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The Group Travel Leader Going on Faith Select Traveler

The two faces of the Hotel Blackhawk


By Alise Obrien Photography

Gold Room dazzles
With the exception of Club Davenport, a 1,200-square-foot meeting room on the hotel’s top floor with citywide views, the Hotel Blackhawk’s meeting space is on its mezzanine level. The Gold Room is its dazzler, with arched doorways, mirrored doors and ornate molding. Almost $4 million was spent to restore the Gold Room, which can be expanded to seat 350 in an L-shape space when an adjoining room is connected. The remaining meeting rooms, including a boardroom, are all modern and contemporary.

Service and style

Guests say service matches the hotel’s high style. The hotel is a part of Preferred Hotel’s Summit Hotels and Resorts, a collection of 115 boutique hotels known for their personality and personal service.

“All guests are greeted by the bellman,” said Tim Heim, general manager. “The bellman accompanies guests to the hotel lobby for check- in and then escorts them to their room, where they get a brief history, an explanation of the room’s amenities, and learn about the hotel’s amenities such as its restaurants, its bar and bowling alley.”

A frequent client, Johnston-Mohr, of Genesis Health Systems, has found service consistently attentive. “If they don’t have what you need they will go get it,” she said. “It you need something extra, they will go find it.”

Playing up past
In restoring the Blackhawk, Restoration Saint Louis played up its past as much as possible. The hotel’s original piano, the Blackhawk Baldwin, was found, restored and is once again entertaining guests. It’s said that Duke Ellington played the piano when he had a gig at the hotel in the 1930s.

“They uncovered a lot of the unique antique aspects  —  the skylight in the lobby, the Gold Room and the piano in the lobby,” said Hunt.

Originally, the hotel had a bowling alley in its lower level; that fun feature has been re-created and updated with an adjoining martini bar.

“It’s hard to describe, but when you are down there, you feel like you are in Soho or a bigger metro area,” said Heim.

The eight-lane alley is often used for casual group gatherings. Adams’ Rotary Club has had gatherings there; in March, a group of 30 German musicians in town to play with the local orchestra, enjoyed burgers and bowling with Davenport’s mayor and others.

Power pork chops
The hotel is once again presentable for powerbrokers. President Barack Obama made a stop in August; he decimated Bix Bistro’s signature cinnamon-brined grilled Iowa pork chops.

Like everything else at the hotel, food is topnotch, planners report. Johnston-Mohr appreciates the willingness to meet her budgets. In addition to plated meals, she’s served her guests the Blackhawk’s Italian buffet, an economical choice that gets no complaints.

“It is just such a top-class place, where you can go into the bar for a drink and it is not overpriced for such a beautiful hotel,” she said. “I personally go there quite often with my husband and friends for dinner. The hotel is such a step above that you can’t compare anything else to it.”