Nine years in, now that the fire is out, their front door is feng-shui correct, and they convinced the city to move two stop lights in order to shave one minute off the valet delivery time, the ultra-luxe Mandarin Oriental Boston is open for business. Just in time for the economic sky to fall.

They don't seem too worried about filling their rooms though, despite industry doom and gloom predictions.

Evidently, there are still people out there who can -- and will -- fork over between $625 and $8,000 a night when in Boston for little touches like a rainforest shower, silk window treatments, mother-of-pearl ceiling tiles and humongous flat screen televisions. At least (from

With a soft opening in January, a grand opening in February, a party in June, and lots of fun fall packages, we've been keeping our eye on Marriott's break-out new Renaissance complete with nautical-themed decor, the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel.

And they have finally arrived with a review in the New York Times. If you're in a hurry, we'll ruin the surprise ending for you:

If you're in town for a convention or to do business in South Boston, the Renaissance would be a no-brainer -- convenient, with high-end tech toys and a friendly, helpful staff. For families or those looking for a classic Boston scene, the out-of-the way location may

We've already covered a good hotel to check out the fall foliage in Boston: Hotel Marlowe, with its farm getaways and kayaks.

The Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel is also offering a cool-weather weekend special, although it's a bit more romance than leaf-peeping.

Called a "Sweetheart's Staycation," starting at $599 per person, you'll get two nights' stay, bubbly and chocolates, a dinner cruise around Boston Harbor on an Odyssey Ship, breakfast and bed, and late check-out.

The fine print didn't say if there are any windows for booking, but it sounds like a good deal for lovers of love and leaves.

[Photo: Renaissance North America]

Boston beer drinkers may be stereotyped as a blue jeans-wearing, Sam Adams-swilling set, but there are plenty of folks in the town who know their way around a high-quality, cask-brewed ale.

Case in point: The Return of the Belgian Beer Fest, which comes to Boston this weekend. This festival is run by the hop experts at Beer Advocate, so you know it's not your run-of-the-mill drunken Oktoberfest imitation.

Ah, fall always means quirky romantic comedies with cutesy types (Kate Hudson) in oversize sweaters and picturesque settings. Enter "My Best Friend's Girl," which opens today and also features Dane Cook, Jason Biggs (where has he been?) and Alec Baldwin.

The movie's the story of Dustin (Biggs) who hires his best friend (Cook) to take his ex-girlfriend (Hudson), a lawyer, out on a date, and to be particularly obnoxious, to make her realize what a great guy her ex is. Um, yeah, this happens all the time. Apparently their friendship is tested when the whole plan backfires. (If you were dating Kate Hudson, would you be passing her number to your friends afterwards?)

For My Best Friend's Girl think fall foliage, classic brownstones and sweeping urban park shots with perfect light. In other words, Boston, one of our favorite cities to break in autumn with. The film was actually shot in and around there, so read on to re-live the movie's scenery on your own...

Earlier this week, we revealed (courtesy of a lovely tipster) that Fairmont had snatched up the Boston Battery Wharf property that Regent Hotels had dropped.

Good news: we just got the final word from Fairmont that they've officially taken over the property and have scheduled it to be open and ready to go as soon as this coming December.

Word from the official press release:

The contemporary hotel will feature 150 elegantly appointed guestrooms, including Fairmont Gold, the brand's exclusive lifestyle offering featuring warm and personalized service with amenities such as private reception and a comfortable guest lounge. Guestrooms will be spacious with a large work area, marble baths and all of the

Remember way back to the beginning of Summer when Regent Hotels totally dropped out of their Battery Wharf Hotel in Boston before the place even opened, leaving residential owners and future hotel guests totally screwed out of the Regent experience?

Well, Fairmont Hotels has come and saved the day. Reader Kal B let us know that the Canadian chain has snapped up the Battery Wharf hotel. (See this page, under "In Development".)

We are hoping that Fairmont will keep whatever was originally planned for the hotel like the 18,000-square-foot Guerlain spa and the 80-seat Sensing restaurant from acclaimed chef Guy Martin. But all that is definitely still be worked on and we have no idea when

Movies that play off the characteristics of various ethnicities (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, My Blue Heaven) seem to be safe bets: Throw in some quirky accents, familial hijinks and a romance or two and you're set. This week's pick, Everybody Wants to Be Italian, falls squarely in that camp.

Jake has spent eight years trying to win back his ex-girlfriend to no avail when his friends set him up on a blind date with a beautiful Italian veterinarian from Boston's North End. Her big sticking point? She's only into Italians and Jake isn't one. But he learns to fake it and does everything he can to win her heart.

Yep, it's corn-syrupy sweet and tries hard, but also is good for a few laughs. The film was actually shot in Boston; read on for some cool things to get you in the back-to-school spirit in Beantown this fall.

Anyone who has been to Boston--or has met anyone from the city--knows that watching the local sports teams play is something akin to a religious ceremony for most Bostonians. And those that worship at the temple of the New England Patriots now have a little more space to love in.

As the NFL season gets underway, the Pats are unveiling the anchors of the massive new Patriot Place complex, a 1.3-million-square-foot shopping, dining and entertainment district that gives fans a reason to stay in Foxboro after the game.

Jaunted is planning our fall travel with some help from the networks. Check out our Fall TV 2008 Map to go where your new favorite characters go.

Given that "LOST" creator JJ Abrams' new series "Fringe" (Sept. 9, 8 pm, Fox) begins with a plane crash just like its established cousin, we're pretty sure the producer and director has a serious phobia to deal with. But Flight 627 lands at Boston's Logan with every single passenger dead, and dead in a particularly gruesome way, so there will be no desert island shenanigans here.

A federal agent (Anna Torv), a mad scientist (Peter Noble) and his genius brat son (Joshua Jackson) believe the answer to the fate of Flight 627 lies in the realm of "fringe science"--explaining the unexplained with possible supernatural intervention. So, in other words, the Cloverfield monster did it with an assist from the smoke monster.

We haven't seen the two-hour, $10 million pilot yet, but Wired.com says it contains "a doomed airplane, hairless weasels, rooftop chases in the 'Bourne Identity' vein, acid-tripping federal agents and more translucent skin than you can shake a fat-encrusted artery at."

Related Stories:
· Fringe Pilot Script Review [Collider.com]
· JJ Abrams Tries to Play It Straight(er) With "Fringe" [NYM]
· First Look: JJ Abrams' Fringe [Wired.com]

[Photo: Collider.com]