Michael and Steven Roberts, flanked by St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, Comptroller Darlene Greene, 17th Ward Alderman Joe Roddy and other dignitaries, cut the ribbon for the grand opening of Hotel Indigo in the Central West End Tuesday, June 30, 2009.
The hotel, which opened in 1958 as the Bel Air West Motel, was the first motor hotel in the city of St. Louis and the first hotel in the city outside of downtown. In recent years, the hotel was operated as the Best Western Inn at the Park.
The Roberts brothers bought the hotel in 2007 and began a $10 million renovation to spruce up the aging building. The building, designed in the American mid-century modernist style, was recently named to the National Register of Historic Places and picked up a Most Enhanced award earlier this year from Landmarks Association of St. Louis.
“We’ve had our eye on this hotel for several years now,” said Steven Roberts. “The structure showed so much promise, and we were thrilled when the opportunity came to restore it to its former glory while adding a new, chic brand to the market.”
The 127-room boutique hotel, located at 4630 Lindell, features contemporary decor, wood-grain floors with area rugs, luxury bathrooms, free high-speed internet access, a 24-hour business center and meeting space. The lobby and restaurant dining room feature inspirational quotations printed backwards in a nod to Leonardo DaVinci’s “mirror writing.” Murals, music and even the scent wafting through the lobby will change with the seasons. A small bar and bistro called Phi – another nod to DaVinci – offers gourmet food and a full-service bar.
“Today I am very happy to say that we are the owners of the newest hotel and probably the coolest hotel in the city of St. Louis,” said Michael Roberts, who thanked his family, staff and local officials for their work on the project.
Alderman Roddy presented a proclamation from the Board of Aldermen to the Roberts brothers and commended them and other developers for investing in the area. "This is a wonderful hotel and adds a whole new dimension to what we have going on down here," he said.
Michael and Steven Roberts, who grew up in north St. Louis and previously served as city aldermen, have developed a number of major projects downtown and in north St. Louis, including Roberts Lofts and the Roberts Orpheum. The Roberts Cos. has grown to 77 companies in the fields of real estate, construction, hotels, radio, television and more.
Roberts Hotels, which owns 11 hotels across the country, have plans for a second Hotel Indigo downtown. The Hotel Indigo brand, with 28 properties open worldwide and more than 60 hotels under development, is part of InterContinental Hotels Group.