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Check into Luxury Suites
Treating clients to the region’s finest accommodations.
By Joyce Romine
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When
it’s time to roll out the red carpet and give your best out-of-town
clients the royal treatment, where do you check in? Come with
St. Louis Commerce Magazine to take a quick tour of some of the
most luxurious hotel rooms in the St. Louis region. You may just
decide to treat yourself to a night!
Westin St. Louis- Cupples Station
Our first stop is the Westin St. Louis-Cupples Station, opening
in October. The Westin’s design philosophy is contemporary, simple
and elegant with a distinctive feeling from hotels in the St.
Louis area, according to Gary Tarpinian, director of sales and
marketing for the Westin.
“Each room is nearly 600 square feet with 10 1/2 foot ceilings
created within the space of warehouses built in the 1800s,” Tarpinian
says. “All of our standard rooms are suite-like with upscale fixtures
and a large, individual safe in each room that can accommodate
a laptop computer. We start out at a higher level than most hotels.”
Bathrooms feature spacious, nine-foot granite vanities with a
separate shower and soaking tub as well as a telephone. Coffeemakers
are supplied with Starbucks coffee. The decor throughout the suites
includes limestone floors and textured wall coverings.
Desks with returns include a modem port on top of the desk, two-line
phones and high-speed Internet access. Ergonomic chairs with hydraulic
lifts complete the office set.
Artwork by St. Louis artists are displayed throughout the hotel.
“The artwork brings an element of St. Louis into the hotel that
makes it stand out from just another room in a faceless city,”
Tarpinian says.
The Westin also is home of the Heavenly Bed, an innovative concept
introduced by the Westin that offers guests layer after layer
of cozy down bedding complete with a custom-designed pillowtop
mattress.
But the crème de la crème of the Westin rooms is the Presidential
Suite. Guests enjoy all the above amenities plus an unusual stainless
steel pool table with black felt and leather pockets. Twelve cone
light fixtures accent the table. “This pool table is one of only
about 10 like it in the country,” Tarpinian says. “One is owned
by Tom Hanks.”
Other amenities in the Presidential Suite include a frosted glass
table with stainless and wood dining chairs with woven leather
seats, a large seating area and two bathrooms.
The Westin’s Presidential Suite is about $2,000 per night; Executive
King rooms rent for $500 to $750 each; regular rooms at the corporate
rate start at $205 per night.
Chase Park Plaza
Above:
Chase Park Plaza Suites |
All rooms at the Chase are suites with one or two bedrooms. Each
has a full kitchen, ironing board and iron, hairdryer, coffee
maker and digital satellite television. The Bridal Suite at the
Chase features a jacuzzi tub.
“None of our rooms have the same ‘footprint,’ says April Barry,
director of sales and marketing “Because of the original architecture
of the buildings with walls in different locations, each room
has a different flair. The huge living rooms are absolutely beautiful.”
She notes that two of the suites have unique ceilings. “We copied
the original molding work,” Barry says. “The arched ceilings are
gold leaf to create a stunning look.”
The main attraction at the Chase is the Khorassan Ballroom, which
includes replicas of the building’s original light fixtures. “Many
people have fond memories of the father-daughter dances and want
to come back to see the ballroom,” Barry says.
Within the Chase complex is a five-screen movie theater with first-run
movies, three restaurants, two lounges, shops, a florist, heated
outdoor pool, and an 18,000-square-foot workout facility with
the latest precision equipment.
“The Chase is a city within a city,” Barry says. “It’s a boutique
style hotel with flair and attitude to give the feeling of a small
hotel.”
Room costs range from $149 to $299 per night.
Regal Riverfront Hotel
At the Regal Riverfront Hotel, the North Cabanas is a separate
luxury wing of three floors that sit under the MCI building and
are only visible from Memorial Drive.
Renovated last spring, the 12 rooms feature oversized bedrooms
that connect to the living room, two separate bathrooms, one of
which includes a jacuzzi, a wet bar and stereo system.
