The Minneapolis Convention Center and the Saint Paul RiverCentre are the home bases for many meeting planners bringing gatherings to the Twin Cities. Both Minneapolis and St. Paul have hotels near their convention centers connected to the venues by skyway systems, interconnected indoor walkways that run throughout downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul.
Planners with larger groups might consider the 644-room Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, which is two blocks from the Minneapolis Convention Center via skyway. The hotel has multiple large meeting rooms and ballrooms with room for up to 1,500 attendees. Also in the city near the convention center, the Hotel Ivy, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Minneapolis, just underwent a multimillion-dollar transformation to upgrade the hotel’s 136 rooms and meeting and event spaces, and to reimagine the hotel’s two restaurants. In fact, the Hotel Ivy can even host events within the skyway system.
“With our section of the skyway system, we can lock our doors and put events in there,” says Mark Maggiato, general manager of the Hotel Ivy. “The skyway itself has a unique pull that a lot of people who are not from here find fascinating.”
Similarly, in St. Paul, The Saint Paul Hotel is connected to that city’s skyway system, which extends west to the Saint Paul RiverCentre and Xcel Energy Center via a tunnel under Rice Park and the Saint Paul Public Library. The 255-room historic hotel features doormen in top hats and afternoon tea—something sure to delight and entertain attendees.
“You enter The Saint Paul Hotel, and you are stepping back into history,” says Gerry Goldfarb, general manager of the hotel. “It’s about the historic, classic feel of our rooms and our outstanding service.” Goldfarb also notes the hotel is working through the details on what he describes as a “reimagination,” which could begin as soon as next year. He says more details are to come as plans unfold.
