Irving House at Harvard

I really enjoyed my one night stay. I found the price reasonable for the area. The location is excellent. Everything is clean. Really nice complimentary breakfast. Snacks available ²⁴⁄₇. After I checked out, they allowed me to leave luggage in an unsecured area in the lobby. The wifi was free and decent speed. I got food delivered and front desk called me down. I loved the ambience and I will definitely stay here again.
There is no elevator, so I got a workout going up and down to the 3^rd floor with luggage. This wasn’t a problem for me personally, though the stairs can be narrow. You CAN request a lower floor of needed. The place only has maybe 15 rooms, give or take.
Others had complaints about heating/​cooling issues. It IS an old house, so it’s not central climate controlled. But there was a space heater in my room that I used for about an hour before bed. It was no problem and it WAS December in New England.
My only two complaints that brought my rating from a 5 to a 4 are:
First, I wish there was a SECURE luggage holding area (even if that means paying a $ 5 fee for the day);
…and second, the night that I stayed, the other guests were VERY loud from 10pm-​2am. I wish the hotel had addressed them. To be fair, I didn’t take any action to alert the staff, but I would have thought they could just HEAR the ruckus without my intervention.

I booked a room here since I was returning to campus for a conference. The branding on the website and cheerful photos contradict the experience. The place is no frills and verges on depressing if you’re not prepared. Basic boarding is no big deal if you’re looking for a value, but the prices were similar to conventional hotels so I was not entirely prepared for the experience. If you’re looking for a conventional hotel, I would try shopping around first.
The staff in general were helpful and nice, but there was a mix in quality. An older man working the desk was off-​standish and a little rude. I just avoided him and everything was great.
The WIFI didn’t work or was unusable. If you have to do business work to do, beware and plan ahead.
The dining area for breakfast was sweltering and had a bit of a bleak dorm feel to it, but the food was good and the dining staff were sweet.
The room kind of felt like staying in your aunt’s guest room, complete with rando books. But it was comfortable. However, the walls were super thin, so your comfort will depend on the draw of your neighbors.
If I could sum the place up it would be «meh.» It is not worth the price; and it is not a charming, quaint bed and breakfast. Shop around first before booking a room, or prepare yourself beforehand about what you are paying for.

For starters, let me say that I’ve stayed at Irving House probably 20 times over the last five years and spent between $ 5,000 to $ 7,000 here. This visit is at Harvard Commencement and as such I paid twice the normal summer rate.
In the past I have been willing to overlook some of the hotel’s shortcoming, but not anymore. When I visited in the past two polar vortex winters the rooms were uncomfortably cold. This stay has been uncomfortably hot. Clearly the management has instructed the night clerks not to cool the rooms; one can only conclude it is to save money. When I called down and asked to have the AC in my room turned on I was told it would affect every room on the floor and there had been complaints about the cold. I awoke last night at 2am with a pillow soaked with sweat so if you stay here and the bedding smells a little funky, it might be my sweat glands.
As another poster noted you have no access to the thermostat. The air conditioning is controlled by the front desk and given that cold air sinks, the ground floor — where the staff sits — is quite comfy. I, however, am on the top floor, just under the roof. (If you need some additional so guidance, please see Basil’s review on ⁵⁄₁₇. He speaks the truth about the heat.)
While I generally like to buy «local» this management is making an effective argument for staying at the larger, chain hotels. I may be back, but if so it’s only because there were no other options.

If you’re looking for a sleek, modern room with a private bathroom, book a hotel. If you’re looking to save some money, and get a good sleep in a private room, give this place a try. I really felt at home here, and thoroughly enjoyed my stay.
I was pleasantly surprised by the charm, the food, and the little extras (books that you can keep if you find one you like!) that were offered at this B&B. The staff are young, friendly, and accommodating. I had booked for two nights, and cancelled the second night, which resulted in my entire booking being lost. It was sorted out quickly when I arrived.
The breakfast had many, many options for even the pickiest of eaters, and they have drinks and snacks in the breakfast room all evening long. I had a private single room with a shared bathroom. I didn’t notice much noise, even though the place was nearly booked up. There were multiple shared bathrooms, so waiting to shower wasn’t an issue.

Well. it’s a bed and breakfast which is not really my thing. it’s a crowded old building with paper thin walls and not wheelchair friendly. At least the rooms are clean and the bathroom counters looked renovated. The breakfast was wide in variety but ehh. It is expensive for what it is but I suppose the location causes it to be expensive to up keep. Staff is average and fine. only some rooms have their own bathroom. stay here only if you are a b&b fanatic or you need the cheapest place close to harvard.
NOTE — when two different cab companies entered the address in gps they couldn’t find the place. it’s not easy to find.

