Boise hotels

Home2Suites by Hilton Boise Downtown is one of the best hotels in Boise for families looking for a convenient combination of fun and affordability without sacrificing comfort or familiarity. The large rooms of Home2 Suites come in a variety of categories to accommodate any size family with increasing square footage and sleeping capacity, including beds and sleeper sofas. Suites typically come with separate rooms, but even smaller room categories here include privacy curtains for creating separate activity and sleeping spaces.

Especially great for keeping younger family members happy and comfortable, rooms are accented with bright colours, and include kitchenettes perfect for stocking with snacks and drinks. Most impressive here, I love that the pool is not only indoors for entertainment year-round, but includes a children’s area complete with a whale fountain, a water wall and even a waterslide. It’s directly connected to the adult pool so the whole family can play together.

The Avery is Boise’s only historic boutique hotel, reinvigorating a glamorous property from yesteryear that sat partly vacant for decades. What opened as a hotel in 1910 eventually became the Northwest’s largest moving picture theatre, a boxing venue, a department store and a nightclub before its recent return to an elegant Main Street hotel.

I adore the old-world sophistication you find in the rooms here, from beautifully tiled bathrooms to luxury linens and furniture that seamlessly blends history with contemporary style. Spring for a balcony suite for French door access to your own personal city and mountain views.

I also love the European influence of The Avery’s pair of upscale drink and dining venues, Avery and Tiner’s Alley. The former offers chic French dining and the latter serves elevated British classics. This is hands down one of the best hotels in Boise for a glam getaway.

You’ll never run out of things to see and do with a reservation at the Inn at 500 Capitol. This six-floor boutique hotel in Downtown Boise is packed with eye-catching moments at every turn. More than half the 110 rooms are themed—many of them locally, ranging from the Farmer’s Market Room to the Boise Art Museum Room—but not at the sacrifice of taste or comfort.

This is an upscale stay with amenities to match, including complimentary snacks at the front desk, free cruiser bike rentals and—my favourite—a complimentary wine hour each evening.

But this is also one of the best hotels in Boise for getting to know the city, thanks to the self-guided art tours it provides and the fun scavenger hunt that explores both the hotel and the surrounding city. If you’re looking for something more specific, ask the concierge to arrange a unique Boise adventure.

If you love Boise as much as Boise loves Boise, Hotel 43 is the place for you. The name alone should clue you in to this hotel’s love of all things local—Idaho is the 43rd state and Boise sits on the 43rd parallel.

But my favourite touches are the less obvious details, like the headboards made by local artisans and the abundance of local products in Market 43, the lobby gift shop and market.

While many of the city’s hotels offer free bike loans, including this one, Hotel 43 also gives out free passes to the Boise Art Museum to instantly immerse you in the city’s culture, making it one of the best hotels in Boise for embracing local life (you’ll need to ask for these at the front desk). Other fun freebies here include airport shuttle service and locally baked muffins in the mornings.

The Riverside Hotel is one of the best hotels in Boise for group travel. It’s not only the largest hotel in the region, but it also contains 1800 square metres of meeting space for conventions and other events of nearly any size.

While you’re never far from the water in this city, The Riverside is directly on the Boise River, with 56,000 square metres of resort-style amenities on offer to keep any group entertained.

Seasonally, the large outdoor pool remains open late and often hosts lively events (it’s always heated to a comfortable 29ºC). The outdoor fire pits are great meeting points with colleagues, family or new friends and there’s daily live music at The Sandbar, the riverfront bar and grill. But my favourite thing to do here is pay a visit to the on-site winery, complete with tastings and tours.

For views that can’t be beat, The Grove Hotel tops the list of the best hotels in Boise. At 14 storeys, The Grove is the tallest hotel in Boise, with large windows that offer sweeping views of the Boise Foothills and the downtown cityscape. Even the fitness centre here is known for its fabulous views (though note this one isn’t open 24 hours, like many other hotels).

Still, what I love most about The Grove is its proximity to Grove Plaza. This community gathering point hosts festivals, markets, concerts and more, offering year-round entertainment that’s usually free. The ice skating is free in winter—the skate rentals too.

Trillium, the upscale on-site American restaurant, serves entrees ranging from Cajun shrimp mac and cheese to filet mignon, but it’s not too stuffy to have a sandwich section on its dinner menu.

In the 1960s, this was a classic roadside motel offering cheap stays for weary travellers looking for a place to sleep and a cup of coffee in the morning. Today, the radically renovated space is home to a boutique hotel that is, as the name suggests, thoroughly modern.

The guestrooms are bright and airy, and everyone who stays here agrees how comfortable the beds are. But my favourite space has to be the lively communal courtyard. The exteriors are as inviting as the interior, with vine-covered railings acting as trellises and local art making the courtyard a chic space to hang and meet new friends.

Modern Bar serves a seasonal craft cocktail menu complemented by a seasonal dinner menu, with selections like Hamachi crudo, crispy cauliflower, coq au vin and steak frites. This is one of the best hotels in Boise for low-stress, high-reward travel.

While The Anniversary Inn is sometimes billed as a bed and breakfast, this isn’t your typical B&B. All of the 41 suites at this boutique hotel are uniquely themed. Expect to find surprises like floor-to-ceiling elephants, log cabins, gazebos and spiral staircases leading to turrets inside the suites. As the name might suggest, many of the rooms are romantic in nature, making this one of the best hotels in Boise for couples.

While children aren’t allowed, there’s plenty of room for kids at heart with adventure-themed suites. Two of my favourites are Treasure Island and Swiss Family Robinson, featuring a pirate ship and in-room tree house respectively. No matter which suite you choose, you’ll be living in some form of a fairy tale for the duration of your stay. Complimentary breakfast is delivered to your suite each morning.

For quick trips in and out of the capital, Hotel 28 is one of the best hotels in Boise near the airport. Thanks to the quaint size of this city, Hotel 28 is just five minutes from the airport and still only 10 minutes from downtown, so you won’t be far from the action like you might be at an airport hotel in a larger city.

Here you can expect the usual airport hotel conveniences like a free shuttle, 24-hour reception and complimentary hot breakfast, along with business facilities and clean, comfortable (though fairly standard) rooms.

What I appreciate most about Hotel 28 Boise Airport is that, even though it’s an airport hotel, it offers opportunities for communal entertainment including an outdoor swimming pool and a pergola-covered fire pit lounge perfect for viewing Boise’s colourful sunsets.

For families or business travellers wanting a little extra space without springing for suites at luxury hotels, Hyatt Place is one of the top-rated hotels in Boise. Hyatt Place Boise Downtown is centrally located and offers extra seating and work areas in each room category, plus additional spaces like partial kitchens, dining areas and full living rooms if you upgrade to suites.

What’s more, the sofas in all categories are sleepers—ideal for kids who still need space to spread out during the day.

The free breakfast buffet is offered daily, and The Placery serves familiar foods from late afternoon through 11 pm, ideal for groups of travellers with different tastes or needs. There’s a 24-hour espresso bar here too, but my favourite public space is the business centre, with its multiple nooks with comfortable furniture and work surfaces for mini meetings or emails.