Guide to Meeting & Event Planning in

Massachusetts

Learn why you should host your next meeting, event or conference in Massachusetts.

Why Massachusetts for Your Next Meeting or Event?

Hotel options in the state run the gamut from luxury city properties and new high-end casinos to rustic mountain retreats and oceanside resorts.

Venue Additions & Renovations

This historic city is welcoming a new wave of hotels. One of the country's most storied cities, Boston continues to grow and change, as exemplified by its evolving hospitality scene. 

Notable Meeting Space

The 1,055-room Omni Boston Seaport Hotel is a new addition in town, just one block from the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The $550 million property is the city's fourth largest and the biggest in Omni Hotels and Resorts' portfolio. Its 100,000 square feet of meeting space will include the largest hotel ballroom in the Seaport District. Among the amenities are a Mokara Spa, an all-day restaurant, a lobby lounge, an entertainment lounge, and a French brasserie and boulangerie. An urban rooftop pool deck on the fourth floor has space for year-round events with views of Boston's skyline. 

Pure Indulgence

The luxury Raffles brand made its first foray into the North American market with a new city property. The Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences, which opened in September 2023, features 147 guest rooms and 146 residences, joining a very exclusive collection of just 12 hotels around the world. Other highlights include a two-story lobby high above Copley Square, five food-and-beverage venues, a state-of-the-art Raffles Spa with an indoor pool, and a rooftop garden terrace and lounge. The meeting space has yet to be defined.

North of Town

An Autograph Collection by Marriott property has debuted in Somerville, Mass. The 158-room Row Hotel at Assembly Row, featuring 6,192 square feet of meeting space, is part of a multi-use development of shops, fitness facilities, entertainment venues, residences and eateries. Floor-to-ceiling windows open up the lobby, which is marked by a spiral glass-and-metal staircase and decorated with glassworks by artist Feliciano Bejar. Reflections, the lobby lounge and café, is the hotel's all-day restaurant.

VIP Welfare
Wellness and luxury abide at the 126-room Canyon Ranch in Lenox. The resort's meeting space can host up to 50 people, but the real draw here is the full slate of programs that focus on health. Start the day with yoga, end it with New England Clam chowder and throw in a digital detox (ditch your cellphone) midway for total relaxation.

More Event Venues

Group properties include the 325-room Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel, 265-room Tower Square Hotel Springfield, 250-room MGM Springfield and 88-room Residence Inn by Marriott. 

The mecca for dining out and having a blast in Springfield is Theodore's Booze, Blues & BBQ, an atmospheric club that's been operating in the city for 39 years. Live acts from national bands to open-mic events entertain Tuesday through Saturday nights. On the menu, hickory-smoked meats are the draw, with choices like pulled pork, beef brisket, Texas sausage, chicken wings and more.

Groups in town in September arrive just in time for the area's flamboyantly fun state fair, the Big E. All the favorites are there: parades, animals, concerts, rides, a farmers market and wine barn, a butter sculpture and giant corn dogs.

Transportation in & Around the Area

Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn., about 18 miles from downtown Springfield. Transfer cost by taxi, $52; via Lyft and Uber, starting at $26

Best Places to Visit in Massachusetts

Massachusetts offers a variety of historic and natural sites to capture your interest.

2024 Stella Award Winners

2023 Stella Award Winners

2022 Stella Award Winners

       

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