Trip Days 12-14: The Ritz Carlton

So the Ritz Carlton in Clayton, MO is by far the fanciest hotel I've ever stepped foot in, let alone stayed in. Ben's conference was being held in the hotel, which was why his company reserved our room there. I was actually very nervous about it, because we were probably the only family with children in the entire building!
The lobby and halls are filled with beautiful, breakable things that I forbade the boys to touch. Ben thought it was a little over-the-top in its opulence. There were fancy cages of parakeets in the front hall. The floors were of red marble. Ornate chandeliers lined every hallway and lit the grand stairway.


Beautiful antique furniture with gorgeous vases.


China cabinets filled with beautiful pieces of china.

Beutifully upholstered furniture and drapery along every hallway.



Even the elevat0rs were paneled in wood and lit from within by a chandelier!



And then we got to our room. The first thing I saw as I walked in, was the entirely marble and crystal and glass bathroom.


The room was beautiful with a balcony view of downtown St. Louis, the Gateway Arch stretching up over the horizon.
It was very luxurious.
Each afternoon from 5-7 there was even a sushi chef in the lobby making fresh sushi for the guests!
Of course, there was no free breakfast, and the internet was $16/day, but, as my brother-in-law pointed out, most of the patrons of this sort of hotel either don't pay the slightest attention to what their meals or internet costs them (being way above such crass concerns), or they are charging it all to a company account anyway.
But it was an interesting experience and one I may never have another opportunity repeat!