 | 18 stories of red brick and terra cotta ornamented 1920's elegance, the Magnolia Hotel is one of the luxury boutique hotels you can stay at on your trip to St. Louis. Last year I went on a three day overnight trip their with the twins (You can read about that here and here). We stayed in the Daily Value Inn. Serviceable, but not outstanding. A recent one day trip with Rosencrantz and Sacajawea gave me a chance to see another part of St. Louis. Downtown, in all of it's historic glamour and evenly paved sidewalks. We splurged on the Magnolia after realizing we would be spending most of our time in the hotel. |
The 182 room hotel was first opened by hotel manager Mr. Heiss in 1925. He was from Bavaria and if my reading from British detective fiction is accurate, the Bavarians are known for their service.
Nothing seems to have changed in the past ninety odd years it's been open. The service was impeccable and the hotel was beautiful in all of it's retro glory. There were chandeliers, stained glass, white bed sheets, and a beautiful view of the hotel across the street.
| I was obsessed with our room and our neatly wrapped bar of soap. It was clean, pristine, and not a single bed bug in site. I took a picture just to remind myself of how poor I am. Six dollars for a small pot of coffee, a five dollar delivery charge, and an include 25% gratuity charge can do that to you. The hotel was designed by Preston J. Bradshaw. He was a famous St. Louis architect and I use the phrase “famous” loosely. He had regional fame if you were into architects, but he was certainly not a Frank Lloyd Wright. The hotel was beautiful. |  |
On multiple occassions the hotel has been renovated, the most recent renovation changed it from the the Roberts Mayfair Hotel to the Magnolia Hotel. Originally the hotel was known simple as the Mayfair Hotel. The hotel was modern and the pipes had good pressure. The three elevators also move fast enough to make you spill your milk on the wood inlaid floors.
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 | Every night the Magnolia Hotel sets out complimentary milk and cookies. My heart is warmed, especially after finding $5 bottles of Voss Water in our rooms. The hotel has also been host to a string of Hollywood celebrities. Most notably Cary Grant who has his own suite named after him on the 18th floor to remind guests of the hotel's vast history. Cary Grant has been acknowledged for starting the practice of placing chocolate on a hotel pillow. According to legend he placed placed a chocolate on the pillow to seduce his female companion. |
Other guests such as Irving Berlin, President Truman, and John Barrymore of the Barrymore family have marked the hotels intensive guest list.
 #NeverTrump | Unfortunately their were no tragic stories to suggest anything sinister going on from the quick google search I did. No murders. No suicides. Although, apparently guests used to sneak into the hotel kitchen to find out how the chef made his famous salad dressing. None succeeded. These three college students enjoyed our stay there. It was gorgeous and historic, just like my mother. We might have spent too much money, but with beds as soft and wifi as quick, what is the cost of a hotel room when split three ways? We even used the gym and found the ice room. The hotel practically played for itself. I have a bottle of hair conditioner in my luggage right now. |
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