The Kendall Hotel hosts private dinners, business luncheons, small meetings and cocktail receptions for groups of up to 60 guests. Four spaces are available: the Black Sheep Restaurant, the Black Sheep Patio, the Rooftop Retreat and Engine 7. The hotel stands at 350 Main Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, beside Kendall Square, and its team plans each event with tailored menus and set-up.
Seminars and company events
The hotel suits small teams, board sessions and working lunches rather than large plenaries. Engine 7, the room named after the former firehouse, holds up to 20 guests conference style and is used for meetings, cocktail hours and private dinners. The Rooftop Retreat can be arranged for a conference-style session of 15 people, or opened up as a standing space for a cocktail reception of 35. Groups that book a block of bedrooms can hire Engine 7 at a reduced rate during the periods covered by the hotel's group offer, and the hotel's team can confirm the current terms.
On-site equipment includes a projector with screen and a 75-inch HDTV with a 20-foot HDMI cable. The hotel also publishes virtual tours of its spaces, which helps an organizer shortlist rooms before a site visit.
Rooms and capacities
The hotel's capacity chart lists four spaces. Engine 7 measures 312 square feet and holds 20. The Black Sheep Restaurant measures 323 square feet and holds 40. The Black Sheep Patio, also 323 square feet, holds 20. The Rooftop Retreat measures 418 square feet and holds 35 for a reception. Together, the restaurant and its outdoor patio can receive up to 60 people for a dinner or a celebration.
Accommodation
The Kendall is a boutique hotel with rooms and suites, so out-of-town participants can stay in the same building as the meeting. Group room blocks are offered, for example ten or more rooms per night with a two-night minimum under the hotel's current group offer. The site does not state the total number of bedrooms, so confirm availability for your dates when you send a request.
Catering
Catering is provided in house for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with menus tailored to the event and attention to table settings. Outside food is not permitted for meetings and events. The Black Sheep, the hotel's lounge and bar, is the setting for private dining and is the venue's own restaurant, so a dinner for a group can be held in the room where the hotel normally serves guests.
History and setting
The building was once the Engine 7 firehouse. The hotel kept that heritage when it converted the property and names one of its meeting rooms after it. The setting is Kendall Square, an area of cafes, restaurants and shops a short walk from the MIT Museum, which makes it easy to build a program around the meeting itself.
Getting there
The hotel is at 350 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, in the Kendall Square district between Cambridge and Boston. The events team can be reached at 617-577-1300.
