In Boston, a number of significant event and meeting venues opened this year. Here's our picks for the best restaurants, party rooms, hotels, corporate event venues, conference centers, private rooms, and cultural spaces that debuted in 2018. These new and renovated Boston venues serve groups of all sizes for private and corporate events, business dinners, cocktail parties, conferences, weddings, and more.
Located in the recently opened Kimpton Nine Zero Hotel, Better Sorts Social Club is a glamorous hideaway that opened in October. The 2,017-square-foot venue, which features black walnut wood walls, custom European oak flooring, and moody dark green accents, features a 14-seat bar and 62-seat lounge. There's also the intimate Gardner Room, a 204-square-foot private space, which can accommodate eight seated guests or 15 cocktail-style. The Gardner Room is equipped with two flat screen LED televisions and has full audiovisual capabilities.
Among the first components of Kimpton Nine Zero’s $10-million renovation is the hotel's new meeting and private event space, which debuted in February. Spanning 2,400 square feet and three rooms—dubbed Reflect, Create, and Imagine—the spaces can hold events for as many as 150 for receptions or 100 for seated events. Two of the rooms can connect for one larger space. Furnishings include bronze baseboards, custom furniture, and Timothy Oulton console tables.
With 34,000 square feet of meeting and event space, MGM Springfield opened in August, 80 miles west of Boston. Its ballrooms, meeting rooms, and boardrooms sit adjacent to a 6,200-square-foot outdoor terrace, which provides ample natural light to pre-function areas. Spaces include the 10,600-square-foot Aria Ballroom, which accommodates 1,052 guests for a reception or 432 for a classroom-style event, and the 5,600-square-foot Bellagio Ballroom with room for 554 guests reception-style or 360 for a banquet. The resort complex includes a 250-room hotel and dining options, including Cal Mare from chefs Michael Mina and Adam Sobel, a 125,000-square-foot casino, and a Topgolf Swing Suite. The nearby MassMutual Center, operated by MGM Springfield, offers an 8,000-seat venue and 100,000 square feet of large-scale event space.
In June, Mohegan Sun opened its $80-million Earth Expo & Convention Center, boasting 250,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The 125,000-square-foot Earth Expo Center is a column-free convention space filled with natural light that accommodates more than 700 10- by 10-foot booths. There are two ballrooms, including the Earth Ballroom, a 20,000-square-foot divisible space that opens to 3,000 square feet of pre-function space for as many as 1,750 guests. There are 15 meeting rooms, ranging from 360 square feet to 675 square feet, as well as a 40-seat Executive Boardroom with pre-function space and a private 3,500-square-foot terrace. Other features include eight loading docs, full audiovisual capability, and a 5,360-square-foot kitchen. Overall, the casino resort, located between Boston and New York, has 1,600 hotel rooms and a number of other amenities.
Located inside the former Old Colony Trust Bank in Downtown Crossing, the steak house Boston Chops opened in June. Boasting floor-to-ceiling marble walls, vaulted ceilings, and detailed millwork throughout, the 11,000-square-foot space seats 360 guests overall. The 2,500-square-foot main dining room seats 170 guests or holds 250 for cocktails. There are also several private event spaces, including the 267-square-foot wine vault, which seats 16 guests or holds 30 for cocktails; the 1,025-square-foot barrel vault, which seats 60 or holds 75 for cocktails; and the 20-seat Old Colony Trust Room. All of the spaces have full audiovisual capabilities.
Artbar, the longtime restaurant inside the Royal Sonesta Boston, unveiled a new look and new menu in June. The 975-square-foot main dining room and bar accommodates 65 seated guests, while the 572-square-foot private dining room seats 35. Several spaces offer views of the Charles River: the 1,450-square-foot patio, which seats about 70; the 800-square-foot pool terrace; and the 20-seat Riverside Terrace with fire pit tables.
Located on the site of a former Ford automobile plant, the 158-room Row Hotel opened in August in Somerville's popular Assembly Row development. With 6,192 square feet of meeting space and two semi-private outdoor terraces, the Row can accommodate events for groups of as many as 300 in its nine private event spaces. The intimate 630-square-foot Ford B room holds as many as 44 guests for a reception or 20 for a conference. For larger events, the combined Assembly A&B rooms create a 2,912-square-foot space that accommodates 300 standing guests or 160 schoolroom style. With full audiovisual capabilities, the hotel's team is always on deck to help.
Named for the Korean word for "heart," Simjang is a 2,700-square-foot American-Korean restaurant in Worcester that opened in March. Originally a Buick dealership built in 1928, the building fuses original design elements like floor-to-ceiling Art Deco columns and big windows with modern colors and fixtures. An upstairs semi-private dining space, which measures 400 square feet, seats 24 guests or holds 50 standing. It has its own bar, a television, and a gaming space that features shuffleboard and vintage video games like Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga and Big Buck Hunter. The first-level dining room seats 75 guests or holds 100 for receptions. The venue is available for full or partial buyouts.
A collection of unique meeting spaces, Absolute 47 offers quirky environments for small groups. Spaces include a conference room with a table made out of old front doors and the Pods, an elevated treehouse-style retreat with oversize pillows, twinkling overhead LED lighting, and Sony wireless headphones. An upstairs room with risers would work for an interactive staff meeting. The 1,800-square-foot space holds 20 for meetings or 75 for reception-style events. Pricing can include transportation to the venue.
Get a dose of nostalgia at Backyard Betty's, a 5,300-square-foot cookout-inspired restaurant that opened in May. Betty's features a main bar and a 2,000-square-foot dining room that seats 58, as well as a “Backyard” dining space and open kitchen with an additional 48 seats. Complete with a motorcycle hanging on the wall, Pop's Garage is a 1,000-square-foot private event space for about 20 guests.
