St. Louis Continues to Build Major Momentum in 2015

Thursday May 21, 2015

By Integadmin

For more information:

Anthony Paraino    
St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission
314-992-0654

Greg Severin
Lents & Associates
314-968-3060

St. LOUIS CONTINUES TO BUILD MAJOR MOMENTUM IN 2015

Room Boom, Lanterns, CityArchRiver, Arch Anniversary, National Blues Museum,
IKEA among highlights

ST. LOUIS (May 21, 2015) As the summer leisure travel season begins and the second half of 2015 unfolds, St. Louis continues to build momentum with impressive hotel renovations and room remodels, world-class events, a transformative project including a big birthday celebration, and two exciting new openings.

“This is a whirlwind time in St. Louis and those winning winds are blowing in our direction,” said Kathleen “Kitty” Ratcliffe, President of the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission (CVC). “Momentum is definitely on our side and locals and visitors across the country are going to love all the new and exciting experiences awaiting them in our region.”

St. Louis annually welcomes 23.9 million visitors for leisure, conventions, meeting and business travel and the following new additions and improvements will make the region even more attractive in 2015.

A Room Boom in St. Louis

When it comes to offering meeting and convention guests the finest in accommodations, the St. Louis convention quarter is seeing a boom. With some of the most premier hotel brands in the industry, including Marriott, Four Seasons, Hilton, Embassy Suites, Drury, Holiday Inn and Hyatt, there are more than 7,000 available guest rooms in downtown St. Louis. By the end of summer 2015, more than 1,750 of those rooms will be new or recently remodeled and all within steps of America’s Center.

In addition to the room boom, the historic Mayfair Hotel was transformed into the Magnolia Hotel St. Louis last summer while exciting transformations continue this summer with the rebranding and renovation of the Renaissance St. Louis Grand into the Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel and major renovations to the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Convention Center (formerly the historic Lennox Hotel) and the Holiday Inn St. Louis Downtown – Convention Center.

Let There Be Lanterns

Running from May 23 to August 23, 2015, the Missouri Botanical Garden will play host to an international exhibition of 22 lighted works of art from Zigong, China when it debuts “Lantern Festival: Magic Reimagined.” Following critical acclaim and rave reviews from visitors during the 2012 festival, the Garden has commissioned new sets crafted from silk and steel from around the world the opportunity to see an event rarely stated outside of Asia.

CityArchRiver 2015, Happy Birthday, Arch

An ongoing project designed to connect, enhance and transform the Gateway Arch grounds and surroundings, several components of the multi-million dollar CityArchRiver 2015 project  will be complete when the nation and region celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Gateway Arch this fall.

Scheduled to complete in 2017, CityArchRiver will connect the Arch to the central business district of downtown St. Louis while allowing pedestrians to walk from the Old Courthouse to hotels and the America’s Center Convention Complex. Also undergoing exciting improvements as part of the renovation project are the Museum of Westward Expansion and the Old Courthouse.

A National Museum of Note

Scheduled to open later this year, the National Blues Museum will include more than 16,000 square feet of highly interactive technology and artifact-driven exhibits, a theatre, special event space and classrooms. The Museum will explore and preserve the historic significance of the Blues as the foundation of American music and celebrate the musicians who both created and advance the art form.

Eyes on IKEA

All eyes are on IKEA as locals and visitors eagerly await the opening of a store this fall in the heart of Midtown St. Louis. The world’s leading home furnishing retailer, IKEA St. Louis will feature nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items and a 450-seat restaurant. The addition of IKEA St. Louis, along with a two premium outlets, major malls, department stores, and an abundance of neighborhood shops and boutiques, solidifies St. Louis a shopping mecca of the Midwest.

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About the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission
The St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission is the sales and marketing organization responsible for marketing St. Louis City and St. Louis County as a convention and meeting site and as a leisure travel destination. In addition, the CVC manages and operates the America’s Center Convention Complex®, which includes 502,000 square feet of prime exhibit space, a 28,000 square-foot ballroom, the 67,000-seat Edward Jones Dome, the 1,400-seat Ferrara Theatre, and the St. Louis Executive Conference Center.