A snapshot in time. That's all a travel book or a book about hotels can be. Things change too quickly for anything to last very long in our fast-paced, fluid society. When I wrote my book, Hotels to Remember, I had no idea some of the hotels I included would change in a short period of time. My book is indeed a "snapshot in time."
Soon after publication, one of the 20 hotels included in my coffee table book underwent massive renovations. Another I learned recently is now closed and may be demolished. Sad, because it had become an historic landmark for the area where it stands.
Another hotel, the Adam's Mark St. Louis has undergone a $63 million transformation
to the 910-room Hyatt Regency St. Louis Riverfront. The building is still within the shadow of the Arch, but the internet photos show no evidence of the beautiful and amazing art work that made the hotel so special that I selected it for my book. Where is all the gorgeous art that filled the lobby? Where is the outdoor art that formed the unique view from windows on one side of the hotel? Where is Faust's Restaurant now?
I have not been to St. Louis to see the transformed hotel, but I'd like to visit it in the future. Perhaps I'll stay in that hotel, visit the new Busch Stadium, and watch my beloved Cardinals play.
The Hyatt Regency Union Station is also part of my book. It is usually among the views shown as I watch the Cardinals on Direct TV. Since it is an historical landmark for the city, I hope that hotel will not change too much nor disappear.
Things change. We have only a snapshot in time.
Mary Montague Sikes, Author Hotels to Remember http://www.oaktreebooks.com/bargainbookshop.htm
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