Boston
Thank you for the thorough recommendations. It sounds like Copley, near the airport or I-95 ate the most convenient. Of course, the rates of hotels can drive choice. 
I haven't posted a Boston Neighborhood Map in a while. Copley is a smaller sub-neighborhood within the large yellow Back Bay section. The Airport, mentioned by some, is in East Boston (far right). It's not as isolated as it looks: public transit and tunnels make the connection to downtown doable.
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Someone mentioned Metrowest. The scale of this map is too small to show it; MW would be around 10 miles west. Using google maps, look for the intersection of US 90 (east-west) and US 95 (north-south). 
Here's another one. Don't worry, it's from a real estate company, not a hotel room rental company. Those aren't the room rates!
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Don't worry about minor differences, e.g., Midtown? I never knew Boston had a Midtown. If someone wants to know your location, a few streets off isn't a big deal to narrow things down. Is Lincoln St. Leather District or Chinatown? It doesn't matter, because either of those neighborhood names gives your approximate location to a prospective visitor. If he can make it to C-Town, he can make it to LD. 
And incredibly good maps! That was very helpful. I know where I will be staying now.... Back Bay.