When you can say that the breakfast and the price (~$125) are the better parts of a hotel, well you might want to consider elsewhere - and that was with what appeared to be a renovated room.

The sort-of good: The breakfast here is plenty filing and diverse of food, and the booths along the window a great place to eat and watch the world (such as it is in Clayton) go by. The location is good for getting to WashU (which only has one hotel that's on campus), but more importantly for getting to all the financial firms that occupy this urban-like area. The hotel is also 3 blocks from the rail line, which means you can get downtown, to the university, or the airport without renting a car. The bathroom was bright and large enough.

The not good: We had two noisy, noisy rooms. Street noise came right through the very small window (that also let in a cold draft). Hallway noise (more than normal, we felt) came in through and under the door. And noise from the rooms came through the thin walls from two over! I've not stayed in a hotel as noisy as this for quite some time. As for the rooms themselves, they were adequate in furnishings, but really dark. The dark woods (think stained walnut) throughout don't help. It felt like an inadequately-lit northern european hotel. The shower fixtures in what looked like a renovated bathroom were partially hanging off the wall - enough so you couldn't use them to hold anything. The towels were nearly sandpaper (hint: there's this great invention called fabric softener - use it please). The bed was king sized but the pillows were tiny (it took all four laid end to end to span the bed width). That meant rolling off my pillows a couple times a night. While I found the bed comfortable, my wife found it harder than normal (and she's used to harder european beds), such that her upper back hurt the next day. Finally, the hallways and elevators need severe updating. The elevators are incredibly old, by which I don't mean quaint.

If St. Louis seems like an industrial city that time is passing by, this hotel was a perfect match for it.

I came to the St. Louis area to visit my daughter attending Washington University which is literally a 5 minute drive from the hotel, so that was definitely a plus. I came in on a Thursday and left on a Sunday - I was pleasantly surprised to learn that parking was free on Friday & Saturday nights, so I only got charged $6 on Thursday. I looked around the area, and for $6 you can't beat it. Everywhere else charges at least $14 no matter what day of the week. Clayton overall is a beautiful area with plenty of nice restaurants to walk to.

From the moment I checked in at the front desk, everyone I came in contact with was friendly and helpful, and I just got that overall sense that people cared and wanted us to be happy. The young man who checked me in, Eric, was very helpful with information about the local area and places to eat. On the first night, we asked how to get to the University. Eric gave me directions but then he told me that the shuttle happened to be available and offered to take us - that's service! Keyanna and Tara were two others that I remember going above and beyond for me, but EVERYONE was so nice! My room was clean and the housekeeping staff did a wonderful job.

Free breakfast in the morning was excellent - especially for the price (FREE). Internet was included and I wasn't charged for anything except my room and that one night of parking. It's been a while since I've been able to say that. The hotel is undergoing renovations, but it didn't cause me any inconvenience. I had a wonderful stay and will most definitely be back next time I'm visiting.

experience was excellent. I a light sleeper and was concerned about noise (and also concerned about a few of the reviews in Trip Advisor) so contacted Eric Howard who is the Front Office Manager and he was fantastic. He made sure my room was quiet and a renovated room.

The hotel had an very good breakfast and the staff wasvery attentive. I do not understand some of the previous reviews that were unhappy with the breakfast. (By the way, have a made to order omelet - they are outstanding.

Note that the weekend parking is free and there is self-parking so you do not have to pay the valet fee noted on the web site if you don't want to. (They also have a nice workout room if you choose to use it.)

(And yes, some of the hotel still could use a facelift, but I would not be concerned.)

Good location but needs some updates. Our room looked nice but beds sagged like hammocks without the breeze or sunshine! Bathrooms were tiny. Hallways were in need of freshening up. Breakfast was good. We found the location very central for St Louis but I'm not sure we would choose her again with a family.