“Our North Cabanas rooms feature lovely views of the Old Cathedral
and the Arch,” says Jessica Alford, marketing coordinator. “The
sliding door leads to a patio that also overlooks an outdoor pool.”
The wing’s third floor only has two suites, the Presidential and
the Imperial Suites. These 2,100-square-foot suites have two bedrooms
that connect to a central living room and dining room. Guests
also enjoy a full-size kitchen.
“These rooms are very popular with celebrities,” Alford says.
“Guests have included the Back Street Boys and Tony Curtis.”
Regal Riverfront suites start at $375 per night and go up to $1,200
a night for the Presidential and the Imperial Suites.
Ritz Carlton Hotel
For rest and relaxation, try the Presidential Suite at the Ritz
Carlton, which boasts two bathrooms, a jacuzzi and a sauna. To
add to the elegance, the suite has separate living room with a
baby grand piano, surround sound stereo, a dining room and a full
kitchen.
“We offer our guests the utmost in privacy and luxury,” says Beth
Doughty, director of public relations. “Many entertainers who
are guests here appreciate the piano in the room. They also frequently
buy artwork right off our walls.”
Doughty says the Presidential Suite, updated in 1999, is large
enough to entertain in. “Our chef is available to cook a full
five-course meal for 18 people in this suite.
The Presidential Suite is located on the club floor, a private
floor that offers food and beverages day and night, cocktails,
and a full breakfast.
The Presidential Suite at the Ritz Carlton costs $2,000 per night.
Hilton St. Louis Frontenac
The three-room Presidential Suite at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac
recently underwent a $100,000 renovation complete with a sauna
and fluffy robe and slippers. One bedroom has a king-size bed
while the other has two double beds. The suite also has two telephones
and high-speed Internet access. The spacious living room features
a wet bar, overstuffed chairs, a chandelier and a residential-style
Henredon dining table.
“People appreciate the spaciousness and residential feel of the
room,” says Bill Banmiller, general manager. “It’s more a home
away from home.”
The hotel prides itself on personal touches that result in loyal
guests, Banmiller says. “The hotel has had the same owner for
22 years. As a result, we see guests return again and again. They
feel safe and comfortable here and appreciate the spaciousness
of the facility and the rooms.”
He says guests also appreciate the pampering and privacy the hotel
offers. “If guests prefer, we can meet them at the airport with
our limousine. VIPs are checked in ahead of time. We can just
escort them directly to their rooms when they arrive.”
Banmiller says often the Presidential Suite is used for courting
high-level people. “All our rooms have a residential feel but
the Presidential Suite is more of an accommodation.”
But celebrities have been known to frequent the hotel, also, and
often few people realize they’re there because of the privacy
the hotel affords, Banmiller says. “John Goodman stayed in the
Presidential Suite over Mother’s Day weekend, although few staff
members saw him,” he says.
The hotel also offers executive suites, which include one bedroom
and a living room. Executive suites are $295 a night; the Presidential
Suite is $800 a night.
Hyatt Regency St. Louis
The Hyatt Regency offers 21 suites that cater to a variety of
needs, whether you need a hospitality room or are taking care
of a VIP. But the Garden Presidential Suite offers top of the
line accommodations at the hotel.
This oversized suite features a large parlor with a conference/dining
table, a kitchen with a wet bar, a king-size bed in the bedroom,
and a work station that includes dataports. And how about a little
“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” while you relax in the jacuzzi
in the bathroom?
“Guests really like the television in the bathroom,” says Lori
Coyne, director of sales and marketing. “It’s a modern touch to
the elegant, old-style, turn-of-the century decor of the room.”
The room also has three telephones with two lines, an iron and
a hairdryer. Plus it has a large balcony that overlooks Union
Station. “Guests sit at the table and chairs on the balcony with
a feeling they’re outside, yet they’re really indoors so the weather
is not a factor,” Coyne says.
The Garden Presidential Suite at the Hyatt Regency is $900 per
night. Other suites range from $300 to $900 per night.
Joyce Romine is a St. Louis-based writer and owner of Streamline
Communications.
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