Drury, Westin Spice Up St. Louis Lodging Options
<B> Drury, Westin Spice Up St. Louis Lodging Options</B>
By Rowland Stiteler
A new, 350-room Drury Hotel is set to open this September near St. Louis' Gateway Arch, bringing the Midwest city the first of two new properties in downtown historic districts in a two-year period. Collectively, the Drury and a new Westin hotel, both scheduled to open in 2000, will add almost 600 rooms to the downtown hotel room inventory, giving the total inventory an upward bump of more than 10 percent.
St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission officials have cited more downtown hotel rooms as a necessity in order to attract more and larger conventions to the city's 2.7 million-sq.-ft. America's Center convention complex.
The city currently has about 5,600 downtown hotel rooms, 3,800 of which are commitable for conventions. The St. Louis metro area has about 20,000 hotel rooms.
"We are excited about the new downtown hotel projects and what they will bring to the equation," said Mary Hendron, a spokesperson for the St. Louis CVC. "And it's especially exciting that they both involve historic buildings."
The $20 million Drury Hotel complex--which also will include banquet and conference space, several restaurants and indoor parking for 300 cars--is going up in the historic St. Louis International Fur Exchange building and two adjacent structures. The complex will be within walking distance of America's Center. The Fur Exchange building, which opened in 1920, grew out of St. Louis' prominence as a fur trading center.
Drury Development Co., builder of the new property, is a St. Louis-based company known for developing historic hotels. It currently has 11 hotels in the St. Louis metropolitan area, including the Drury Inn Union Station, located in the historic Railroad YMCA building adjacent Union Station; the Drury Inn Convention Center, located atop the Union Market facility across from the Trans World Dome; and the Hampton Inn, located just west of St. Louis Union Station. A Drury spokesman said the new hotel will cater to both leisure and business travelers.
The $40 million, 220-room Westin Hotel is being developed in the historic Cupples Station freight handling district, which was a bustling center in the late 19th century, when Mississippi River boats and railroad lines made St. Louis a key transport center.
The hotel will occupy three former warehouses, all of which were built between 1889 and 1917. Cupples Station is near Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, and also within walking distance of America's Center.
Joe Champ, a spokesman for Starwood Lodging Corp., the parent company of Westin Hotels, said the size of the property "will allow us to provide a very high quality experience in St. Louis."
The hotel will target corporate meeting groups and transient business travelers. It is part of a $160 million development plan for Cupples Station, which also will include restaurants, shops and residential development. In addition to the 220 guestrooms, the hotel itself will feature two restaurants, retail shops, an executive health club and meeting rooms.
"This speaks volumes for the nationwide attention St. Louis is attracting," said Mayor Clarence Harmon. "Westin Hotels grace the most vital cityscapes in the country." In addition to its proximity to Busch Stadium and America's Center, the Westin will be near a new federal courthouse being built and close to a stop on MetroLink, the light rail system that allows passengers to travel between downtown and Lambert International Airport.
In addition to the downtown hotel growth going on, four new properties recently have opened in the area of Lambert International Airport. The new La Quinta Inn St. Louis Airport offers 105 rooms, and features dataport phones (with no charge for local phone calls on either the dataport or the standard voice line), plus coffee makers in each room, free breakfast and an airport shuttle service.
Also recently opened near Lambert International is the Suburban Lodge, a 136-room extended stay property. Nearby is a new Travelodge, offering 43 rooms, which include business suites, a honeymoon suite and Jacuzzi suites. The hotel also offers free breakfast.
Also new is the Drury Inn-St. Louis Airport, a 172-room property that is part of a local chain with a dozen locations in the metro St. Louis area.
Several existing hotels in the area of Lambert International also have expanded and refurbished recently. The Hilton St. Louis Airport has added 180 guestrooms, doubling its size, and added more meeting and banquet space, plus a health club, a second swimming pool and a business center. The hotel also has renovated the lobby and restaurant. The St. Louis Airport Marriott has refurbished its lobby, ballroom and common areas, and upgraded its audiovisual systems. And the Embassy Suites St. Louis Airport recently has completed a refurbishment of all guestrooms.
Meanwhile, business travelers with a few hours to kill during a layover at Lambert International for less than $10 can hop aboard MetroLink, the 22-mile light rail system that connects the airport with the center of the city.
"MetroLink was built to serve the commuting public in St. Louis," said Hendron. "But for business travelers on a layover at the airport--which can be a fairly large group of people since St. Louis is the headquarters and principal hub for TWA--our light rail system has turned out to be a wonderful asset for people wanting a quick and economical way to tour the city. Since there is also a MetroLink stop at the America's Center, it makes a great way for convention visitors to get out and really experience our city."
A one-way fare on the MetroLink from Lambert International to America's Center in the heart of downtown St. Louis is just $3. The same one-way trip in a taxi costs $18.50 per person, plus tip. Fare between most points on the light rail line is $1.25, or travelers can buy all-day passes for $4.