Hotel Review: Marriott St. Louis Airport

By Kin Enriquez -

On my third business trip to St. Louis I decided to skip Crowne Plaza and stay in a different hotel. I still stayed in the same general area - near the airport and around 15 minutes away from the office. The hotel I booked was Marriott St. Louis Airport, and it became my temporary home for two weeks.

The deluxe room

Rooms
I got a non-smoking, deluxe room with a king-sized bed. It is air-conditioned but it was winter when I was there, so I would have preferred a more functional heater. The room comes with a shower/tub combination, a desk and a chair, another chair with an ottoman, alarm clock, and a television. 

The decor of the room is kind of uninspiring and bland.

The TV

Amenities
Amenities include a 24-hour gym and an indoor and outdoor pool, which I never get to use because it was still winter and temperatures sometimes drop to -1C. There's also a business center, and same-day laundry. Laundry services are kind of pricey - true in all hotels. Having a pair of socks laundered would cost about $4 per pair.

Free WiFi is provided in the lobby area (and coverage reaches the restaurant), but if you want wired or wireless Internet access in your room you have to cough up $12.95 per day. This is my persistent complaint in hotels; WiFi access is usually not free, an amenity freely available in cheap hostels. On-demand movies are available but I don't usually purchase those.

You can buy bottled water or soda in vending machines in every floor where , but they are not cheap - it's $2.75 a pop. 

The bathroom

Bar/Restaurants
The hotel has one restaurant, Rock River Grill, serving mainly steaks, seafood and sandwiches for lunches and dinner. Main courses cost between $20 to $36, burgers, $12 and beer, $6. The bar, called Rock River Tavern, is located near the lobby. I get my green tea latte every morning before I go to the office at a Starbucks kiosk near the concierge.

If you're tired of eating at Rock River Grill you can go to a BBQ place next door called Bandana's Bar-B-Q. A Lombardo's is also just a few blocks away.

Taking a selfie at the gym

Staff
I've dealt with both helpful and indifferent staff during my stay. When I arrived there was a problem with my AMEX so my payment won't go through, but the concierge was kind enough to let me go up my room so I can settle down first and have the time to call the card company. One also was helpful when I have Amazon packages delivered to my room. Some staff are indifferent though, especially if they get busy during check-ins, and they usually would offer you the hotel limousine first when you want a cab. The hotel limousine, driver by a Russian emigre, was a nice ride though. It's a Lincoln Town Car.

The indoor pool

Price
Daily rates range from $99 to $119. 

 Loyalty Program
Marriott has a loyalty program which you earn points for every night's stay. I set mine to automatically convert the points to Delta Skymiles. 

A meal from Rock River Grill

How to Get There
The Marriott St. Louis Airport is located in Pear Tree Lane, just across Terminal 1 of the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (which is also connected to the Metrolink system). You can take a free shuttle from the airport going to the hotel. 

The hotel taxi - a Lincoln Town Car

Useful Info
Website: marriott.com/hotels/travel/stlap-st-louis-airport-marriott
Telephone: 1.314.423.9700

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