. I don't know if this carpet would be considered reproduction since it was made by the same method and in the same factory in England which made the historic Gibson House carpet about 150 years ago. They are still manufactured in 36" width strips which are hand-sewn in place and you can see the subtle seams if you look closely. The long seams remind me of the nylon stockings which women wore in the 1920s. I think the carpeting is very important to give the house it's original feel and texture. These carpets are cleaned frequently as you would expect such valuable carpeting to be maintained. I suspect that leather would smell funny if you are used to the smell of vinyl, and I suppose that wool has a very subtle smell if you are used to the much more common polyester.
In the 20 years that I have had the fortune to live in this amazing building as a single-family home, I have never adjusted to walking in the front door after a busy day as a physician and seeing all of the beautiful detail including the high doorways, cut glass, acid-etched glass, chandeliers, marble, plaster detail... When the house was on the annual South End Historical Society house tours, I enjoyed seeing the jaws drop of enthusiasts of architecture and history when I gave them a tour. The intact single family residences on Union Park are now attainable to well under 1% of the population, and are not generally accessible to the public. I felt like this treasure was too much to keep to myself. My hope is that others will get the same feeling as I do when they walk in the door, and I hope they can imagine that they are walking into their own home. As such, there is no front desk. The scale of the house offers considerable privacy, however, if you have a question or need help it is just a text or phone call away.
Finally, I would like to thank the reviewer and everyone else who has taken the time to review the property. It is the reviews and responses that allow us to forge ahead in the internet age and in the new "sharing economy". As time goes on my goal is to better record many more of the amazing features of my property. I would love to write a book or spend more time giving house tours. I will work on that, but for now I will focus on providing a comfortable and special place to stay for visitors to Boston.
Safe travels,
Joe Todaro
Owner