A Color-Coded Hotel Opens In St. Louis

The artsy place conjures some serious 1970s vibes.
It’s the mood ring of hotels—minus the ’70s kitsch factor. The Angad Arts Hotel opened November 1 in the arts district of St. Louis with a new concept in boutique accommodations: picking a room based on one’s emotions.

Missouri-based fashion designer Reuben Reuel decorated all 146 bold guest rooms in fully enveloping hues. Cute quirks like rubber duckies in the bathtubs and eye-print pillows belie the loftier thinking behind, say, emerald-green walls or a red-velour chair. It all depends on the feelings you want to explore. Green is “rejuvenation,” sunshine yellow is “happiness,” oceanic blue is “tranquility,” and risqué red is the oh-so-promising “passion.”

The developers of this $65 million endeavor, housed in a former theater built in 1927, hope the Angad will become a hotspot for arts and culture. Guests and visitors can purchase paintings and sculptures from a gallery, curated by Art Saint Louis, that will take the place of a standard lobby. If that doesn’t give you groovy vibes, maybe the video art installation in the 12th-floor sky lobby will. Amateur musicians can also have fun—just walk into the Playroom and pull a violin or trumpet off the wall.

But maybe one of the best parts of hoteling is room service. You may know the Angad’s chef, David Burke, from his appearance on Iron Chef America. But weirdly enough, if you Google his name, you will find he has served President Trump (and no, the president doesn’t eat his steak with ketchup). Grill Burke about it at the hotel restaurant, The Grand Tavern, when you visit.

The hotel is now booking reservations for November (from $195/night, angadartshotel.com). We’re feeling some serious sunshine yellow at the thought.