EmilySpinach

Silverwing, you really need to visit WashU and the surrounding areas. You have a completely wrong idea of the whole area. You willl be very pleasantly surprised.

HartinGA

The area immediately around the university is unaffordable to the vast majority of us and is filled with very nice, old homes. It is very upscale. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Clayton. Clayton is a sleepy little town that is very quiet at night. It has downtown office buildings and hotels. The CP was OK, but probably not up to par for that brand name.

ST2

If you want to save some money, you can stay a bit further from WashU. Last time we found a deal on hotwire.com for the Milenium Hotel downtown $69 per night with a view of the Arch. At other times we have stayed close to the airport where decent hotels are in the $50 to $70 range. We usually rent a car (they are inexpensive and handy in St Louis). Since nothing is far away in St Louis (usually at the most a 20 to 25 minute drive) - we have not stayed in the Clayton area for the past few years.

cgarrett101@aol.

I have relatives whom we frequently visit in Clayton, and it is a beautiful area, as is the area around WUSTL. I am really not sure where anyone gets the idea that it is a bad area.....

ST2

Just an addition to the above post. The only reason we have not stayed in the Clayton area is price. As far as the area - it is beautiful and very safe. That also describes anywhere in the immediate campus vicinity. Our junior decided to live off campus this year and feels very safe at all times.

newhere

Cheap and nice place, the Residence Inn by Marriott across from The Galleria Mall.

tmi

My D went to Wash U in early April and stayed in the dorms 3 nights, so I stayed at Crowne Plaza for 3 nights. Because of a hot water malfunction, I was moved for 2nd and 3rd nts to a room in the EXECUTIVE tower-huge difference. The room was great, unlike the 1st room which was pretty depressing. I had a really good rate, maybe 109 a night. I would only stay there again in EXEC tower. I've heard Sheraton is nice. Clayton is really nice and safe, with some great restaurants...pm me if you want addl info... I would not stay downtown, you might get a good rate but not the feeling of safety you get in Clayton. Plus if you're renting a car hotel parking rates downtown can be really high.

FilAm_mom

If this is the first time you are visiting Wash U, then staying at a nearby hotel (Clayton area) is really recommended. The hotels downtown are okay, too. (Downtown is just a few miles from the school.) As for safety, we felt pretty safe. HoteLumiere is a new hotel by the river downtown. We stayed there a couple of times, before it was renamed and had good experiences. For future visits you might want to check out the hotels in Westport Plaza. They are less expensive than the ones closer to the school, but since we always brought a car it worked well for us.

ST2

tmi - We have found having a car during our visits has been very usefull. It helps for shopping and general mobility. From what I remember, the Sheraton also charges for parking. As for safety, we have never felt unsafe in any of the downtown hotels we have used. I also agree with the Westport area, it offers a large choice of hotels and is only 15-20 minutes from WashU by car. At the same time Clayton can also be a good choice. I base my comments on three years worth of visits.

tmi

Renting a car allowed me to explore St. Louis and really enjoy my stay. BTW, CP charged $6 a day parking but I think it was free on the weekend nights... Wherever anyone stays, check parking rates ahead of time. In my case, I got a great rate at the Omni downtown but the parking rate was steep...

MidwestParent

Just blew in from St. Louis - went to D's final concert of the year! We stayed at the Knight Center, as we try to do when it is available. We have also stayed at the Sheraton Clayton Plaza and the Ritz (which has gotten VERY expensive), and both are great! Here is a link from the WashU site about hotels they recommend - Visit Us. Not sure if these have all been mentioned. I waited so long to get a reservation for when we go back to load D up next week that the closest I could find was I think a Marriott at the Galleria, which is also not far. We drove by the Cheshire Hotel Saturday and I asked H if he thought we should check and see if it was available next week. Just looking at the outside he said, NO I'd rather stay at the Galleria!

FilAm_mom

Midwest parent, I understand what you meant when you said, "blew in from St. Louis", ha ha. It has been so windy here in the midwest the past few days.
We also waited so long to get a reservation for S1's graduation,and all the Clayton hotels are already booked so we will be staying at the Sheraton downtown. We have not stayed at the hotels by the Galleria. They are always booked, too. We have not stayed at the Cheshire either. It just does not look good from the outside alone.

funployee

It's too bad the Executive Center is already full because that place was awesome! They gave the guests acess to a pantry. We got all the free food we want! My room was very nice as well. It's right on campus next to Busch Hall.

bicoastalmom

D graduated last year. I stayed at a number of places over the four years and will attempt to share my impressions...

Residence Inn Marriott near the Galleria - stayed there most frequently, especially when traveling with family or when D wanted to escape from campus, as there is lots of space. Kitchens in units, also nice breakfast included. Convenient to mall (shopping and Cheesecake Factory!), reasonable, but you need a car (btw pretty reasonable to rent in St Louis). Convenient to airport access. BUT did not feel comfortable staying there all by myself - rooms are not entered through a lobby but more "condo" style.

Crowne Park Plaza Clayton
Stayed there twice when visiting alone. Was very comfortable, safe and convenient.

Knight Center
Only got in there once, but was very comfortable staying there alone. Loved the snacks on the conference center floor, and D was living right across the street in Millbrook Apts!

Cheshire Inn
Ugh. Dark. Smelled like vomit in the elevator. Don't do it.

Hyatt Regency at Union Station
Stayed there with D once when heading east in the car. Was reasonable and safe, not too close to campus but we were heading out so it didn't matter.

Ritz Carlton
Stayed there twice, once when first visiting school with D (OK maybe I was trying to influence her decision!) and once when visiting D with a girlfriend. Was very nice but pricey.

Chase Park Plaza.
Stayed there with family for graduation. Was worth it!!!

runnersmom

HEADS UP for those with kids in the Class of 2009...Sheraton Clayton is already booked for graduation weekend 2009, as is the Hampton Inn & Suites, the Drury Suites and I think, the Crowne Plaza. I was able to book rooms that can be cancelled at the Westin, and reservations open Thursday at the Chase Park. The Chase Park, however, will charge a one night, non-refundable deposit for each reservation. Once you pass 30 days out however (like April 14, 2009), the entire reservation will be charged. The Ritz hasn't started accepting reservations yet, but I suspect they will be VERY expensive. Currently the graduation weekend rate for this year is double the regular weekend rate.

However, on the original topic, any of the hotels mentioned here are safe and convenient to Wash U. We have always stayed at the Sheraton, but clearly we will have a different destination for graduation next year!