The St. Louis hotel tax rate runs about 16.93% inside the City of St. Louis and roughly 16% to 18% across St. Louis County, with the exact county figure depending on the municipality where the hotel sits. Some properties in special taxing districts add up to another 1% on top.
What Makes Up the City Rate
St. Louis City is an independent jurisdiction that sets its own layered structure. A room bill inside city limits carries three stacked components on top of the nightly rate.
- General sales tax of 9.679%, which is the standard combined state and local sales tax on most purchases in the city. Missouri’s statewide portion is 4.225%, and the remaining 5.454% comes from city-level levies.1Avalara. 2026 St. Louis, Missouri Sales Tax Calculator and Rate
- A 3.75% Convention and Tourism Tax authorized under Missouri Revised Statutes § 67.619, which funds convention promotion and tourism infrastructure through the Regional Convention and Visitors Commission shared by the city and county.2Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 67.619 – Convention and Tourism Tax
- A 3.5% Convention and Sports Facility Tax authorized under Missouri Revised Statutes § 67.657, which supports the America’s Center Convention Complex and other large event venues.3St. Louis License Collector. Hotel/Motel Room Tax
Added together, those three lines produce the roughly 16.93% you’ll see on most city hotel bills. The two lodging-specific taxes apply to room charges only and are collected by the hotel on your behalf.
Why County Rates Vary
St. Louis County charges the same two lodging-specific taxes as the city: 3.75% for Convention and Tourism and 3.5% for Convention and Sports Facility, adding up to 7.25% on room charges.4St. Louis County Website. Hotel Motel Room Tax The county draws its underlying authority for a tourism tax on transient guests from Missouri Revised Statutes § 66.390.5Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 66.390 – Convention and Tourism Tax Authorized
The variable piece is sales tax. The county’s minimum combined sales tax rate is 8.988%, but each municipality layers its own rate on top. Creve Coeur, for example, adds 1.25% beyond the county base. A hotel in one suburb can carry a noticeably different total than one a few miles away. At the low end, expect a combined rate near 16.2%; in higher-tax municipalities the total can push past 18%.
Municipal councils adjust their sales tax portions through voter-approved measures for things like parks or public safety, so rates shift over time. If you’re budgeting for a specific suburb, checking that municipality’s current sales tax rate is the only way to lock in a precise number.
Extra Surcharges From Special Districts
Some hotels sit inside special taxing districts that add a small surcharge on top of the standard rates. These districts are geographically limited, so two hotels a block apart can carry different totals.
Community Improvement Districts, authorized under Missouri Revised Statutes § 67.1545, can impose a sales tax of up to 1% in one-eighth-percent increments, subject to voter approval within the district. Revenue pays for localized improvements like streetscaping, private security, or infrastructure.6Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 67.1545 – District Sales and Use Tax
Transportation Development Districts work the same way. Under Missouri Revised Statutes § 238.235, they can levy up to 1% in one-eighth-percent increments to pay for roads, parking structures, and other transportation projects.7Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 238.235 – Transportation Development District Sales Tax Hotels in newer commercial corridors are the most likely to fall inside one. Individually, the surcharges are small. They stack with everything else.
Short-Term Rentals
A stay booked through Airbnb or Vrbo is subject to the same hotel and sales taxes as a traditional hotel in both the city and the county. Inside city limits, an ordinance that took effect on February 23, 2026, also adds a 3% fee on the base nightly rent for any stay of 30 days or less. That revenue goes to affordable housing and tenant assistance rather than tourism promotion. The city’s License Collector can arrange direct collection with rental platforms; where no such agreement exists, the host remits quarterly.
Platform tax collection is uneven. Airbnb currently collects state and local taxes on its St. Louis listings, but some other platforms do not, which leaves the host responsible for calculating and remitting the correct amounts. If you’re a guest, the practical effect is that the taxes should already be on your booking receipt from Airbnb, but you may want to confirm on other platforms.
When Long Stays Become Exempt
Guests who stay long enough stop being treated as transient visitors and drop the lodging-specific taxes. In the City of St. Louis, the threshold is more than 31 days within a single calendar quarter. Staying exactly 31 days does not qualify. The city’s own example: a guest who checks in July 1 and out July 31 has stayed 31 days and does not trigger the exemption.3St. Louis License Collector. Hotel/Motel Room Tax
Once you qualify, the 3.75% Convention and Tourism Tax and the 3.5% Convention and Sports Facility Tax come off the bill. The general sales tax still applies. The exemption is handled at the property level: the hotel documents the exempt stay on a form provided by the License Collector’s office and keeps it as evidence.3St. Louis License Collector. Hotel/Motel Room Tax Guests don’t file separately with the city. If you believe you qualified and the hotel didn’t remove the taxes, contact the License Collector’s office at (314) 622-4528.
Federal, Nonprofit, and Diplomatic Exemptions
Federal employees traveling on official business get only partial relief in Missouri, and the rules turn on how the room is paid. When a stay is charged to a centrally billed government account, Missouri state sales tax does not apply. When a federal traveler pays with an individually billed government travel card, no state sales tax exemption applies.8GSA SmartPay. Missouri Tax Information The Convention and Tourism Tax and Convention and Sports Facility Tax are separate from state sales tax and may still apply regardless of payment method.
Missouri-registered tax-exempt organizations and diplomatic personnel with valid exemption certificates may also qualify for relief from certain lodging taxes. The specifics depend on the certificate type and the tax at issue, and hotels generally want to see the documentation at check-in rather than issue a refund afterward.