Chase Park Plaza

I stayed at the Chase as a treat to myself on a work project that is really getting on my nerves. The location is great - even if it was not convenient to my project - in the Central West End, right across from Forest Park and near lots of great restaurants.

The hotel is beautiful, and while the room I stayed in was small (by US standards), it was nicely decorated with an HD TV.

The hotel has a couple restaurants and bars, which are highly rated and visited by locals - always a good sign.

Unique Quality: A movie theater is part of the hotel! You don't have to leave the building to go see a movie. I didn't have a chance to do this due to my hectic work schedule (and holiday shopping requirements), but I hear it is a great place to see a movie.

In the basement of the hotel is a full gym. Regular people have memberships to this gym and it has classes along with all the standard gym equipment. As a guest at the hotel, you can use this gym for free.

The windows in the rooms OPEN!

The Chase is the Grande Dame of St. Louis Hotels and was built in 1922. For many generations of St. Louisans it is THE place in St. Louis.

During its heyday the Chase hosted just about every important personage to pass thru St. Louis. Its location close to the Municipal theater in Forest Park, right across the street, meant that the stars who played that venue inevitably stayed at the Chase.

The elegant Chase Club was the place to see and be seen. I can recall a night I spent there trading jokes and getting drunk with Roseanne Arquette, at that time a relatively unknown opening act.

Actually two hotels, the Chase and the Park Plaza were joined together decades ago.
The Park Plaza side was converted into ultra elegant condos several years ago. The Chase closed but has now be remodeled and reopened as a hotel.

Located in the fashionable Central West End at the corner of Kingshyway and Lindel boulevard it is convenient to the huge medical center formed by the recent merger of Barnes, Jewish and children's hospitals and has easy access to both downtown St. Louis and Clayton, the close in suburb that is the second commercial center of the area.

Unique Quality: The views over Forest Park are supurb.

Have dinner in the Tenderloin room, one of the most elegant dining places in St. Louis. Slide into a stool at the piano bar and sing along with Barbara Gabrielli. Have Nick, the bartender, pour you some Ouzo, (he's Greek as is the owner) and you'll get a special smile.

Unique Quality: This hotel is worth a vacation in itself. It is a one-stop shop for all your wants and needs. It offers a movie theatre (both mainstream and avant-garde flicks), a workout facility, four restaurants & bars (each with its own unique flavor), an outdoor pool, and little boutiques inside. It is within easy walking distance to Forest Park and Euclid Avenue in the heart of the Central West End, lined with shops, cafes, art studios, and anything else you can imagine. What a terrific neighborhood. It was recently rehabbed to its former glory after sitting vacant for over 10 years. Today the Chase is the Place.