urbanSTL

Someone noted on the convention center thread about a need for signature convention/conference related hotel.   My thoughts is that is what Drury was possibly looking into once upon a time for with a tower at its prime Laclede's Landing site which is literally within a couple blocks of the convention center and across from Iconic Arch.  Add in a short walk to Metrolink station on one side and a Casino too boot.  Still believe this is a great location for say a hotel oriented development.    

Understand that the Drury site on Laclede's Landing is dead but curious if anyone thinks a new big ground up hotel is needed/can be supported? if so, any thoughts on a better spot? especially when you consider the new Convention Center entrance is facing west if not mistaken?  Do you put a new big hotel next to Square/plop it in the NOW Innovative District instead?  Do you add it in the vicinity of BPV where you would have Convention Center in one direction/Busch Stadium in another/Arch in another & Enterprise/MLS stadium in the other direction?

^The Marriott-St. Louis Grand in the old Statler and the Courtyard in the old Lennox should be those hotels. There's really no excuse for those two properties to be anything other than stellar convention hotels. And the Embassy Suites in the old Stix was planned to be that. There's a skybridge to the convention center, for Pete's sake. Something's gone dramatically wrong if those aren't signature convention hotels.

dredger wrote: ↑

Sep 09, 2022

Someone noted on the convention center thread about a need for signature convention/conference related hotel.  

I would add that st. louis used to not have many hotels downtown at all. now its full of some beauties. we need more than one hotel to lodge conventions goers who have conventions in convention center. it can accommodate all sizes and should do such. the hotels around it are great and should all be full whenever possible with guests. conventions seminars expos are good ways to bring guests. thx

symphonicpoet wrote: ↑

Sep 10, 2022

^The Marriott-St. Louis Grand in the old Statler and the Courtyard in the old Lennox should be those hotels. 

Are they not considered to be STL's "convention hotels?"  That's what they were intended to be when they were developed in the late '90s.

dredger wrote: ↑

Sep 09, 2022

Someone noted on the convention center thread about a need for signature convention/conference related hotel.   My thoughts is that is what Drury was possibly looking into once upon a time for with a tower at its prime Laclede's Landing site which is literally within a couple blocks of the convention center and across from Iconic Arch.  Add in a short walk to Metrolink station on one side and a Casino too boot.  Still believe this is a great location for say a hotel oriented development.    

Understand that the Drury site on Laclede's Landing is dead but curious if anyone thinks a new big ground up hotel is needed/can be supported? if so, any thoughts on a better spot? especially when you consider the new Convention Center entrance is facing west if not mistaken?  Do you put a new big hotel next to Square/plop it in the NOW Innovative District instead?  Do you add it in the vicinity of BPV where you would have Convention Center in one direction/Busch Stadium in another/Arch in another & Enterprise/MLS stadium in the other direction?

The RFP for building on the city lot 107 parking lot at 1000 Lucas seemed like a good opportunity, especially with the convention center's westward expansion. But instead the city decided to build themselves a mega-garage with no hotel or residential component.

dweebe wrote:

debaliviere wrote: ↑

Sep 12, 2022

symphonicpoet wrote: ↑

Sep 10, 2022

^The Marriott-St. Louis Grand in the old Statler and the Courtyard in the old Lennox should be those hotels. 

Are they not considered to be STL's "convention hotels?"  That's what they were intended to be when they were developed in the late '90s.

I'm also trying to figure out the "we don't have a convention hotel" angle. Or are we talking about something like The Venetian in Las Vegas where it's all one building/complex?

It’s not that there isn’t one. It’s that there is only one.

Presented without comment

^But not without thanks.

I will ask, though, since I don't often stay in local hotels and my brief connection to the business was a summer job long, long, long ago . . . are the old Statler and Lennox in need of an update? The hotel in the old Stix? I understand the Stouffer/Clarion/Round Tower/whatever it was last did quite a convention business at one time. As did the Adam's Mark. But so much has changed. Maybe the issue is that things are in need of an update?

(Or maybe the issue is just that other cities have doubled their convention space, we have not, and Covid briefly killed the convention business and it will take time to grow back.)

symphonicpoet wrote: ↑

Sep 14, 2022

^But not without thanks.

I will ask, though, since I don't often stay in local hotels and my brief connection to the business was a summer job long, long, long ago . . . are the old Statler and Lennox in need of an update? The hotel in the old Stix? I understand the Stouffer/Clarion/Round Tower/whatever it was last did quite a convention business at one time. As did the Adam's Mark. But so much has changed. Maybe the issue is that things are in need of an update?

(Or maybe the issue is just that other cities have doubled their convention space, we have not, and Covid briefly killed the convention business and it will take time to grow back.)

Statler = Marriott Grand. Solid well reviewed hotel.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Revie ... souri.html

Lennox = Marriott Courtyard. Even better reviewed.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Revie ... souri.html

The old Stix is an Embassy Suites is fine. I've stayed there and the only odd part is the big pillars and odd room layouts given the re-use.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Revie ... souri.html

The old Stouffer/Clarion/Round Tower/whatever is still closed. But it was never really a convention hotel as its too far away to be a proper one.

Adams Mark = the Hyatt and still doing good.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Revie ... souri.html

I've always just heard that the hotel capacity in the immediate area of the CC is a little short when it comes to supporting the biggest conventions. Although hotels construction is the one thing downtown has kicked ass on the past five years so perhaps that capacity demand is nearly satiated. Especially the pipeline full from Jefferson Arms, Moxy and potentially the Railway Exchange.

^Exactly. Was going to say this. 

The pipeline for downtown hotel rooms is pretty significant right now. 

At this point I would love to see some hotels built outside of the central corridor. Not that I would turn my nose up at any good hotel project but it blows my mind that South city doesn't have any hotels outside of a few along 44. South Grand and Soulard are obvious landing spots.

I wonder if the Holiday Inn Hampton Inn might be replaced if Laclede's Landing becomes a functioning neighborhood. 

Edit: sorry -- I confused the embarrassing Holiday Inn with the embarrassing Hampton Inn. 

^Heck, I never knew that, so there was nothing to remember. And there's at least a half dozen more hotels along Metrolink that would be decent places to stay when the downtown offerings fill up. Union Station, Railroad Y Drury across the street, Aloft, the Doubletree at Barnes, the Ritz and Le Meridien in Clayton, and that's not even counting things like the Chase-Park Plaza and AC that are just a few blocks, or the airport hotels which mostly have easy shuttle service to the airport, and thus good access to Metrolink as well.

All that said, there's a lot of missing rooms from the Clarion being closed. And local sportsball is good at sucking up hotel rooms. (Probably doubly so now that the Cardinals are serious.)

Anyway, yes, we have some hotels in need of replacement. Yes, the place sells out sometimes, so there's probably demand for more. Yes, it's expensive. So . . . build more. Go to town. I'm just happy to know that the convention offerings we do have are still strong. (They certainly look neat from the outside. And the ballrooms look schmancy.)