Meet Me in St. Louis: Sleep
Southwest's Spirit Magazine
June 2010
PRESIDENTS, CELEBRITIES, and royalty have slept at the elegant Chase Park Plaza Hotel, towering above the Central West Endjust across from Forest Park.
The Chase opened in 1922, and seven years later, construction began on the adjacent Park Plaza Hotel. The two shared management almost from the beginning, and today they function as one entity, a landmark paying tribute to art deco style with a grandlobby, marble hallways, towering ceilings,and crystal chandeliers.
The opulent hotel has always been a magnet for celebrities and political leaders, having hosted every U.S. president from the1920s through the 1990s. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, and Bob Hope have all graced The Chase, singing at the former nightclub that's now home to its own five-screen cinema. And from the 1930s to the1950s, the Starlight and Zodiac rooms high atop the hotel swung to the beat of big bands broadcast nationwide.
Duck into Chaser's Lounge for a quiet pre-dinner drink; then head to The Tenderloin Room, laden with rich fabrics and carved mahogany. This steakhouse has been serving its famous Pepperloin à la Tenderloin since the 1960s, the same period when The Chase became the first hotel in the Midwestto offer a lavish Sunday brunch, a tradition that continues today in the chic Eau Bistro.
Thanks to a $16 million renovation last year, the hotel features a business center,65,000 square feet of meeting space, a salon and spa, a massive fitness center, and an outdoor heated pool surrounded by fountains and carved stone porticoes. In the 1970s, "The Chase is the place" was the catchy slogan that spoke of the strong connection between St. Louisans, visitors and this timeless hotel. And that slogan still rings true today. Rooms start at $189.
