Big City Amenities, Small-Town Charm.

Saint Paul is a fresh new destination that offers meeting planners a high-quality convention package with many value-added enhancements. Planners who choose Saint Paul get more for their money.

The city of 300,000 offers all the amenities of a large metropolitan area in a charming, historic community, allowing for competitive pricing on meeting facilities, accommodations, dining, and entertainment. Saint Paul's RiverCentre is ideally located downtown on the bluffs of the Mississippi River and is comprises a new convention center, the Wilkins Auditorium, and a new 19,000-seat arena, which will be home to a new NHL expansion team, the Minnesota Wild, when it opens in September 2000. The $65 million expansion, completed in early 1998, added a two-story 72,505-square-foot exhibit hail to provide 160,000 square feet of exhibit space. The third-level additions provide 27,360 square feet in new ballroom space and 15 new meeting rooms, bringing the total number to 26.

By November 2001, convention delegates, hockey fans, and visitors will be able to access the downtown skyway system via a climate-controlled connection that will stretch from the Rice Park entrance of RiverCentre to the downtown core. From there, visitors can easily access The Saint Paul Hotel, the Radisson hotels, and the rest of the existing skyway system. The bureau has already booked $4.5 million of business specifically due to the connection announcement. The goal is $10 million in new connection-dependent bookings by the time the link opens late next year.

Saint Paul offers a collection of hotels that take pride in service, style, and professionalism. The city has 1,500 downtown hotel rooms and 3,000 suburban hotel rooms for a total of 4,500 rooms. Downtown hotels are within a short walking distance from RiverCentre and many are connected to the city's convenient climate-controlled skyway system, which joins five miles of the downtown core.

The Radisson Hotel Saint Paul, the city's largest convention hotel, has just completed a $10 million renovation of all 475 guest rooms and the spacious lobby which features marble floors, luxurious wool area rugs, and elegant draperies. A new adjoining bar area offers cocktails and light meals from lunch through evening hours.

The Holiday Inn RiverCentre, formerly the site of the Days Inn, is also undergoing an extensive renovation and will open late this year. This full-service property will offer 197 rooms, six meeting rooms, a business center, full-service restaurant, room service, and lounge. Other amenities include indoor pool, whirlpool, fitness center, and convenient on-site parking. The location of this hotel, directly across from the new Saint Paul Arena and RiverCentre convention complex, makes it an ideal choice for hockey fans and convention delegates alike.

The Riverfront Renaissance is also near completion. Directly across the river from downtown, Harriet Island--Saint Paul's playground for more than 150 years--is being renovated and will open its first phase in late May. Already in place are beautifully landscaped walking and biking paths, a public dock, two floating restaurants, and a floating B&B. A new pavilion, visitor center, and a great river walkway and staircase providing access to the river will be completed this summer.