Accommodations - Field Trip: St. Louis

Last Updated: Thursday, 13-Sep-2018 20:00:57 MDT
Field Trip to St. Louis
ACCOMMODATIONS

In making your plans to visit St. Louis, where do you stay?
Here are five areas that offer clusters of hotels/motels. Four of the five areas offer price ranges that run from economy to upper end. I agree with St. Louis mail list participant, Pam Huss, when she writes: "Anywhere inside the I-270 loop can get you downtown St. Louis in about 1/2 hour in off peak times". If you have suggestions you would like to share with others, please pass them along to me and I will add them to this page.


Detail of Mapquest designed to pinpoint areas for hotels
Map courtesy of Mapquest

#1 - Lambert Airport: There are more than a dozen hotels available within five to ten minutes of the airport. This includes major chains such as Doubletree, Travelodge, Holiday Inn, Hampton Inn, Hilton, and Motel 6.

#2 - Maryland Heights: This area also offers a sizeable selection of hotels, including such names as Best Western, Red Roof Inn, Comfort Inn, La Quinta, and Holiday Inn. In 1998 I stayed at the La Quinta Inn which was a very nice hotel. The organizers of the Kearey-Keehne family reunion arranged for a reduced rate which was much appreciated. When you look at the map Maryland Heights appears to be quite a ways from downtown St. Louis, but I found it fairly easy to get around. Most days I would head out in the morning and not return to the hotel until evening, so distance really wasn't a problem.

#3 - Sunset Hills & South Kirkwood: Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn, and Best Western are clustered on Lindbergh Blvd./Kirkwood Road near the I-44. There is a Comfort Inn located a little further south on Lindbergh. In 2001 I stayed at the Hampton Inn, which is a nice facility that offers a complimentary breakfast. It is located about 15 minutes south of the St. Louis County Library. It is a slower drive because it is all surface street taking you through Kirkwood. AAA members note: neither the Hampton Inn nor the Comfort Inn were listed in the Tour Book for the Sunset Hills area. I found this Hampton Inn location by searching the Hampton Inn Home Page.

#4 - Richmond Heights & Clayton: Some of the more expensive hotels are clustered in this area, such as the Ritz-Carlton, Radisson, and Sheraton. There is also a Residence by Marriott. The Hilton St. Louis Frontenac, which is actually west of this cluster, is located one or two blocks north of the County Library on Lindbergh.

#3 - Downtown: This cluster covers a larger geographic area than the previous areas. Hampton Inn Union Station is located on the western edge near Jefferson and Market, and Regal Riverfront Hotel is on the east, near the Old Cathedral. In between you have chains such as Hyatt Regency, Holiday Inn, Marriott and Embassy Suites.




How do you find out how much the rooms will cost?
If you are a AAA member, visit your local office and ask for a Tour Book for Missouri (it also includes Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma). While you are there ask for a map for St. Louis. They have a very good one. As with my Hampton Inn experience in Sunset Hills, be aware that the Tour Book does not list all facilities in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The Automobile Club of Southern California has a web site and members can access information online as well. I would imagine that other regions also have online access.

Not a AAA member?
You can also access the hotel chain home pages online. Type in the name of the city you are looking for and see if that chain has a hotel in the area. You can find out a great deal of information regarding a hotel's location, amenities, price, etc. Here are a few web sites:

  • Best Western
  • Comfort Inn
  • Hampton Inn
  • Holiday Inn
  • Motel 6

    If there is a particular chain you want to check out you can use one of the Internet's search engines to locate the home page. Microsoft Internet Explorer short cuts the process --> type the name of the hotel chain into the Address window of your browser and it will generate a list of web pages or it will take you automatically to the home page.


    If you have suggestions you would like to add to this page, please email me.




    Suggestions From Other Researchers:

    Pam Huss, St. Louis Mail List Subscriber, June 2001:
    In my opinion, I would stay somewhere near the I-64/40 and Lindbergh area. Both the LDS FHC and St. Louis County library with the holdings of the St. Louis Genealogical Society as well as it's own wonderful collection are within a mile of that intersection. Granted, there are few hotels in the immediate area, but there is one right at the intersection, the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac. Even being at this location in the county, you could be at the downtown St. Louis main library in 20-30 minutes tops. The I-44 & Lindbergh location has a better selection of hotels and is just a few minutes south of the library & FHC. Anywhere inside the I-270 loop can get you downtown St. Louis in about 1/2 hour in off peak times.

    I would recommend the Lindbergh/Watson Rd/I-44 area for lodging over the above mentioned Hilton for both price, quality, and selection reasons. Also, just west of 270 on I-44 in the Fenton area (Bowles Ave exit), there are several hotels built with in the last couple years of the Drury, Peartree, Holiday Inn Express, Fairfield, etc. types. I know the first two are there for sure.




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    Field Trip to St. Louis

    Planning Ahead

    Field Trip - 1998

    Field Trip - 2001

    The Old Cathedral