The Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot has big plans for 2019, and they all start with the opening of 24,000 square feet of new venue space in early April — just in time for the NCAA Final Four tournament being held at nearby U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Depot, developed by CSM Corp. two decades ago at the site of the abandoned Milwaukee Road Depot, has long hosted weddings and special events in its 37,000-square-foot banquet space. However, with the addition of a vaulted, glass-encased ballroom and multiple smaller spaces, the hotel looks to take another step into the business of meetings and events.
“The trend [for companies] is moving more toward off-site meetings, and we think the new Depot banquet space will be primed to capture that,” said Valerie Martin, a spokeswoman for the facility.
Central to this strategy of attracting corporate meetings and events will be the addition of two small, flexible spaces called “bungalows,” the brainchild of CSM CEO Gary Holmes, said Keith Kramer, The Depot’s general manager. “Gary will see things on his travels and emails us to say, ‘This would really work very well in the hotel.’ ” Read the full article from Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal here.