Honest Hotel Reviews: Towneplace Suites, Framingham, MA

On my recent baseball road trip, I decided to use this hotel to stay over in this part of New England for a couple of nights as it would be a long drive back home. It was positioned nicely on a state highway, and very close to the Massachusetts Turnpike, and had great reviews on Google. I did notice on Google when researching that three different hotels pointed to this one location, perhaps it was a previous hotel?

I arrived to find that this was a tri-branded hotel: Sheraton, Fairfield Inn and Suites and TownePlace Suites. The hotel has a medieval look and design for half of the hotel and a modern hotel for the other half. A bit bizarre. The outside has this same medieval look, but the inside lobby is about as modern as it gets.

I stayed on the TownePlace Suites side, which is clearly either new or refurbished. It has a modern, clean design. The rooms are grey and lack any major décor but makes up for it in comfort with a nice large king bed, and a sofa bed. Floors are laminate wood floors as opposed to carpet, which is a HUGE plus as these are clean rooms.

Bar and restaurant is attached on the Sheraton side, which is like walking back in time to a more run down hotel. I have never been a fan of Sheraton hotels as they are mostly older hotels who have not renovated, innovated or reinvented themselves since the Marriott merger, and this is no exception. While it appears clean, it also appears old and needs a modern facelift. To be fair, it looks like they are still under construction.

I sat down to have a glass or two of wine and there’s nothing more irritating than having the bill slipped in as you’re starting to sip. The bartender wasn’t rude about it, was actually very casual about it, so I don’t fault her. It’s just a dumb policy.

The breakfast buffet features a mix of the usual stuff: breads, fresh fruit, yogurt, eggs (both scrambled and hard boiled), proteins like sausage or bacon, pancakes, waffle maker and cereal. It is a bit of a cramped space so try to find time when it’s not too busy. The breakfast was....fine. Eggs are decent but the sausage was dry. I tried to get a photo, but I didn't want to intrude on anyone else.

The fitness center is very nice. Filtered water station, along with cups for water and lots of fresh towels. There’s plenty of elliptical machines, treadmills, weights and a stationary bike available for use. Definitely a highlight of the hotel.

The amenities beyond that are quite lacking. Not an ice machine AT ALL on the property, and I searched far and wide. Not even the ability to make ice in your room. No outdoor area or fire pit, no pool from what I can tell. This might be a work in progress hotel and while it is nicely designed, having these amenities on the property is key.

Overall grade: B-