Saint Louis Hotel News September, 2003 St. Louis Hotels Guide www.hotels-stl.com St. Louis Hotels Guide is a complete resource of hotels listed by area for your convenience. Please call ahead to confirm information or for reservations. St. Louis Hotel News spotlight on development and events at area hotels. "If it's happening in St. Louis, it's on St. Louis Front Page." St. Louis News St. Louis CitySide Business News Community News St. Charles News Southwest, IL News Art Gallery News Restaurant News Local Attractions Entertainment Shopping Guide Weather Downtown Map Gateway Arch Busch Stadium America's Center Savvis Center Union Station Metropolitan Map Central West End Clayton Forest Park West Port Plaza St. Charles Lambert Airport Transportation How To Reach Us: St. Louis Front Page P.O. Box 1354 St. Louis, MO 63188 Voice: 314-771-0200 Fax: 314-771-0300 To submit restaurant news, contact: editor@slfp.com To advertise, contact: advertising@slfp.com

Hotels Lead the Way in Online Travel Bookings EDMONTON, Alberta, (PRNewswire), September 16, 2003 - Consumers find it easier to book hotels online than flights, but there's still room for improvement, a study by Edmonton-based Web Mystery Shoppers International Inc. has found. At the airline booking sites studied, 37% of Web Mystery Shoppers(TM) got error messages when they tried to fill in forms, versus only 15% at the hotel sites. When asked if they would recommend the site to a friend, the average response from hotel shoppers was 4.25 on a 5 point scale (where 5 meant "definitely"), versus only 3.86 for those trying to book airplane tickets. However, 75% of air travelers versus only 59% of hotel bookers were confident that they knew what the total costs would be before starting to place their orders. "Booking a hotel is easier because there aren't usually as many different options to choose from," notes Tema Frank, president of Web Mystery Shoppers International Inc. "But I was surprised to find that the airline sites are doing a better job of telling people what their plans will cost. Even business travelers do usually have a budget, so they need to know the costs to make a decision." Other frustrations for hotel bookers: Getting a long list of results with no way to sort it by price. Lack of maps or information about where the hotel was located relative to key tourist or business attractions. Not being told how much taxes or other fees would add to their total costs before they had to enter their credit card information. Lack of photographs of the rooms or hotels under consideration. These 30 hotel chains and booking agency web sites were studied: Best Western Inc., Cheaprooms.com, Cheaptickets.com, Comfort Inns, Country Inns & Suites, Crowne Plaza, Days Inn, EconoLodge, Expedia.com, Fairmont Hotels, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Hampton Inns, Hilton Hotels, Holiday Inn, Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, Hyatt Hotels, Marriott, Motel 6, Octopustravel.com, Orbitz.com, Priceline.com, Radisson Hotels and Resorts, Red Roof Inns, Sheraton, Super 8, Travelocity.com, Travelogia.com, Travelweb.com, and Westin Hotels. Historic Omni Majestic Hotel Celebrates 90th Birthday in September ST. Louis, MO, (SLFP.com), September 9, 2003 - The historic Omni Majestic Hotel is celebrating its 90th birthday during the month of September. Listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings, this elegant, concierge-style, European boutique hotel is located in the heart of downtown St. Louis on Pine Street. The Majestic Hotel was originally opened in 1913, attracting large numbers of prosperous business travelers who arrived in St. Louis, known as the Gateway to the West, via one of the 26 railroads that operated into downtown. Originally adopting the slogan "Comfort without Extravagance," the Majestic Hotel was one of the first in St. Louis to declare itself "absolutely fireproof." The "Renaissance" style design for the nine-story, steel frame, brick curtain wall structure with terra cotta was built from plans by Albert B. Groves. Each of the 204 guestrooms featured a private bath or shower, telephone and electric fan; all considered very modern amenities for the time. Throughout its history the hotel has served as a home away from home to hundreds of celebrities, dignitaries and prominent citizens including: Oprah Winfrey, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Sting, Bill Cosby, Walter Mondale, U2, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Yogi Berra. The hotel was closed in 1979 and reopened in 1987 with 91 spacious guestrooms and billed as "St. Louis' Only European Concierge Hotel." Mackey & Associates designed the renovation with the help of a $15 million historic tax credit. Along with the expanded guestrooms, the renovation featured a new entrance to the hotel. In 1997, Omni Hotels purchased the Majestic and pledged to preserve its rich and illustrious history. Additional investments were made and will continue to be made to maintain the hotels original luxurious state. Construction Begins on Saint Charles Convention Center and Hotel Complex Artist's rendering of the Embassy Suites Hotel - Saint Charles ST. CHARLES, MO, (SLFP.com), September 3, 2003 - A ground breaking ceremony for the $71.3 million Saint Charles Convention Center and Embassy Suites Hotel kicked off Wednesday morning with the firing of a cannon at the construction site, located on 23 acres off I-70 between Fifth Street and First Capitol Drive. The Embassy Suites - Saint Charles and the Saint Charles Convention Center is expected to have a tremendous economic impact in the area, bringing more than 500 full-time jobs and nearly $1 million in annual tax revenue. The complex will add more than 144,000 square feet of meeting space to the area, with 5,200 square feet of flexible meeting space on-site at the hotel. "Saint Charles serves as the pinnacle of Missouri's fastest growing county, and I'm honored to be a part of the strong economic growth happening in such an exciting and historic city," said Mr. John Q. Hammons, owner and developer of the $36 million, 265-suite Embassy Suites Hotel. See groundbreaking ceremonies for Embassy Suites Hotel. Archived Hotel News: Wyndham Announces Sale of the Mayfair to the Roberts Companies Drury Hotels Introduces FREE High-Speed Internet Access in All Rooms Drury Ranks #1 in Mid-Price Hotels LodgeNet Premiering Multiple Oscar® Winning 'Chicago' in May Six Continents Hotels Implements Policy to Waive Cancellation Fees Marriott International Name Most Admired Company in Lodging Industry Best Western Announces Major Expansion Downtown St. Louis Landmark Reopens As Renaissance Grand Hotel Travelers Connected Through High-Speed Internet at Hotels New Drury Inn & Suites Hotel Opens in Columbia, Missouri Largest Rollout of Wireless Internet Access in the Hotel Industry Mobil Four- and Five-Star Awards Announced Hotels Find Meeting Planner Satisfaction Means More Return Visits Hotels Face Sharp Decline in Business in 2003 Extensive Renovation Continues on the Renaissance Grand Hotel Architectural Gem Opens Downtown Convention Hotel Complex on Schedule The St. Louis Hotels Guide is owned and maintained by the Moore Design Group for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan Saint Louis area. Text or graphics may not be copied, rewritten or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission. For more information, contact editor@slfp.com All rights reserved world wide © 1997 - 2003 Moore Design Group.

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