by Astrid Zeppenfeld
Lodging Hospitality Management (LHM) – a St. Louis household name synonymous with multiple unique properties for all types of events. Whether you are planning a business meeting, convention, trade show, gala, or wedding, LHM will offer you the perfect venue.
DoubleTree by Hilton St. Louis-Chesterfield has recently added a new and exciting event space – The Canopy. These last few years have added a bit of complication to ordinary business events, and all LHM properties have responded swiftly and effectively. When in-person events moved largely online, hybrid-capabilities were immediately added to all meetings held at LHM venues. As soon as people felt comfortable again with meeting in-person, but with added social-distancing protocols in place, indoor/outdoor events became even more popular than they ever were pre-pandemic. Voilà, The Canopy – the newest addition to St. Louis County’s event venue landscape that simplifies your indoor/outdoor meetings in style!
30,000 Square-feet of Flexible Meeting Space Indoors
Inside the newly renovated and exquisitely decorated facility, you always have the option to choose from various indoor event spaces. The Grand Ballroom on the Lobby Level offers a little over 8,000 square-feet of meeting space, which can be divided into four separate sections. Bruce Winter, Director of Catering at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Conference Center St. Louis, points out, “The Foyer, with its 3,500 sq. ft., just begs to be used for all pre-events (pre-cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, etc.) before your guests go into the Grand Ballroom.” Additionally, you can make use of the many smaller meeting rooms on the Lobby Level and in the Conference Center, ranging in size from just over 300 square-feet to more than 4,000 square-feet. If you are holding, for instance, a large business expo in the Grand Ballroom, those smaller rooms make fantastic breakout rooms for your attendees.
A Permanent Outdoor Structure
As you step outside from the Foyer, you can walk right on over to The Canopy, past the recently-redone pool deck and protected from rain and sun – if you wish – by a covered walkway. Constructed next to the five meticulously maintained outdoor tennis courts (and yes, there are nine more tennis courts inside!), The Canopy boasts an additional 6,000 square-feet of indoor event space, besides 1,000 square-feet of surrounding outdoor space. Despite its light and airy feeling, this solid structure can be transformed into a festive, sparkly ballroom for a gala, or decorated in subdued décor to lend it a more somber feeling venue where serious business deals can be reached.
Bob Nelson, CMP, CMM, CIS, DES, owner (and founder) of On Cue, is looking forward to a reunion event with 200 attendees that he has planned at The Canopy for a corporate client of his. “Knowing that there was a new addition [The Canopy] being built, we were very excited to be one of the first groups in this new facility, so we’re looking forward to kind of debuting it,” declares Nelson. When asked what made him decide to choose that particular venue, Nelson didn’t hesitate. “We were familiar with that property and the level of service that this particular hotel and that LHM properties in general bring to the table, so we knew that it would be a great venue to consider again for this event.”
Experiential and Geographical Enhancements
“We’re looking forward to experiencing this new space, because it is an enhancement to a property that we are very familiar with. We are excited that it is also a venue that enhances the Chesterfield area. That area is certainly expanding and has a lot of different, newer options for corporate and social event to be able to take advantage of, whereas the western part of the St. Louis Metropolitan area, for many years, did not have quite as many options,” Nelson adds. “We know that this venue will be shiny and new, and exciting for those attendees that have been there before. We have folks that are coming in from out of town and many St. Louis guests who are part of the weekend’s festivities, and who are also excited about the new venue. I think one of the great things for this property, and just LHM in general, is they tend to invest in the many properties they own in the St. Louis Metropolitan area, and they look at how they can continue to enhance their guests’ experience. They think through corporate and social differences with how they plan their meeting spaces. I did not have any hesitations whatsoever contracting for this event last year, knowing that LHM has always been able to stick to their schedule for construction. I felt this was a very calculated risk to be able to contract before the facility was actually built.”
This is quite the trust to have built in relationships with meeting and event planners! But how can you not trust a company that continually seeks
to enhance both the individual guest experience as well as its geographical area in general?
Nelson concurs, “That’s the great thing about LHM. You know that they are great at sticking to their agenda
for construction and so I’m sure it’s going to be a fabulous event. We are looking forward to the flexibility to design it how we choose to with adding any type of furniture, décor, A/V, while we do know that they also anker those services through their in-house A/V team.”
“We’re excited about it. We’re excited about having something fresh in the Chesterfield area, we’re excited about the DoubleTree having something new to debut, and overall, we’re just excited for LHM and the continued success in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. The company is doing so many great things… for tourism, for meetings, for events, for our entire industry. I cannot say enough good things about what LHM does in improving the community in which they live,” he concludes.
St. Louis’ Highly Trusted Event Partner
Kelly Rosenblatt, Director/Special Events at Easterseals Midwest, couldn’t agree more. She is currently planning the 40th anniversary of their annual Festival Gala & Auction fundraiser at The Canopy later this year. Rosenblatt explains, “The event is the largest fundraiser for Easterseals each year and the kickoff for the holiday season. It features live music, innovative cuisine, premium cocktails, and both a live and silent auction, all while raising funds to support the essential services and programs for individuals and families with disabilities in our community.”
She echoes Nelson’s sentiment of trust in LHM. “The event requires an entire year’s worth of planning by a committee of 60+ members under the direction of event chair Judy Kent. The success of this event would not be possible without a trusted partner like DoubleTree Chesterfield. We have hosted our Festival Gala & Auction with the property for many years. The team there is outstanding and excels at anticipating guests’ needs. Chef, Bruce, Les, and Rose are the heart and soul of this venue and a pleasure to work with. I cannot say enough good things about their professionalism and dedication to customer service,” she elaborates. “And, while plans are still under development, the use of The Canopy expands how we can creatively design the event.”
MEET
Astrid Zeppenfeld is a contributing writer from St. Louis.
Contact Information:
Rose Latsch
Director of Sales and Marketing
16625 Swingley Ridge Road
Chesterfield, MO 63017
(636) 299-9855
rlatsch@lhmchotels.com
