A 111-room AAA Four Diamond boutique on the corner of Capitol Boulevard and Myrtle Street, opened in 2017, with in-room fireplaces, a calm contemporary palette, and the Hemlock restaurant operating off the lobby.
"The boutique answer to the Grove three blocks north. Smaller, quieter, slightly more design-literate, with a fireplace in every room and the city's best hotel breakfast served in Hemlock downstairs."
The Inn at 500 Capitol opened in late 2017 on the southwest corner of Capitol Boulevard and Myrtle Street, three blocks south of the Grove and one block north of the BoDo (Boise Downtown) district. The building is purpose-built rather than converted, a six-storey contemporary in zinc-grey panels and bronze trim that quietly upgraded the southern end of the Capitol Boulevard streetscape on opening. The ownership group, locally based and AAA Four Diamond rated from year one, kept the property to 111 rooms specifically to operate as a true boutique rather than a midscale: the front desk is staffed at the suite-hotel ratio, the lobby is small and lounge-formatted around an open hearth, and the corridor product is hushed by oversized wool carpets.
The 111 rooms run six categories. Standard kings and double-queens are 350 to 400 square feet with a working fireplace, deep soaker tub, large stand-up rain shower, walnut headboards, and a writing desk; the Capitol-facing rooms on the upper floors have a clean line of sight to the State Capitol dome at the head of the Boulevard. Junior Suites step up to 550 square feet, add a lounge area and a second television; the Penthouse Suite on the sixth floor reaches 1,200 square feet with two bedrooms, a private dining table, a wraparound terrace, and the property's only freestanding tub in front of the city view. Bedding is the Inn's white duvet over a Sealy Crown Jewel, in the local press routinely identified as the best hotel mattress in Idaho.
Hemlock, the restaurant, occupies the corner of the lobby behind a glass wall and runs breakfast, weekend brunch, lunch, dinner, and a late happy hour. The breakfast room is the property's quietly excellent set piece, plated savoury and sweet, an espresso bar, and the city's best hotel breakfast for the price. Dinner is a modern American menu with a tight Idaho wine list and a small bar program. The cocktail counter in the lobby pours through to the courtyard fire pit, which is a serious year-round amenity in Boise's winter and shoulder seasons. Twenty-four-hour room service is on offer for guests who would rather eat by the in-room fireplace.
Amenities are tightly chosen. The fitness centre is small, well-equipped, and open 24 hours; the property does not run a pool, which is the one trade-off versus the Grove and the riverside resort booking. Self-park is free in the attached garage, a meaningful daily saving in a city where downtown valet runs $26. Two small meeting rooms handle board groups up to 24. Service across the property is the consistent reason guests rebook: warm, informal, and not overhandled, with a long-tenured front-desk team that pre-empts most requests by check-in. The Inn at 500 Capitol routinely shares the city's number-one TripAdvisor ranking with the Grove and reads as the boutique-scale alternative for travellers who want a quieter property in the same walking radius.
For an anniversary weekend, the Inn is the cleanest answer in Boise. The in-room fireplace, the soaker tub, the breakfast in Hemlock, and the walk along Capitol Boulevard to the State Capitol grounds and on to the Boise River Greenbelt are the natural arc of a quiet two-night stay. Book a Junior Suite for a milestone year and the Penthouse Suite for a major anniversary with the wraparound terrace and the city view.
For business travel into Boise that prefers a small property to a tower, the Inn handles the brief well. The two boardrooms accommodate groups to 24, the breakfast room handles a working team meeting cleanly, and the location runs five minutes on foot to Boise Centre and the State Capitol. Junior Suites read as the best long-week booking in the city: a separate lounge for evening calls, the fireplace, and the silent corridor product the tower hotels cannot match.
For a solo few nights in Boise tied to a Greenbelt running weekend, a Sun Valley side trip, or simply a quiet writing stretch, the Inn is the friendliest small-hotel booking the city offers. The fireplace turns a standard king into a study after dark; the breakfast room is generous and quiet for one; the lobby fire pit is the kind of evening amenity the corporate towers cannot replicate.
500 South Capitol Boulevard
Boise, ID 83702
Corner of Capitol Boulevard and Myrtle Street; three blocks south of the Grove; 4 miles to BOI airport
111 rooms and suites
Kings from $171/night
Double-Queens from $195/night
Junior Suites from $295/night
Penthouse Suite from $480/night
Check-in: 4:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Opened 2017; AAA Four Diamond; independently owned
In-room gas fireplaces in every category
Hemlock restaurant (breakfast, brunch, dinner)
24-hour fitness centre
Two meeting rooms (groups to 24)
Free attached self-parking; courtyard fire pit
Complimentary WiFi throughout
From $171/night. Junior Suites and the Penthouse book three to four months ahead for the November legislative session, Boise State football, and the Idaho Steelheads playoffs; weekend leisure rates are usually available within a fortnight.
Check Availability →The 250-room AAA Four Diamond on Capitol Boulevard, connected to Idaho Central Arena.
The 112-room boutique on Grove Street with Chandlers Steakhouse downstairs.
A 39-room mid-century conversion in the Linen District, the city's design hotel.
A 300-room riverfront resort with two pools and the Sandbar patio bar along the Greenbelt.
A ranked shortlist, a special offer worth booking, and the overpriced stay to skip. Straight from the editors.