We expected Irving House to be a nice, clean, cozy B&B. It was all that and even better! My wife and I had a room with a queen bed and a private bath. Both the bedroom and bath were larger than we had expected. We had ample room to spread out our luggage, a nice desk at which to work, and a cheery view out the 3rd floor window. The neighborhood was quiet and an easy walk to the Harvard campus.

Downstairs in the basement, the breakfast buffet offers a plentiful array of possibilities, including excellent coffee, locally baked muffins, whole-grain bread, eggs, fresh yogurt and fruit, and a nice assortment of cereals. The breakfast area also gives you a choice of two rooms--one with a TV tuned to a news station and the other, at the opposite end, without TV. Several newspapers are available to read while you eat. Coffee, tea, and pastries are available throughout the day. Off the main breakfast area is a clean laundry room with a coin-operated washer and dryer.

The staff were very helpful regarding visits to museums, both in Cambridge and Boston. Staying at Irving House contributed substantially to the enjoyment of our visit to Cambridge. We cannot imagine staying anywhere else on future visits.

I booked this place for my mother. The rooms were clean and the location suited us: however the service is terrible. She is 60 years old, her room was on the fourth floor and she had a large suitcase. A
young man sitting at the front desk refused to help her carry it to her room, so it had to sit in the waiting area until I arrived. When booking the room, I was asked whether my mother would be okay with a fourth floor room, but there was no mention of this unhelpful policy not to help their guests. Seems a rude policy to me.

Despite this annoying initial experience, the rooms were reasonable. Some things were wrong in the room, but they were fixed quite quickly. So, she decided to stay there again on a second visit. Although we explicitly requested a room with a bathroom, she arrived to find herself in a tiny room, with pretty much nothing except a bed in it, and no bathroom. The staff refused to offer her an alternate room with a bathroom, so despite substantial cost and inconvenience to herself, she canceled the 6 night stay (but was charged for the first night) and got a room at the Charles Hotel instead. It seems very unreasonable to ignore a specific request like this.

Overall: the location is reasonable (but not excellent) and the price
is fairly competitive (although towards the more expensive end of the
spectrum for B&Bs). But it lacks the charm and personal touch of a true, traditional B&B as well the professionalism and attention to service of a more refined (albeit more expensive) hotel.

Irving House is a convenient and inexpensive alternative when visiting Harvard. The rooms can be quite small and at the low end (singles without a bath) it is often just a single bed and small desk. But if you are spending most of your time outside of the hotel then this is perfect. The breakfast buffet is nothing fancy: several types of cold cereal, an assortment of muffins/croissants (albeit in varying stages of stale-ness), as much coffee as you want, and juice. Top that off with free wireless internet and you are pretty much set.

The guests tend to be visiting scholars and/or visiting students. I stayed in a room without bath and have yet had to wait to take a shower or use the bathroom. Quite a deal for $100/night in the "high season" I would definitely recommend Irving House and will definitely stay here again.

Perhaps not quite the charm of its sister facility, the Harding House, but altogether a very nice B&B. Comfy beds, wireless Internet in your room, a warm and cozy feeling to the breakfast which includes both plain and flavored yogurt and some healthy cereals in addition to a nice selection of pastry type items, a good selection of teas, newspapers and magazines galore, free computer in the lovely parlor.

My room was small but I was traveling as a single. It was well lit and had plenty of plugs and a good work area. The bed was very comfy. The closet had its own light which was nice. Very few s.f but no problem if you don't need dance floor or exercise space in your hotel room.

"Views" are of the congested but quaint residential Cambridge neighborhood where it sits. What I liked was the option of a screen window rather than AC.

If you are looking to visit the Law School or a freshman who lives on the Cabridge St. side of the Yard, the location can't be beat, a couple blocks up Cambridge Street from Mem Hall / Annenberg Dining, a great location, more economical than the big 3 hotels that grab most of the Law School business. It is about a 10-minute walk to the Square (I walk pretty fast) but about a 20 min. stroll across Cambridge Common to the Quad and the Radcliffe buildings.

Pretty accessible to Inman Square if you are going in that direction for some cheaper eats and more interesting population than the yuppified Square.

Staff was friendly and helpful. You can drop off bags before check-in and leave them after check-out (at your own risk).

Front entrance is pretty, a nice flowered garden with an interesting modern stone sculpture of a nude female torso as the centerpiece. Front parlor a very inviting library-like place to hang out if so inclined.

My only negative comments are minor: the directions to send outgoing mail via Internet did not work; and the guest guidebook in the room did not mention the 11 am checkout time. Like many of these places the narrow hallways and many stairs might be difficult for elderly/handicapped, but that's the nature of the beast. Typical guests are visiting parents/college insiders I'd guess. Overall this is very comparable, maybe slightly nicer (esp. in food dept.) than its next door neighbor, the Friendly Inn (also a good value). I felt welcomed and comfortable.