Cambridge Gateway Inn050

Finding an economy hotel near Boston is like finding a needle in the haystack. The Cambridge Gateway Inn, formerly the Suisse Chalet, is the needle found. It offers travellers a clean, affordable place to stay and is located five minutes from the Alewife T Station on the Red Line. The hotel offers singles, doubles, and suites. We use the latter term loosely. Suites have two simple rooms with one king size bed, a mini fridge and microwave, a sitting area with a sleeper sofa, and a private bath. A double room, suitable for a family of four, has two double beds, basic cable (no Disney or Nickelodeon), and a private bath. You won't find a mint on your pillow when you retire for the evening, but you will find a clean room in which to rest your walk-weary feet. The hotel, under new management, is doing its best to spruce up the place. New carpeting, wallpaper, and a renovated lobby area are recent additions. Guests may be taken aback at its location along busy Route 2. Aside from the traffic, The Gateway's neighbors are worth a mention. Lanes and Games is on one side, an abandoned club owned by the City of Cambridge is on the other. The hotel management tells us that the abandoned building will someday become apartments. For now, however, it is what it is. Despite some aesthetic issues, this is the least expensive (but still acceptable) hotel we have come across.