Julz's » St. Louis, MO

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Located in the 1894 Union Station rail terminal, the Hyatt Regency St. Louis is housed in one of the most impressive buildings in the city, eight blocks from the riverfront and one block from the hockey arena. This is the most unusual hotel in St. Louis, though the guest rooms don’t live up to the promise of the public areas. The grand station also houses a dining, shopping and entertainment complex, so the Hyatt’s fine dining room and Italian eatery are just a start. There are plenty more options for eating and entertainment without ever stepping outside the property. An outdoor pool and an average gym provide exercise options. The former station’s ornate waiting room is now the hotel’s grandiose lobby and only the most jaded could walk in and be unimpressed. Guest rooms at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis fall flat in comparison, however, and don’t hold up to the standards of the other deluxe hotels in town. Ideally, rooms in the original structure would be outfitted with quality antiques and gilded finery on par with the grand architecture. Instead they just look old and tired, like an old aunt’s house that hasn’t changed since you first visited as a kid. Rooms in the newer wing sport modern touches more in keeping with a standard Hilton. (As in when you wake up and look around, you might forget whether you are in St. Louis or St. Paul.) Still, these quarters feel much better maintained, so request one of the remodeled rooms to avoid being stuck with an older dud, then gravitate to the public areas to really enjoy the architecture.

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