Guest Post from Lance: Hotel Block!

While some parts of wedding planning involve making difficult choices and making compromises, selecting a hotel to block rooms was not one of them.  Amy and I had a pretty good idea early on that we wanted to block at the Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch.  Generally speaking, we are fond of Drury hotels for the reasonable rates, clean spacious rooms, and the free breakfast. We also like the idea of supporting a local, family-owned company, and Drury is a St. Louis based corporation that opened its first hotel in nearby Cape Girardeau and first Drury branded hotel in Sikeston, Missouri. When we stayed here, we found this particular Drury appealing for its lobby water feature and unique frontier scene.  The rooms were nice and spacious, and the beds were excellent!

Lewis and Clark sculpture in the lobby

This Drury is also conveniently located within a couple of miles of both our church and our reception site.  The hotel features overnight parking under the hotel for $16 with additional spill over parking available in the Stadium East parking garage for $14.  Our reception site, the Cedars, has a negotiated rate with this particular hotel for room blocks, but when we met with the Drury’s Sales and Meeting Coordinator, Molly, she was able to give us an even lower rate given the low expected room occupancy in December.  One king or two queen bed rooms are available for $99 and you can upgrade to a suite with a separate bedroom and living room area with a fold out sofa bed for $129.

Fountain in the lobby

The Drury features a number of perks, such as free wi-fi, the 5:30 Kickback with hot food and name-brand liquors, and free soda and popcorn between 3 and 10 PM, but my favorite perk is easily the free breakfast.  After both my friend Tom and my friend Dave’s weddings, there was a morning after breakfast. I thought this was a great way to bring people back together to tie a bow on the weekend. At the end of a wedding reception, everyone, especially the wedding party, tends to be running on fumes.  Having breakfast gives everyone a chance to recharge a little before final goodbyes.

Chandelier in the lobby

One final plug, the aforementioned Molly could not have been more helpful. She took us on a tour of the hotel, gave us a great group rate, and offered us a free jacuzzi suite with ten group bookings. She has been prompt and professional with paperwork and phone calls and could not seem more flexible if we need to make any changes. From the staff, to the facility, to the value, we could not be happier with our decision to block rooms at the Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch. If you would like to book at the group rate, you may call 1-800-325-0720 and mention the Bleisch/Ennen wedding or our group booking number, 2215237.  You can also book online here.  The group rate is available for both Friday and Saturday night. Hooray for easy decisions!