Sleep (or Don’t) Like a Rock Star in These Luxury Trailers at Fenway Park

Welcome to Bloomberg Pursuits Amenity Watch, where we look at the exciting (and sometimes ridiculous) perks that luxury hotels are coming up with to entice people back out into the world. 

There’s not much that feels more rock ’n’ roll than finishing up a concert and then retiring to your own posh trailer that’s parked right outside the arena where you just rocked out.

That’s at least what the team behind the Verb Hotel in Boston, located alongside Fenway Park, is hoping. On Sept. 5, Labor Day Monday, 10 custom-made trailers will open their metal doors for guests to stay overnight on a former parking lot wedged between the stadium and the hotel.

Created to pay homage to the days when rock bands rolled in and out of Boston, a popular stop for musicians and a hippie haven for undiscovered talent, the urban trailer park—called “Backstage”—is a new expansion on the hotel’s rock history theme. Already this year, huge musical acts such as Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, and Imagine Dragons have performed at Fenway, with sound checks clearly audible from where the trailers sit. Aerosmith and Red Hot Chili Peppers will arrive this month.

Indeed, each trailer has a unique name, along with curated artwork, vinyl records, books, and a collage of stickers that represents a particular artist. “Queen Gloria” honors singer-songwriter Kurt Cobain and his band Nirvana; “Freddie the Duke” pays tribute to James Brown; and “Mama Bertha” honors Cass Elliot from the Mamas & the Papas.

The original Howard Johnson’s opened in 1959 at 1271 Boylston St. and housed the offices of iconic rock radio stations WFNX-FM and WBCN-FM. In 2015 the Verb was modernized into a nostalgic sanctuary honoring the golden days of rock music, adorned with memorabilia including a record library with about 4,000 albums.

Backstage will “tell another story and bring to life an aspect of being on the road as an entertainer,” says Robin Brown, founder and principal of Spot On Ventures LLC, which worked with Samuels & Associates to create the posh trailer park. “We think that we’ve created something far more valuable than another 300-room hotel made out of steel and brick and glass.” says Steve Samuels, founder and chairman of Samuels & Associates, in a statement. (The hotel used to house a Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge.) He adds that the team drew “inspiration from the legacy of touring musicians and their fans traveling the open road to see them.”

The high-end trailer idea had been five years in the making, and deciding on the trailers’ paint colors and other details took as long as two years, Brown says. “We looked at the ’60s and ’70s of Chevrolet, guitars, and of Harley-Davidsons, and we went through all their original factory color palettes” including butterscotch fender, Lake Placid blue, billiard red Harley, and metallic copper Airstream for them to represent the cultures back then, he says.

Starting at $599 a night, guests can enjoy a plush king-size bed, a personalized minibar, a step-in rainfall shower, a Nespresso machine, a Bose sound bar, and a 43-inch 4K TV—all custom amenities a VIP rock star can expect backstage. In every 210-square-foot room, you’ll also find a huge leather ottoman with a discreet panel for storing records, wood cabinetry, and a stone floor with area rugs. (The single Americans With Disabilities Act-compliant trailer offers 280 square feet of space.)

Each stationary trailer is insulated and equipped with radiant floor heating to keep warm during Boston’s frigid winters. It also has a two-person outdoor space with lush greenery, offering partial privacy. “In the summer, guests can relax outside while listening to musicians rehearsing and
performing in Fenway Park, or just be part of the vibrant Fenway neighborhood in the privacy of this urban retreat,” a statement reads.

Guests will also have access to all of the Verb’s amenities including the heated outdoor swimming pool that’s open year-round and the on-site Japanese izakaya, Hojoko, a casual spot for after-work drinks, by James Beard Award-winning chefs Tim and Nancy Cushman.