ST. LOUIS, MO – October 7, 2026 (STL.News) A historic downtown St. Louis hotel is preparing to reopen October 15 under the Hyatt Centric brand, bringing a $4 million renovation, updated accommodations, and renewed commercial activity to Washington Avenue.
The 142-room Hyatt Centric Downtown St. Louis, located at 1501 Washington Avenue next to the City Museum, occupies the former Last Hotel property, which closed in March 2025. Investors associated with Augusta, Georgia-based Singh Investment Group acquired the building earlier this year.
KSDK reported the October 15 opening date and approximately $4 million renovation investment in its October 7 coverage of the project.
The reopening represents a significant change for the historic property, which originally served the International Shoe Co. and dates to 1909. The building underwent a major transformation into a boutique hotel in 2019 and is now beginning another chapter under Hyatt’s Centric lifestyle brand.
The new hotel will feature renovated guest rooms, restaurants, a rooftop swimming pool and bar, and meeting and event facilities. Its location near downtown attractions and convention facilities positions it to serve tourists, business travelers, and visitors attending events throughout St. Louis.
New Ownership Brings Hyatt Centric to Washington Avenue
The property’s transformation follows its March 2026 acquisition by investors associated with Singh Investment Group.
The St. Louis Business Journal reported the transaction and the new ownership group’s plans to reopen the hotel under the Hyatt Centric brand.
The acquisition followed approximately one year of inactivity at the property after The Last Hotel closed in March 2025.
The new owners pursued renovations intended to update the existing hotel and prepare it for operations under Hyatt’s Centric brand.
The project is a renovation and rebranding of an existing historic hotel, not new construction.
Hyatt Centric is a lifestyle hotel brand focused on centrally located properties that provide convenient access to surrounding attractions, restaurants, entertainment, and cultural destinations.
The brand emphasizes the city outside the hotel as part of the visitor experience, encouraging guests to explore local neighborhoods and attractions.
The Washington Avenue location fits that approach.
The property is situated next to the City Museum, one of downtown St. Louis’ best-known attractions, and within the broader district that includes America’s Center Convention Complex, St. Louis Union Station, Enterprise Center, Busch Stadium and the Gateway Arch.
The hotel’s location provides access to several visitor markets, including leisure tourism, conventions, sporting events and business travel.
For downtown St. Louis, the reopening also means the return of an established hospitality property that had remained closed for more than a year.
Historic Building Dates to St. Louis’ Shoe Industry
The building at 1501 Washington Avenue was constructed in 1909 for the International Shoe Co., reflecting an important period in St. Louis’ industrial development.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, St. Louis was among the nation’s major centers for footwear manufacturing and distribution.
The industry supported factories, warehouses, wholesale businesses, and thousands of jobs throughout the region.
International Shoe was one of the prominent companies associated with that era.
Washington Avenue played an important role in the city’s commercial economy, with substantial buildings constructed to accommodate manufacturing, warehousing, and wholesale operations.
The former International Shoe Co. building reflects the architecture of its period, including large windows, masonry construction, and distinctive interior details.
Historic features of the property include ornate columns, metalwork, and terrazzo floors.
Those architectural elements became important parts of the building’s identity when it was converted into a hotel.
As manufacturing and distribution activities changed over the decades, many older downtown commercial properties were adapted for different uses.
Washington Avenue gradually became a district featuring residential lofts, restaurants, offices, entertainment establishments and hotels.
The International Shoe Co. building became part of that transformation when developers converted it into a hospitality property.
Its latest renovation continues the building’s commercial use while preserving its connection to St. Louis’ manufacturing history.
The Last Hotel Opened Following $54 Million Restoration
Before its latest transformation, the property operated as The Last Hotel.
The hotel opened in summer 2019 after an extensive restoration of the historic building.
According to a June 2020 announcement from Hyatt Hotels Corporation, the original redevelopment represented approximately $54 million in investment and took about 18 months to complete.
The project converted the former commercial building into a 142-room hotel featuring restaurants, meeting facilities, and a rooftop swimming pool.
The Last Hotel’s name reflected the building’s original connection to shoe manufacturing.
A shoe last is a foot-shaped form shoemakers use to construct and repair footwear.
The name acknowledged the property’s industrial heritage while giving the hotel a distinctive identity.
The original redevelopment incorporated architectural features and design elements inspired by the footwear industry, including leather accents, stitching details, and historically influenced furnishings.
In June 2020, The Last Hotel joined The Unbound Collection by Hyatt.
The affiliation connected the property with Hyatt’s hotel network while allowing it to retain its individual name and character.
The Last Hotel subsequently closed in March 2025.
Its closure left a substantial downtown hotel property inactive until new ownership acquired the building in March 2026.
The latest $4 million renovation is separate from the earlier $54 million redevelopment that originally transformed the building into a hotel.
Renovated Guest Rooms and Modern Amenities
Hyatt Centric Downtown St. Louis will offer 142 guest rooms featuring contemporary furnishings and design elements inspired by the building’s industrial past.
According to Hyatt’s official property website, accommodations feature high ceilings, oversized windows, natural light and modern layouts.
The hotel offers several room configurations, including accommodations with king beds, two queen beds, and accessible features.
Some larger rooms provide additional seating areas and dedicated workspaces.
Guest amenities include wireless internet access, televisions, coffee and tea makers, in-room safes, and other conveniences.
The property also advertises a 24-hour fitness center.
Guests can participate in Hyatt’s World of Hyatt loyalty program, subject to applicable membership terms and benefits.
