Hotel Baker in St. Charles gets fresh look

It's difficult to not be reminded of Hotel Baker's eight-decade history.

Original desks and dressers still furnish the guest rooms and elements of early 20th century technology, such as the serving doors, remain intact although their original function is disabled.

But while this boutique hotel in downtown St. Charles is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, general manager Rowena Salas and her husband, Joe, have taken actions to ensure the hotel isn't viewed as outdated and stuffy.

Hotel Baker last year completed a nearly two-year renovation project that included the rose garden and 52 guest rooms. The hotel was last updated in 1997 under different ownership.

"We wanted to be competitive with other modern hotels," front desk manager Jen Ruggie said, explaining the decor was dated and busy with floral patterns, burgundies and greens.

And so the owner hand-selected each room's new look, Ruggie said. The rooms, which vary in color and style, got new carpeting, bedding, drapery, lamps, linens and, in some cases, original pieces of artwork.

Jennifer Faivre, executive director of the Downtown St. Charles Partnership, said in a written statement the upgrades were a positive sign of development.

"There is solid investment happening in downtown St. Charles even in these tough economic conditions," Faivre said.

"Hotel Baker is a tremendous asset in downtown St. Charles and most certainly a celebrated part of the city's rich history and distinctive architecture."

For Ruggie and hotel sales manager Karen Vavra, watching the floor-by-floor transformation was exciting, they said. Room 405's switch from a deep burgundy color scheme to gold had the "biggest wow factor" and "made the room just pop," Ruggie said.

"We've had such a positive feedback," she said of the hotel's guests. "They love it."

Using the inheritance of U.S. Steel and Texaco magnate John "Bet-a-Million" Gates, Col. Edward Baker in the 1920s commissioned local architects and contractors to build Hotel Baker on the site of old Haines Mill, according to the hotel.

It opened in 1928 and soon got the reputation of being a honeymoon hotel.

Amy Egolf, the executive director of the St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau, said it is wonderful to be able to say that Hotel Baker, which was instrumental in making St. Charles a leisure destination, is still open.

Its historical component certainly draws visitors, she said, but its banquet space also provides more opportunities for corporate events and attracts VIP groups.

"Having the Hotel Baker is a wonderful advantage to us when we're selling St. Charles as a destination," Egolf said.

Hotel Baker trivia

• Construction began Sept. 1, 1926, and used more than 80 train cars of materials, including 3,000 barrels of cement, 400 tons of steel, 200,000 facing bricks, seven carloads of plaster and five carloads of wood.

• A crowd of 301 people celebrated its opening on June 2, 1928, with a grand dinner in the ballroom.

• University of Chicago football coach Amos Stagg was its first guest, having stayed there a week before its official opening.

• Accommodations originally started at $2.50 a night but cost $6 by 1947.

• The hotel restaurant once offered seven-course meals for $1.25. By 1947, prime rib dinners cost $1.65 and shrimp cocktails were 40 cents.

• Notable visitors include John F. Kennedy, Gerald Ford, Gov. Jim Thompson, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, Billy Graham, Lawrence Welk, Len O'Connor, Jeanette MacDonald and Mary Martin.

Source: Hotel Baker