This place was just terrible. Do yourself a favor and check in to the Embassy Suites. I stayed here for 2 nights last weekend. The walls are paper thin and I had to request a different room when the person next to me was snoring as loud as a bear at 11:30 PM. I am not exaggerating. The front desk was fairly rude about this and even told me at first that I would have to pay an additional fee for a different room. I did not stand for this so he got the manager on the phone and informed him of my complaint. He then made fun of me right in front of me and said «yeah this is the first time I’ve heard THAT one too.» Talking about my «excuse» for wanting a different room. I think it is very rude to make fun of me when I am just voicing a complaint I have with the service I am paying for. All I wanted was a bed and some quiet. I did not want to move rooms. I had already unpacked everything and just wanted some peace and quiet. But eventually I did get to move rooms. Only they moved me up one floor RIGHT above the person I was trying to move away from. I could still hear him snoring unbearably loud, but it was muffled at least on the next floor and not right beside me. I didn’t see the point in complaining again as they had been most unhelpful and rude before. And since it was muffled, I was able to at least fall asleep and only wake up a few times.
As for everything else, the pictures really fool you. It looks like a quaint lovely place, but it is run down. I was more expecting a lovely old couple that baked and kept the inn, but it is just run by a bunch of different fairly young employees that don’t give a crap about you.
The «snacks» and «breakfast» tasted terrible as well. The cakes and cookies tasted store bought and there was nothing special about any of the food. Also, they state that they serve from certain hours, but this is not true. They put the snacks and drinks out and when it runs out, it runs out. They don’t bother to refill the snacks or the drinks even if there are hours left before serving time is over.
They bragged about having books «all over the place,» but really there are only a few parts of the house that have a few books and it is a very limited selection.
The towels are scratchy and the shampoo smells like dog shampoo. Everything about this place is cheap. I even needed to iron my suit and they handed me a broken ironing board that wouldn’t stay up and an iron that was broken too as it soaked my entire suit. Also, they are FOREVER vacuuming. That’s all I heard the entire time I was there. Seriously, don’t vacuum every second of the day. People want peace and quiet at a bed and breakfast. Not to listen to the whine of a vacuum throughout the day. Just have certain set times for vacuuming so you don’t bother everyone during all hours of the day.
Do yourself a favor and just pay the extra 40 dollars to stay at a nice commercialized hotel. My flight out of Boston ended up getting cancelled because of the snow and I had to stay an extra night. Rather than staying there another horrible night, I checked myself out and went straight to the Embassy Suites near the airport which had wonderful service and the comfort and quiet I wanted. I should’ve just stayed there to begin with. Next time I go to Boston, I will just do that rather than face another night in a shoddy «bed and breakfast.»
I guess the only thing you can say that’s good about this place is that is within walking distance to Harvard. But there are other better hotels in the area that have that same convenience, so again, book your stay somewhere else.

I don’t particularly care if a place is a bed and breakfast. It offered a bed and the staff was super friendly. Its situated in a nice area and is cheaper than other hotels nearby. It has free wifi. If you are opposed to communal bathrooms or small rooms then this isn’t the place for you.

We were looking for a hotel close to a family member’s house and found Irving House. I booked us a queen bed w/​private bath. The room itself was on the older side but was kept very neat and nice. The bed was comfortable especially after a red eye flight. It can get loud at times (outside and guests walking up and down the stairs) but for the price and location, it worked well for us. I would most definitely return if we ever decide to come back for a visit. Next time we will try the breakfast!

Decent bed and breakfast-​ish place near the university. Lacks some charm but if you’re on a budget this place works quite well. Single rooms with private bathrooms. Clean and quiet. Big downside here is the parking. If you have a truck or large SUV you will have a hard time fitting into their parking lot.

While the area is charming, there is absolutely NO parking. My car was hit in the parking lot. Rachael, the manager told me to get an estimate and assured me damages would be paid for. I went through the trouble of doing so only for her to tell me the most she could do was refund my room. She also told me that I have an attitude problem and her staff was completely rude. I should have filed a police report, but I took Rachael’s word as she seemed very assuring. Something shady about this place. Never again.

Harvard booked my room, so I don’t know how easy it is to get reservations. I was expecting something a little nicer, but this place was perfectly serviceable. My big complaint is that the walls are REALLY THIN. The guy next door to me had a nasty cold, and I woke up feeling like he was coughing directly into my ear. But the people were nice, and the breakfast was much more extensive than I expected. It’s a self-​serve kind of breakfast, but with tons of options. I probably wouldn’t stay here again, but it was perfectly fine for a night. Simple, clean.

