Midwestern boutique hotels offer distinctive, elegant and sometimes
offbeat places to enjoy a holiday getaway that’s close to home.
By Patricia Treacy

Bill Kimpton, an investment banker, despised the cookie-cutter hotel chains of the early 1980s. He wanted to create a more intimate hotel experience with personalized services and a sense of adventure. When he opened the Clarion Bedford Hotel in San Francisco in 1981, he fathered the boutique hotel concept.

Top (in Ttitle): Chicago’s Amalfi Hotel, named for the Amalfi Coast in Italy, virtually glows at night and is close to shops, restaurants and galleries. Above: The Amalfi’s 215 rooms feature Egyptian cotton bedding, DVD players and more. Amalfi Hotel photos

Kelly Clarke of Omni’s headquarters defines boutique hotels as properties with less than a couple of hundred rooms and a high level of service.

“They’re smaller and can react to trends faster than larger hotels. They’re on the cutting edge,” she said.

Boutique hotels in the Midwest can be elegant or offbeat, historic or contemporary, and are a welcome package for the holiday traveler.

The Omni Majestic, St. Louis

You don’t have to be a king or queen to feel at home at the Omni Majestic Hotel, 1019 Pine St., in downtown St. Louis. “We treat all our guests like royalty,” says Danny Messmer, concierge.

Registration is easy and efficient, completed at a single desk in the lobby. Members of the Select Guest program can pick up their key packets on a table near the registration desk. Bringing your pet? Four-footed friends under 30 pounds are welcome for a flat $50 charge.

Messmer can get you tickets to the Arch, Jazz at the Bistro or other attractions, and the free hotel van, when available, will whisk you anywhere within five miles of the hotel. Walk to a St. Louis Rams football game at the Edward Jones Dome.

The Majestic’s family fun package provides board games, pizzas, a movie and a bed turndown with a cookie and a glass of milk. A holiday special includes a discounted rate on a deluxe room, breakfast and another goodie, such as champagne. The Mahogany Grille serves three meals a day, including an organic breakfast. Room rates start at $119, and AAA members receive a 10-percent discount off the best available rate.

Built in 1913, the building was known as the DeSoto Hotel, and a room with a bath cost $1.50 a night. The DeSoto closed in 1979 and four years later, Southwestern Bell (now AT&T) purchased the building, renovated it and reopened the 91-room hotel in 1987 largely for corporate guests. Omni bought the hotel in 1997. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Raphael, Kansas City

The Raphael in Kansas City, which features a statue that is a replica of one in Rome, is undergoing a major renovation. Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association photo

Guests who drive through the handmade wrought iron gate at The Raphael’s entrance can’t miss the boy with a thorn statue, a replica of the original that is in Rome’s Palazzo dei Conservatori. However, Rick Hughey, the hotel’s spokesman, points out the sculpture has nothing to do with the hospitality industry.

“Idiosyncrasies are attributes of boutique hotels,” he says.

This nine-story building has been part of Kansas City’s landscape since 1927 when it was known as the Villa Serena Apartments. The building, located at 325 Ward Parkway, was restored and converted into a small European-style hotel in 1975. Two years ago, Lighthouse Properties, the hospitality arm of Blue Beacon International, bought the hotel. It is one of the National Trust’s Historic Hotels of America, and it is a AAA three Diamond property.

Location is a big plus during a stay at The Raphael; it overlooks Country Club Plaza, Kansas City’s venerable shopping mecca. During the holidays, when Plaza lights twinkle, rooms–especially those with a view–go quickly. There are 35 single rooms and 88 suites. In our suite, two arched openings allowed passage from the living room to the bedroom. The evening’s turndown service includes the weather forecast and a chocolate chip cookie.

Room rates start at $164 and The Raphael has several package deals. One package is Girlfriends’ Getaway, featured on the Great Escape on the Travel Channel last April. It includes a two-bedroom suite with margaritas, popcorn, pizza, movies, board games, a disposable camera and breakfast for four.

The hotel is undergoing a complete renovation of public spaces and rooms, and work is to be completed next summer. The Raphael will be open to guests during the renovation.

The State House Inn, Springfield, Ill.

In the shadow of the state Capitol, The State House Inn (101 E. Adams) is a boutique hotel that’s been painstakingly restored to its original 1960s style.

The hotel sank into disrepair in the 1990s, but Joe Jeter, a California entrepreneur, bought the building from the auction block. In 2003, he hired an interior designer to re-create the 1960s vibe.

Jeter spent $8 million for vintage-styled furnishings in the public spaces and modern amenities–including pillow-top mattresses, down-filled comforters and high-speed Internet–in the hotel’s 125 rooms. Guests also receive a complimentary full, hot breakfast provided seven days a week.

Today, the AAA three Diamond State House Inn is the youngest building to be declared a Historic Landmark by the Springfield Economic Planning Commission. It is part of the Clarion family of hotels. Rooms start at $110 per night.

The hotel is close to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library, one of Springfield’s stellar attractions. Hotel guests can purchase discounted tickets to the museum.

The Amalfi, Chicago

A day at this AAA three Diamond boutique hotel, named for the Amalfi Coast in Italy, starts with a free continental breakfast buffet that is available on each of the building’s five floors. Guests–some dressed in robes and slippers provided by the hotel–pad out to the buffet and carry a basket of pastries, fruit, juice and coffee back to their rooms.

A complimentary reception is held every day from 5:30–7 p.m. and includes a premium bar and Italian hors d’oeuvres. Try the signature cocktail, the Amalfitini, which is a tasty blend of vodka, Limoncello, peach schnapps, Cointreau and white cranberry juice served in a frosted martini glass.

Once a private hotel for several airlines and corporations, the contemporary Amalfi opened about four years ago. Privately owned, the hotel is managed by Hostmark Hospitality Group. Located in the trendy River North area at 20 W. Kinzie, the hotel is close to restaurants, nightclubs, art galleries, antique shops and the shops along Michigan Avenue. It’s just blocks from the Loop (downtown), and valet parking is available–a plus for guests coming in with cars. All of the 215 rooms have silky Egyptian cotton bedding, minibars, DVD/CD players and books. Rooms start at $189 and AAA discounts are offered.

“Guests are finding something special in non-flagged hotels,” said manager Brian Cooney.

The Canterbury, Indianapolis

Ah, it’s four o’clock and time for afternoon tea. Welcome to the Canterbury Hotel, 123 S. Illinois St., where this English tradition is a daily luxury.

Tea at this AAA four Diamond hotel is served with finger sandwiches and English pastries on Lenox china in the hotel atrium. The price is $24.95.

The Canterbury opened its doors in 1858 as the Oriental Hotel. In the Roaring ’20s, it was replaced by the Lockerbie Hotel. In 1936, hotelier Glenn Warren leased the Lockerbie, changed its name to the Warren and operated it for almost 40 years.

But over the years, the hotel lost its luster until Indianapolis realtor Fred Tucker Jr. and Chicagoan Donald Fortunato bought the hotel and created the intimate luxury hotel reminiscent of Canterbury, England.

The hotel now has 99 rooms and suites on 12 floors with rates from $199 (AAA members get a discount). Promotions– including specials for the holidays–are regularly offered. The rooms’ gleaming gold-plated faucets, four-poster beds and London toiletries add to the regal surroundings. The front parlor, the Danielli Restaurant and Art Gallery, and the intimate bar are worthy of a visit.

Indeed, each of these chic boutique hotels is a jewel in their respective downtown areas. This holiday, treat yourself or visiting family members to an overnight escape.

Pat Treacy is a contributor from St. Louis, Mo.