New hotels in St. Louis

Downtown St. Louis has spent the past six years turning vacant landmarks and empty lots into new hotel rooms — a former YMCA reborn as a contemporary art museum, a parking lot next to Busch Stadium turned into a baseball-themed lifestyle hotel, and a 1904 World's Fair relic now mid-conversion into its next life. Add a purpose-built Central West End newcomer near Forest Park and an eco-conscious extended-stay property in the Cortex tech corridor, and the city's recent hotel story is really a story about adaptive reuse and infill, not sprawl.

What to do

A weekend in St. Louis

Start downtown: the Gateway Arch grounds, the Old Courthouse, and a Cardinals game at Busch Stadium if the season allows — Live! by Loews sits close enough to walk to first pitch. Spend an afternoon at 21c Museum Hotel's free, 24-hour contemporary art galleries even if you aren't staying there, then walk Washington Avenue's loft district for dinner. On day two, head to Forest Park — the largest urban park in the country, home to the free St. Louis Art Museum, the Zoo, and the Missouri History Museum — before finishing in the Central West End for dinner on Euclid Avenue.

A full week

With more time, add Clayton for its restaurant scene and business district energy, the Delmar Loop for live music and Blueberry Hill, and the Grand Center Arts District around Powell Hall and the Fabulous Fox Theatre. Midtown, near Cortex and City Foundry STL's food hall, is worth an afternoon for its mix of tech-corridor energy and adaptive-reuse dining. Cap the week with a half-day trip to Forest Park's Missouri Botanical Garden or a Cardinals doubleheader if the schedule cooperates.

Neighborhoods

Downtown

Downtown is where nearly all of St. Louis's recent hotel activity has concentrated. 21c Museum Hotel occupies a converted 1920s-era YMCA on Locust Street, pairing a free contemporary art museum with 173 rooms. A few blocks away at Ballpark Village, Live! by Loews built a new 216-room hotel directly into the Cardinals' backyard, with a design vocabulary built entirely around team history. And on Tucker Boulevard, the long-vacant Jefferson Arms building — a 1904 World's Fair-era hotel that had sat empty since 2006 — is being converted into a 225-room AC Hotel, expected to open in fall 2026.

Central West End

Anchored by Euclid Avenue's restaurant row and its proximity to Forest Park, the Central West End got its first ground-up new hotel build in years when the 192-room AC Hotel St. Louis Central West End opened in December 2021 — a $44 million project and the AC brand's first Missouri location.

Midtown / Cortex

The blocks around the Cortex Innovation Community and City Foundry STL have drawn one recent hotel opening: the 153-room Element St. Louis Midtown, an eco-conscious extended-stay property that opened in November 2020 directly across from City Foundry, aimed at business travelers tied to Cortex and Saint Louis University rather than leisure visitors.

Grand Center Arts District

Home to the Fabulous Fox Theatre, Powell Hall, and a growing gallery scene, the Grand Center Arts District has no tracked new-build or newly converted hotel opening in this guide as of 2026 — its hotel stock predates the 2020–2026 window this guide covers.

The Grove

St. Louis's LGBTQ-anchored entertainment and dining district along Manchester Avenue has no tracked hotel opening covered here; visitors to The Grove currently rely on hotels in adjacent Midtown or the Central West End.

Clayton

The Ritz-Carlton has long anchored Clayton's hotel scene, but no new hotel opening in Clayton meets this guide's 2020–2026 window for a brand-new building or a first-time hotel conversion, so it is not represented among the properties tracked here.

Which hotel for your trip

Cardinals fans and event-goers

Live! by Loews is built for you — jersey-numbered check-in pods, a Cardinals Hall of Fame-inspired design, and a short walk to Busch Stadium make it the obvious choice on a game weekend.

Art and design travelers

21c Museum Hotel is the pick: its free, round-the-clock contemporary art museum and adaptive reuse of a historic YMCA building make the stay itself part of the sightseeing, in the heart of downtown.

Business travelers near Forest Park or the Central West End

AC Hotel St. Louis Central West End offers a purpose-built, design-forward option close to Forest Park's eastern edge and the Euclid Avenue restaurant strip — a newer alternative to the neighborhood's older independent hotels.

Extended stays and Cortex/SLU visitors

Element St. Louis Midtown's kitchenette-equipped rooms and Cortex-adjacent location suit consultants, relocating professionals, and anyone visiting Saint Louis University or the City Foundry STL food hall for more than a couple of nights.

Travelers planning around fall 2026

Keep an eye on the AC Hotel St. Louis Downtown inside the historic Jefferson Arms building — a major adaptive-reuse project with a restored 1900s ballroom, targeted to open in fall 2026, for anyone wanting to be the first to stay in one of downtown's most storied buildings since its 1970s closure as a hotel.

Frequently asked questions

What is the newest hotel to open in St. Louis?

As of mid-2026, the most recently opened tracked hotel is 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis, which opened in August 2023 in a converted YMCA building downtown. The AC Hotel St. Louis Downtown, inside the historic Jefferson Arms building, is expected to open after it in fall 2026.

Is there a new hotel near Busch Stadium?

Yes — Live! by Loews opened in February 2020 as part of Ballpark Village's expansion, built new and located a short walk from Busch Stadium at the corner of Clark and 8th.

Are any new St. Louis hotels inside historic buildings?

Yes. 21c Museum Hotel occupies a former YMCA building, and the AC Hotel St. Louis Downtown, expected in fall 2026, is being built inside the Jefferson Arms, a 1904 building that operated as a hotel until the 1970s before decades of vacancy.

Which new St. Louis hotel is best for a Cardinals game?

Live! by Loews, given its location directly adjacent to Ballpark Village and Busch Stadium and its baseball-themed design throughout.

Is there a new hotel near Forest Park?

The AC Hotel St. Louis Central West End, which opened in December 2021, sits on the eastern edge of the Central West End close to Forest Park.

What is happening with the Jefferson Arms hotel project?

The historic Jefferson Arms building on Tucker Boulevard, vacant since 2006, is being redeveloped by Restoration St. Louis into a 225-room AC Hotel combined with 235 apartments. The project restarted in 2023 after pandemic-related delays and is targeted to open in fall 2026, though its timeline has shifted before.