Art is king at this perk-packed American Midwest hotel

The hotel

21c Museum Hotel, St Louis, Missouri.

Check-in

An installation by conceptual artist Serkan Ozkaya is permanent fixture in the Museum Hotel’s lobby.

21c Museum Hotel St Louis is the eighth from the eponymous hotel group, which started as an art-focused endeavour by two “preservationists and art collectors” in Louisville, Kentucky. Built in 1926 as the Downtown YMCA branch for the youth of St Louis, it successfully executes the brief: reinvent with pizzazz, glamour and fun while retaining the heart and history of a space significant to the local community.

The look

King Suite at Museum Hotel.

The building’s history is honoured with careful detailing (leather upholstery on the lobby desk is reminiscent of a baseball glove; the punchy orange of the signature 21c penguin sculpture is a perfect shade of basketball orange) that is sophisticated and timeless. Art is a central focus in every room, from the massive marble-like globe of water (O by Serkan Ozkaya) as you enter the lobby, to the more than 90 pieces of art in the second-floor galleries.

The room

The loft double queen room at Museum Hotel was once a racquetball court.

The original St Louis YMCA had 400 rooms, but the reimagined hotel has 173. We’re in the loft double queen room, which was once a racquetball court. (The ceiling height and original thin timber-plank flooring give it away.) It’s now spacious enough to enjoy two marshmallow-plush queen beds; a relaxed sitting area with a three-person green-velvet love seat, wide leather chair and coffee cabinet; and a generous bathroom with bathtub and complimentary rubber ducky. Each room’s footprint is slightly different, and your view is too: we overlook a glittering skyline of St Louis’ finest as well as city landmark, Campbell House Museum.

Food + drink

Dazzling ceiling mural at Good Press cafe, Museum Hotel.

The hotel’s cafe, Good Press does morning eggs, slabs of salmon-topped toast and bowl-sized lavender lattes but Idol Wolf and the adjacent lobby bar hum until the wee hours. Pintxo-inspired nibbles, such as stacks of charred octopus and thinly-sliced potato with crispy breadcrumbs and squid-ink sauce or punchy, spicy deconstructed sardines-in-can with deep-fried Saltines – pair delectably with red sangria and the moody candlelight that matches claret-coloured tiled walls. Elsewhere in the hood Aubergine Cafe offers knockout Thai fish curry and Rosalita’s Cantina has happy hour margaritas for $US6.

Out + about

The restaurant Idol Wolf takes inspiration from the culinary traditions of Spain.

You’re surrounded by the best of St Louis’ eclectic architecture and museums. It’s a six-minute drive or 25-minute flat walk to the city’s famous Gateway Arch and about the same to baseball mecca Busch Stadium. There is a school bus hanging off the roof and a 10-storey slide, so you can trust City Museum, a six-minute walk away, will keep kids entertained. The National Blues Museum is a five-minute drive away and home to Thursday night jam sessions.

The verdict

A full-throttle, perk-packed hotel experience that buzzes with spirit, style and soul.

Essentials

Art is the focus at 21C Museum Hotel.

From $394 ($US245) a night, including unlimited access to Locust Street Athletic Club and facilities. The hotel features eight accessible rooms. See 21cmuseumhotels.com

Our score out of five

★★★★½

Highlight

This cultural flame that was once stoked by the YMCA schedule remains well lit with a roster of community-centric involvement to keep you active and inspired.

Lowlight

Watch your toes: the bathroom vanity baseboard is not inset, so you might bang into it once … or thrice.

The writer visited with support from 21c Museum Hotels.