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Close-up of The Last Hotel STL’s decorative building facade, featuring ornate Corinthian columns and geometric patterns under a clear blue sky—a testament to the B&Co. legacy within this historic landmark.
Urban Hospitality

The Last Hotel STL


A boutique hotel stitched into the fabric of St. Louis

THE CHALLENGE

When a real estate development group purchased the historic International Shoe Company in St. Louis, the history of this significant building had to play a key role in its new life as a hotel.

See The Story

What We Delivered

  • Art Direction
  • Brand Development
  • Brand Experience Consulting
  • Copywriting
  • Environmental Branding/Signage
  • Package Design
  • Photography Art Direction
  • Printed Collateral
  • Visual Identity
  • Website Design
Dark green graphic with gold lines. Centered text reads The Last Hotel STL beneath a geometric logo of a person holding objects. A subtle reference connects it to St. Louis’s historic legacy. An intricate Greek key pattern borders the bottom.

Balancing a storied history with a fresh modern appeal, B&Co. created the branding for The Last Hotel. The name itself pays homage to shoemaking - a last being a wooden form used to manufacture shoes.

The Last Hotel is a building rich in artistic style, leading to an array of brand marks designed to reflect the neoclassical details of its interiors and façade. Using intricate lines and bold geometric shapes, each mark reflects a unique characteristic of the building complementing the brand story.

Two hands exchange a white card with the text THE LAST HOTEL STL printed on it, possibly at a B&Co. The Last Hotel STL historic hotel check-in desk.
A steaming cup of coffee, black eyeglasses, a hotel key card with ENJOY YOUR STAY, an envelope, and an ornate door hanger from The Last Hotel STL are arranged neatly on a wooden surface, reflecting the historic charm and refined style of B&Co.
Three open booklets display hotel branding. The covers are brown with a geometric logo, reflecting the timeless style of B&Co. The pages feature photos, history text, and peach-colored sections introducing The Last Hotel STL and its historic founders.

The city of St. Louis was built on travelers and those looking forward. The ones to see the potential growth in the city capitalized on it. From hotels to shoemakers, there was an opportunity to carve out a niche for everything.

That’s why the guest materials carefully convey the shoemaking history of the building – from Do Not Disturb signs hung with custom-made shoelaces, to a history-book compendium filled with stories from what was once the shoemaking capital of the world. The full guest experience never stops at the beauty of the building – even though it is stunning – but rather is completed through the shoelace fabric they can feel and the leather they can smell.
A B&Co. Do Not Disturb door hanger lies on a brown ottoman next to a bed with a gray blanket and white slippers on the carpeted floor, offering a glimpse into the refined comfort of The Last Hotel STL Historic.
A stylish hotel room at The Last Hotel STL features exposed brick, a modern chandelier, a brown sofa with colorful pillows, a red armchair, a coffee table, and large windows with sheer and dark curtains—creating a chic retreat in this historic setting.

Through a story-driven website, thoughtful guest touch points and complementary branding for The Last Kitchen and Rooftop, the property is stitched into the fabric of St. Louis.

A minimalist logo with a line drawing of a rhino on a rooftop, topped with a star, evokes the distinct spirit of The Last Hotel STL. Below it, the text reads THE LAST Rooftop in an elegant serif font. The background is dark green with tan-colored design elements.

We created big fans for the rooftop.

HOT, EVEN FOR ST. LOUIS

B&Co. gave The Last Rooftop its own mascot to pay homage to a massive stone hippo that once graced the roof of the building. The space was designed as both a pool amenity and a year-round bar. Understanding steamy St. Louis summers, we designed the cocktail menu as a fan – offering a bevy of cool drink options and one’s own personal breeze.

To foster a club atmosphere, locals are invited to enjoy the lounge or reserve a select number of pool passes, based on availability.

A fanned-out drink menu design at The Last Hotel STL Historic features dark and light panels for Drink Up, Frozen Drinks, Poolside Sips, Beer, and Wine on a marble surface.
A person in sunglasses and a colorful swimsuit relaxes in a rooftop pool at The Last Hotel STL, holding a yellow drink. City buildings—and a blue sky with clouds are visible in the background.

Signature moments come in the form of food, cocktails and understated yet clever guest touchpoints.

A person holds a cocktail with ice and a lime slice above a wooden table, with a coaster that reads The Last Hotel STL, highlighting the historic charm of this renowned destination.

With a lobby kitchen and bar that needed to serve guests from morning till night, we art-directed an extensive photo shoot that made food and cocktails the star. The imagery was captured for the website and social media to attract locals and visitors alike.
A person in a colorful swimsuit and sunglasses stands in the rooftop pool of The Last Hotel STL Historic with a city skyline and tall buildings in the background under a cloudy sky.
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