Le Méridien Clayton

 

By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
August 4, 2021

Location. Location. Location! One of the reasons I wanted to stay at the Le Méridien St. Louis Clayton was because it was so close to all the things I wanted to see. Though I had traveled to other parts of Missouri previously, it was my first trip to St. Louis and there were a lotttttt of places I wanted to visit.

The hotel is located in the business district, which I feared would make it a boring place to stay. But there are numerous delicious restaurants to walk to, the lobby is clean and welcoming, and the staff members are friendly without being intrusive.

It’s also just a few minutes drive from Forest Park, which is where many of the attractions we wanted to see were located. Speaking of which, if you have time, do head over to Forest Park, where they offer many beautiful and free (!!) attractions (Missouri History Museum, Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis Science Center, Saint Louis Zoo). Note: Some of the attractions require reservations (to limit the number of visitors to each attraction). I booked all these prior to leaving home. Doing so helped us plan our days better, too.

I didn’t have enough time to check out the Shakesepeare Festival St. Louis or The Muny. Maybe next time?!

It was a slightly longer drive to visit the Gateway Arch, but traffic wasn’t bad at all compared to downtown Chicago.

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One of the reasons we wanted a hotel with a pool was because Missouri during the summer can be miserable. After walking around all day, it was refreshing to take a dip in the Le Méridien’s beautiful, third floor roof-top pool. We only used it once, though, because there were some days where it was simply too crowded. And even though my family is fully vaccinated and we wore our masks, we didn’t want to take any risks during a pandemic.

 

Just the facts:

Le Méridien St. Louis Clayton, 7730 Bonhomme Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63105 (314-863-0400). Complimentary WiFi for its rewards club members. Because of COVID-19 protocols, you will have the option of having maid service daily or per your request. If you opt for maid service, be sure to leave tips each day they clean, rather than a lump sum on your last day. The cleaning staff may be different on the day you leave than the day you checked in.

From their website: 

Le Meridien St. Louis Clayton is where the creative minded, the culture seekers and those who live to savor the moment unlock the destination of St. Louis. With 268 thoughtfully designed hotel rooms and 17,000 square feet of stylish event space, we guide our guests through the nuances of what makes this city great. Located in the epicenter of the chic Clayton business district, minutes from Forest Park and downtown Saint Louis, this Clayton hotel celebrates art through an effortless blend of simplicity and comfort with style and detail. Delight in the nostalgia of form and function in our nod to Mid-Century Modern design while remaining fearless to indulge in the new and exciting inside our food and beverage programs. Join us in this genuine journey while we pay homage to the European heritage of St. Louis through curated guest experiences and the elevated custom of service.

Where to eat:

 

We received breakfast vouchers to eat at the hotel’s Cafe La Vie. While our son opted for eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast every morning, the husband and I ordered their delicious avocado toast each day. We are all big eaters, but the breakfast was so filling that we skipped lunch and went straight to dinner after our outings. If you’re unsure of how the vouchers work, be sure to ask at the front desk before you use them. On one of our last mornings at the hotel, a pair of German businessmen were seated at the table over and were haranguing the server. (I know they were German, because the obnoxious one loudly announced where he was from and how things were done there.) They had ordered items that weren’t eligible for the free breakfast and placed the blame on the employee.

This is a good time to mention that while the vouchers say that gratuity is included, they’re not really. Well, the server gets $2 regardless of the order. That is not enough for servers to make a living. So, regardless of your opinion on tipping, bear in mind that in the United States, servers rely on tips. So please be sure to leave a decent tip for them … especially if  your meal is free.

We also walked to Pastaria one night for dinner. For takeaway, we ordered from Sushi Ai (which was very good, but the terriyaki was lacking) as well as two Korean eateries. K-Bop‘s bowls were easy to eat on our beds. (Our room didn’t have a coffeetable, but we made do just fine by spreading towels on our beds to keep the sheets clean.) And Sides of Seoul had HUGE rolls of delicious kimbap. The mandu and teokbokki were also delicious. But their 해물파전 (seafood pancake) was overly doughy and disappointing.

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