This story was originally published on October 17th, 2018 on the old website.
The joint venture between St. Louis based Vertical Realty Partners and Sioux City based Nelson Construction and Development is moving forward. The development is of a 150 room hotel in Downtown St. Louis in the old Municipal Courts building. The hotel has been planned for a while now and the first signs of progress are trickling in. The first signs of movement was back in August when Vertical Realty Partners applied for a construction permit to add fire sprinklers into the building. that phase has been completed according to a solid source, Nelson Construction. On top of all of this, they are saying that the potential reopening of the hotel is in Mid-2020 and the hotel branding will be a Hyatt Place.
The Hyatt Place brand has been expanding steadily in St. Louis with a location in Chesterfield and another one planned to rise near Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville. This location would be the brand's third in the Metropolitan area. "We believe that having the Hyatt Hotel in this location will be a real winner for us", says a representative at Nelson, "with the Enterprise Center, Stifel Theater, MetroLink, Highway and the Gateway Mall all at the hotel's doorstep, it makes this location a winner". Besides this, Nelson believes that the MetroLink and easy highway access are big plusses for this location as, "it gets you to wherever you want to go in the region in an effortless way and will make this hotel a prime place to stay for travelers".
The hotel will have a porte-cochere on 14th street and valet services to the current parking lot at 14th & Clark. Nelson says the "porte-cochere will add a modern flair to the baroque style building". In addition to the porte-cochere, a new parking garage and retail building will be constructed on the 14th & Clark lot upon completion of the hotel conversion. Where this hotel will really shine is on the inside and Nelson says, "tons of unique features will make this hotel the most unique in Downtown and, potentially, the most unique Hyatt Place in the nation".
Former courtrooms will be converted into nice commons areas including a business center, coffee shop, swimming pools and other things. Hotel rooms will reap the benefits of being in an old court building by offering higher than average ceilings and historic touches throughout. While a hotel room rendering couldn't be provided, Nelson says that the rooms will also offer local vibes ranging from locally sources materials to artwork showcasing some of St. Louis destinations. Nelson also said that all rooms will have great views but the best will be of City Hall and the Gateway Mall.
As for a construction timeline, the Nelson Representative couldn't comment on an exact start date but said that, "Nelson and Vertical Realty Partners plan to start in earnest, sometime next year". She also specified, "some of the design elements of the hotel could change depending on if the Hyatt Place flag stays with the hotel plans. If the hotel brand changes, some interior design elements may change as well, but ultimately, we are aiming for a local feel". The goal is to be open by Mid to Late 2020 and begin the parking garage following.
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