The Cheshire-St. Louis

Take a look here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRKYI7maPY4

With Erin attending university in St. Louis, it only made sense for Dave and I to explore the city. Since then, we have had a wonderful time enjoying many local restaurants, bars and pubs. And of course, the hotels!

One of my favorites is a quaint hotel across from Fontbonne University and Washington University-The Cheshire.

The Cheshire is a Tudor-styled Anglophilic celebration from its country manor exterior to its multi-paneled windows.  A life-sized royal guard figure stands watch over the entrance, one I confess I take a selfie with at the end of each visit. Visitors are next met by the front desk staff centered just inside the door. Guests are quickly checked in, issued their keys, and directed to park in the hotel’s parking garage just next door.

The hotel rooms are reasonably priced, but the parking is a bonus. Not every boutique hotel thinks about parking.

The hotel’s lobby and seating area are warm and inviting, boasting a fire place and several cozy places to meet. A room for more formal meeting and business is available just past the elevators. The dining area is primarily used for the continental breakfast included with your stay, but a supply of coffee is always available-not to mention an every rotating variety of teas.

For me, the teas were telling. We aren’t talking a few stale bags of Lipton that someone bought at a restaurant supply store. They are brands and flavors that I keep in my own pantry. Any tea lover would be delighted to wake in the middle of the night, slip down to the dining room, and pour themselves a cup of bergamot tea. It’s a little detail that to me, screams hard core in a very good way.

Tucked away in a little unassuming corner is the hotel’s own tavern, The Fox and Hound.  Like every other part of the hotel, The Fox and Hound is expertly decorated and outfitted. Sitting in a booth before a crackling fire, sipping on a frosty glass of Boddington’s is something Dave and I look forward to every time we stay. It’s not hard to come up with little travel traditions when staying there.  

Each room is dedicated to one of Britain’s beloved sons or daughters and while practically arranged and kitted as hotel rooms typically are, the décor is decidedly British. The housekeeping staff is efficient and responsive, guests would be challenged to find anyone on their staff that does not make them feel welcome.

Including the security staff.

And this is where my seemingly routine review is about to go off the rail, but in a way I feel is important to share. St. Louis is a city of overwhelming opposites. There are wealthy people of great influence and power living just blocks away from people in unimaginable poverty. It has a history of racism and a lot of systems currently in place which continue to support oppressive and inhumane practices like these. Social services in the area, like many areas throughout the country, are stretched to unsustainable measures. Quite frankly, they are incapable of meeting the needs of the area’s poor and mentally ill, contributing to an ever-growing number of homeless. I see them on the corners, begging on street corners, sleeping in doorways, doing whatever they can to survive.

And sometimes they find their way to warm hotel lobbies.

It was on one of my visits where I noticed a poor young man in the lobby. He was among a large crowd that night, a wedding party had chosen the hotel at which to stay. The man sat with the other guests and may very well have been a member of the group. He would have blended right in, except he was frequently distracted, nervous and twitchy. Other guests moved away from him as I watched to see them return. Instead, I saw him talk to shadows and reflections.

He wasn’t bothering anyone. For the most part, he was quiet and unassuming. He was dressed casually but clean. But as time went on and visitors started thinning out, it was more obvious he wasn’t a guest. And the more privileged guests began to make noises.

I saw a pair of white men in their late twenties dressed in suits go up to the front desk to complain. One of them said he seemed dangerous. I have no idea how. The last time I checked, poverty wasn’t threatening.

But as each of these jackasses complained, they returned to their party and told them all about it. Then emboldened by their buddy, they each launched their grievances as well. After watching a crowd of Karens and company shuffle by the front desk, I began to get concerned for the man-who by now appeared obviously vulnerable and disabled. Erin and I decided to sit in the lobby and wait to make sure he wasn’t mistreated.

Around nine o’clock, the security man began making himself more apparent. Originally, the security guard positioned himself at a distant table by the dining room, away from the tavern and common area. He nursed a cup of tea and watched. That was fine by me. So long as he was watching, he wasn’t abusing anyone.

During Covid, The Cheshire took steps to promote safety, closing their lobby at ten o’clock. When the hour came, the guard notified guests the area was closed. That meant he had to deal with the poor homeless gentleman who was still in the lobby. Erin and I hunkered down. We weren’t going to leave until we were sure the homeless man was safe and didn’t end up at the nasty end of a beating.

The guard didn’t pay any attention to the two white women staring at him from the corner. He approached the increasingly nervous homeless man and politely told him the lobby was closing so it could be cleaned. If he wasn’t a guest there, he would have to leave, the guard explained.

The homeless man stammered and fidgeted, then lied and said he was a guest, but he lost his room key.

“What’s your name, Sir?” the guard asked.

“Um, it’s not under my name,” the man answered, obviously uncomfortable.

“Sir, we need to close the lobby now, so you will need to go somewhere else,” the guard said calmly.

“But I am staying here,” the man said, standing up and moving in our direction. “I’m staying with them.”

The guard stepped in between us and turning towards the man slowly, repeated his direction. “I’ve got no problem with you, man. But you can’t stay here after closing.”

The man nodded and left.

I have seen different varieties of this same interaction play out a dozen ways. Most often, they involve those in charge calling police or directing their security personnel to rough up the offending party. Its cruel and inhumane, and in nearly every instance I have witnessed completely avoidable. The security guard at The Cheshire was thoughtful, respectful and professional. He never stopped thinking, never stopped being courteous, and never lost control of the situation. I not only felt completely safe during the interaction but felt additionally secure knowing he did everything in his power to ensure the unexpected visitor was safe as well. It meant more to me, and made a larger statement to me about the compassion of those working at The Cheshire than any piece of décor or bag of tea could.

My takeaway: This is the kind of hotel you want to stay at! This is a home away from home.    

Do you have a hotel or inn you think I should review? Let me know on Facebook, Instagram or shoot me an email at toilandtroublemediagroup@gmail.com