The combination of historic architecture and contemporary accommodations is central to the property’s new identity.
Rather than concealing the building’s industrial origins, the hotel incorporates those characteristics into its design.
The oversized windows and original architectural details help distinguish the property from more conventional hotel developments.
Rooftop Swimming Pool and Restaurants Highlight Hotel
One of the hotel’s most recognizable attractions is its rooftop swimming pool and entertainment area.
The rooftop was a prominent feature of The Last Hotel and remains part of the Hyatt Centric property.
The new rooftop destination is marketed as Expedition Rooftop.
Hyatt describes Expedition as a seasonal venue featuring a swimming pool, full bar, kitchen, and views of downtown St. Louis.
The rooftop is designed to provide a recreational and social destination for hotel guests and visitors.
The property also advertises several food and beverage concepts.
The Link Restaurant features New American cuisine, including dishes made with locally sourced ingredients. Hyatt says the restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The Link Bar provides a lobby-level setting for beverages and social gatherings.
Provisions offers a 24-hour grab-and-go option for guests seeking snacks and drinks.
Together, these facilities expand the hotel’s offerings beyond traditional overnight accommodations.
They also provide opportunities to attract downtown residents, workers, and visitors who may not be staying at the property.
The rooftop pool operates seasonally, and guests should confirm availability and operating hours when planning a visit.
Meeting and Event Facilities Target Business Travelers
Hyatt Centric Downtown St. Louis will also offer facilities for meetings, weddings, receptions, and other private events.
According to Hyatt’s official property information, the hotel advertises 11,750 square feet of meeting and event space across 10 flexible venues.
The property’s Peters and Rand ballrooms can be combined to accommodate gatherings of up to 250 guests.
Additional spaces support smaller meetings, celebrations, and business functions.
The hotel’s proximity to America’s Center Convention Complex provides access to one of downtown St. Louis’ major convention destinations.
Organizations hosting conferences or business meetings may find the combination of guest accommodations, dining facilities, and event spaces convenient.
The hotel also offers opportunities for weddings, rehearsal dinners, and private receptions that require accommodations and gathering space in one location.
The combination of leisure and business amenities allows the property to serve several segments of the hospitality market.
Reopening Represents Investment in Downtown St. Louis
The reopening of the former Last Hotel represents another investment in Washington Avenue, a downtown corridor that has undergone substantial redevelopment over several decades.
Once dominated by manufacturing, warehousing, and wholesale businesses, the district now includes residential lofts, restaurants, entertainment establishments, and hospitality properties.
The Hyatt Centric project continues that pattern of adaptive reuse by introducing a new hotel identity within an existing historic structure.
The property’s return to hotel operations will restore commercial activity to a building closed since March 2025.
An operating hotel can support surrounding businesses by attracting visitors who spend money at nearby restaurants, attractions, entertainment establishments, and other commercial properties.
The location next to the City Museum is particularly relevant to leisure tourism.
The attraction brings families and visitors to an area that also includes restaurants, entertainment venues, and residential properties.
The hotel’s proximity to America’s Center connects it with convention-related travel, another important source of downtown visitors.
Hotel operations also require employees in guest services, housekeeping, food preparation, maintenance, management, and other hospitality functions.
The number of jobs associated with the reopening has not been independently established.
The project’s long-term economic impact will depend on occupancy, visitor demand and business performance.
Nevertheless, returning a previously closed hotel to active commercial use represents a tangible investment in downtown St. Louis.
Historic Preservation Remains Part of the Project
The Hyatt Centric conversion illustrates how historic commercial buildings can remain economically useful through renovation and redevelopment.
St. Louis contains numerous structures dating to its growth as a manufacturing, transportation, and distribution center.
Many no longer serve their original industrial purposes.
Adaptive reuse has allowed some of those buildings to become apartments, offices, restaurants, entertainment venues, and hotels.
The former International Shoe Co. building is an example of that approach.
Its original conversion into The Last Hotel preserved the historic structure while introducing a new commercial purpose.
The latest renovation continues its hospitality use under new ownership and a different Hyatt brand.
The building’s industrial architecture remains part of its identity, connecting the modern hotel with more than a century of St. Louis history.
For visitors, the property offers contemporary accommodations in a building tied to the city’s manufacturing past.
For downtown St. Louis, the reopening represents an opportunity to preserve an existing landmark while returning it to productive commercial use.
Hyatt Centric Scheduled to Open October 15
Hyatt Centric Downtown St. Louis is scheduled to open October 15, 2026, following approximately $4 million in renovations.
The project follows the closure of The Last Hotel in March 2025 and the building’s acquisition by investors associated with Singh Investment Group in March 2026.
The new hotel will feature 142 guest rooms, restaurants, a seasonal rooftop swimming pool and meeting and event facilities.
Its location near the City Museum, America’s Center and other downtown attractions positions it to serve tourists, business travelers and convention attendees.
More than a century after its construction for the International Shoe Co., the Washington Avenue building is preparing to welcome guests under a new name.
The transformation preserves a piece of St. Louis’ industrial heritage while returning a previously closed downtown hotel to commercial use.
Hyatt Centric Downtown St. Louis
1501 Washington Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63103
Scheduled opening: October 15, 2026
Guest rooms: 142
Reported renovation investment: Approximately $4 million
Meeting and event space: 11,750 square feet across 10 venues
Telephone: 314-492-1234
Hotel information and reservations are available through Hyatt’s official website.
