Renovated: The Westin St. Louis

Editor's Note: The original photos taken for this review were lost. In place are generic photos that fit as close as possible to the review.  

Recently on a road trip to my new home in Georgia I had the chance to stop in St. Louis and had the pleasure of staying at what would prove to be a very desirable hotel. The Westin is a brand I’ve always loved, back when it was apart of Starwood Hotels I would always seek them out whenever I traveled. The newly renovated Westin in St. Louis is certainly one I would find myself back at again.
Booking

Marriott Free Night Certificate

Believe it or not I didn’t book this hotel until about 4 hours before arriving. As I was on a road trip from Minnesota to Georgia I didn’t know exactly where I would end up and on a pit-stop in Iowa City, Iowa I decided I would at least make it to St. Louis and booked the hotel using one of my Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express free night certifications as I had one expiring in less than a month.

The free night certificate from the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express card is good for a night up to 50,000 points. The Westin St. Louis is a category 5 hotel that comes in between 30,000 and 40,000 points per night depending on the time of year. I was staying on a Saturday night before a home game for the St. Louis Cardinals (the stadium is conveniently across the street from the hotel).

While not the best use of the free night certificate for getting the maximum point redemption the cash price for one night at the hotel was $350 and I found it more worth it to save the money as the certificate I had was expiring in less than a month and I have no plans to stay at a Marriott hotel in that time.

Location

If you’re in town for a St. Louis Cardinals game this is a prime hotel. Located right outside the third base entrance it’s a perfect hotel to attend a game and well within walking distance if you want to visit the Gateway Arch. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to visit on this trip but when I return this will be high on the list to enjoy.

My only problem with the location is parking, it comes at a premium around the stadium. While the hotel does have a fenced dedicated parking lot just for guests it fills up fast at $30 per day. Luckily they do have an overflow lot for guests but it shares space with game-day parking and likely will be full during any events. Visibility of this parking lot is not the best as it’s located across the street and it took a few trips around the hotel and a nice valet to point me in the right direction.

Check-in

I’ve read horror stories about check-in being a nightmare during busy times but thankfully I arrived around 8PM when most guests have checked in for the day. I can see how it would get busy as the hotel only had 2 checkin desks and if most guests are arriving around the same time for a game it would get backed up fast.
Room

Bedroom

Thanks to my Platinum (soon to upgrade to Titanium) status at Marriott I was given a Club Level room. The gentlemen that helped me check in was very apologetic that he didn’t have any upgraded rooms available due to the busyness of the hotel. While the upgrade is never guaranteed, it’s refreshing to see that they acknowledged the thought of trying to upgrade me. Over the last year I’ve never really been giving the choice and the few times I’ve stayed at Marriott properties I was always brushed off for asking if there were upgraded rooms available.

I was booked into the Deluxe King room which was incredibly spacious. The tall ceilings were amazing in making the room seem even bigger than it actually was. The room is rated at only 425-sqft, but it felt double that with the height of the ceilings.

The front door led down a small hallway which had a built in bar on one side that housed the coffee maker and essentials for waking up in the morning. The right side had the entrance to the bathroom which was large with both a stand up waterfall shower and a separate bathtub. There was a little space next to the tub where the toilet was placed, it was clear this was either an afterthought or they didn’t realize all the tiling needed for the tub. The toilet area was a bit cramped by the head of the tub but entirely usable.

Further down the hallway opened up to the main bedroom which was a king bed, clad with Westin’s signature Heavenly bedding and an assortment of light above the bed with perfectly placed controls right near the bed for control. Along with the bed there was a couch with a lounger, smell round-table and a large vanity that ran the entire length of the wall opposite the bed where the TV was mounted.
Food and Beverage

Breakfast

In the lobby there is the in-house restaurant Quattro Trattoria + Pizzeria. On my visit the place was very busy and seating was at a premium. While it wasn’t clear visiting the online menu or the podium all the food is available to-go. Due to the busyness I opted to get some food to-go and ate it in my room.

The restaurant also doubles as the breakfast area in the mornings. This hotel doesn’t have their Club lounge open yet so in return they offer a free breakfast for guests who similarly would have access to the Club lounge.

If you’d rather not eat at the hotel there are many places to eat in the area around the hotel. Being situated where it is next to the stadium, bars are as common as Starbucks in the area. All of which seemed to have a grate variety menu with local favorites and the trusty classics.

Amenities

While the bedrooms are amazing and the location is highly sought after, amenities are scarce here. As mentioned, at the time of visiting the Club Lounge is closed. However the gym was fully open and very well stocked with equipment to get your sweat on.

Service

Everyone that I interacted with was very friendly and helpful. As mentioned during my check-in process the front desk was apologetic there were not upgrades available during that night. While I was looking for a place to park it was clear their lot wasn’t the best to locate and the valet was friendly of helping me find the entrance.

Overall Impression

This stop was just a larger part of my journey moving halfway across the country and their warm and welcoming hospitality was refreshing after a long day of driving.

If I was going to a St. Louis Cardinals game this would be without a doubt the hotel I would book in an instant, even during peak seasons. However, as a tourist I wouldn’t find this hotel particularly well located. In one direction you have an industrial zone and in the other direction is the start of downtown that you would have to walk all the way around the baseball field.

The Westin-brand as a whole is always a trusty hotel to pick. The service is consistently great, my Marriott benefits are a huge plus added on to the experience, and amenities are always top notch.