I stayed here last night with my boyfriend because we were seeing a show in Harvard Square and we didn’t want to drive all the way back to Rhode Island in a snowstorm. He booked the room for us at the last minute because it was one of the least expensive options in the area and it was walking distance from Harvard Square.
We LOVED it! It was a great deal. The room was teeny but nice. We got a room on the 3^rd floor with a queen bed and a private bath. The small room was perfect for us — we didn’t need space to do cartwheels, just a place to hang out and sleep! It was a cozy place to crash for the night, everything was clean and smelled good, and it only took us 10 minutes to walk back to our room through the blizzard when we were done with our evening.
Free parking in the back of the building is a huge perk, since parking in Harvard Square is difficult and expensive. It’s a small space and would have been difficult with a large car, but for a medium or small-​sized car it is perfect.
Can’t comment on the food since we chose to go up to Johnny D’s in Somerville for Sunday brunch. It looked like they had snacks and tea available all the time, though. Our ONLY complaint is that our room was super warm and we couldn’t find any way to turn the heat down. But in the middle of winter, I’d rather be warm than cold, so this wasn’t a big complaint!
Had a great weekend and would totally stay here again!

The Irving House has an excellent service that is unmatched in the northeast. With friendly employees providing awesome care and services, the Irving House will remain a traditional institution in our community in the center of Cambridge.

This place is kind of a bed and breakfast. The breakfast was a step up from a continental though. Lots of things to choose from (muffins, cereals, fruit), but nothing gourmet. The rooms were neat and clean. They are all in one big house though, so you could hear other people moving about. I didn’t mind it, but I can also see how it would be frustrating in situations. The staff was very nice and I thought the prices were reasonable. Restaurants and square are walkable, but a little on the less side when there is inclement weather as we discovered coming back from dinner in the pouring rain. We ended taking a cab.

This is a quiet, clean, attractive, friendly, and very well located bnb in the heart of Cambridge. Plus, they earned my great gratitude when, after I returned to California, I realized that I had left my prescription sunglasses at their hotel. I called them, they found the glasses, packaged them up, and mailed them to me express mail the next day… very friendly and helpful!

I stayed at this B&B for a three-​day business trip. First, let me say that my room was nice. I had a queen with bathroom, and the room was fairly spacious, nicely if modestly decorated, with a desk, chair and full bathroom. The bed was comfortable and good for sleeping.
The challenge during my stay was dealing with the hallway noise. This is a busy B&B (really it’s an inn), and the hallways are small and the room doors close together. I had a family staying next door that was constantly opening and closing their door and talking in the hallway. It was distracting.
Breakfast was simple and a few steps above a typical continental breakfast. However, the breakfast did not change at all during my stay. Overall, the breakfast was not in the same ranking as the splendid B&B breakfasts I’ve had elsewhere. I decided on my final day to forego the continental breakfast and grab breakfast down the street.
Overall, this is a cute place to stay overnight on a tight budget. However, I would not recommend it for a longer term stay.

for the overpriced island that is cambridge, paying $ 125 for a room without a bathroom was, sadly, a good deal. but local prices are not irving’s fault, and i was very pleased with my stay.
the public bathrooms of which there are several on each floor were impeccable, all the time. they were also empty, always, in my case.
there’s a kitchen, a fridge for guests’ use, and free snacks through the day. it’s really a homey, neat atmosphere! some ppl stay here long term ~ one woman was roaming the floors in her night gown at random times, or maybe it was a ghost. be warned.
why not 4 stars? my room smelled like death a little. oh well.

Overall, a three-​star rating from us. We stayed for four nights in the middle of the summer. The stifling heat in the basement breakfast area was difficult to bear for long. Our room (207) was very clean, spacious, and met our needs — a comfortable bed, nice desk, sitting area, and clean bathroom. The breakfast part is where I had an issue — to me, a B&B is more of a house where you are served breakfast, not a continental buffet breakfast. I can get that at Hampton or Courtyard, and much better selection, with a little more confidence that the food is safe. I was also a little off-​put about the «environmental responsible-​ness» of the facility. I get it, you want to save the earth, but I do not want or appreciate being bombarded with social consciousness at every turn. The front-​desk staff was capable, but not overly friendly, and the breakfast staff even less so. In fact, I thought the upstairs housekeepers were the most friendly and outgoing employees in the whole place. Maybe they should switch positions with the front-​desk staff. The WiFi is very slow, but free; one would think that internet this close to Harvard would be exceptional, but that’s not the case. There is no paid WiFi option that I’m aware of.
If you want a clean, simple, breakfast-​included room close to Harvard, this will do the trick, but I think the B&B description is a little deceptive.

Sweet and warm~~nice hosts~~

I’m not a B&B conoisseur– in fact I don’t care for them much as I always feel like I’m intruding. I just needed a relatively inexpensive place to stay near Harvard while I met up with some friends for the Christmas Revels, and with a very nice deal ($ 70) for a wintertime single room, Irving House was the place. As a fairly large place (4 floors– as the website warns, no elevator) Irving House feels like a cross between a b&b and a hotel. Clean, comfortable, friendly; free wireless and a nice cushy bed. That’s all I can really ask.
The temperature was set at a constant 70 degrees, which was pretty warm in my room, but bearable. The owner encourages you to take books from the shelves with you, and I did.
I was meeting a friend for breakfast, so I didn’t sample the continental breakfast here.
I’d gladly stay here again if I could get a similarly nice rate.