ST. LOUIS
Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel celebrated its reopening in style after completing a $30 million renovation and brand change at 12:01 a.m., Aug. 18, 2015. The hotel at 800 Washington Ave. will bear the company's flagship brand, Marriott Hotels and Resorts.
The property was previously branded as the Renaissance St. Louis Grand Hotel.
Marriott St. Louis Grand will continue to be the official hotel of many conventions and hosts up to 400,000 travelers a year. To better serve these guests, the renovations, which began in November 2014, include a new Greatroom and pantry, technology upgrades, additional meeting spaces, modern guest rooms, an updated concierge lounge, opening of Zenia Bar & Grille, and an upgraded fitness center.
With respect to the historic value of the property, Marriott will maintain the iconic Crystal and Statler ballrooms of the original 1917 Statler Hotel to provide space for scalable meeting rooms and wedding and event venues.
Michael Suomi, principal and Vice President of Design at Stonehill & Taylor, managed the interior design for the newly updated Marriott St. Louis Grand. The interior design team, led by senior associate Sherry Dennis and senior designer Kerrie Murphy, was inspired by the city of St. Louis and its civic pride, which was highlighted in the design concept. The designers observed a layering of the old and new within the city, a concept they carried to the design of the hotel as large parts of St. Louis have been revitalized and given new life.
"We wanted the spirit of St. Louis to be subtly present throughout our design," Suomi said.
Redesigned hotel rooms include upgraded technology for guests including free access to their personal Netflix, YouTube, and music streaming accounts through 47-inch high-definition flat-panel TVs.
The renovated Marriott St. Louis Grand also includes three new meeting areas, marking a grand total of 36 meeting rooms with more than 65,000 square feet of space.
The Marriott Greatroom provides open space to work, lounge or enjoy drinks at the Zenia Bar & Grille. Contemporary furnishings set the room’s tone as an adaptive space that welcomes travelers. The food and beverage departments have also seen upgrades with the opening of the 8th Street Pantry, a grab-and-go market with fresh meal options locally sourced from the St. Louis area, including Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, The Billy Goat Chip Company, Fitz's sodas and KaKao Chocolate.
The Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel is just steps from the America's Center, St. Louis' downtown convention center. Short walks outside the front door can lead guests to the Edward Jones Dome, and St. Louis landmarks like Busch Stadium and the Gateway Arch.
