About St. Louis

St. Louis is a major independent city and inland port in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is situated along the western bank of the Mississippi River, which marks Missouri’s border with Illinois. The Missouri River merges with the Mississippi River just north of the city. These two rivers combined form the fourth longest river system in the world. The city had an estimated 2018 population of 302,838 and is the cultural and economic center of the St. Louis metropolitan area(home to nearly 3,000,000 people), which is the largest metropolitan area in Missouri, and the 20th-largest in the United States.

Taxes

  • How much is the total cumulative hotel tax? 18.92%
  • How much is the F&B tax? 13.179%
  • How much is the average F&B gratuity? 20-24%

Airport

  • How many miles from the airport to downtown? 12 miles
  • Is there public transportation, such as a bus or subway available? Yes
  • How much does the public transportation cost? $2.50 one-way
  • What is the shuttle bus fare from the airport to downtown? N/A
  • What is the taxi fare from airport to downtown? $25.00
  • How many daily flights into the airport? 264
  • How many daily flights out of airport? 336
  • Is the airport a hub for any carrier? Southwest
  • What are the major carriers serving airport? Southwest, American, Delta, United, Frontier, Air Canada, etc. 

Hotels

  • How many committable hotel rooms downtown on peak night? 5,000
  • How many committable hotel rooms downtown on peak within walking distance to convention center? 3,500
  • How many headquarter hotel properties? 3
  • How many rooms available on peak night at the largest headquarter property? 800 rooms
  • Can you list hotels by rating?? 5-star, 4-star, 3-star?
    Hotel Peak
    Rooms    		 Distance to America’s Center Star Rating
    Marriott St. Louis Grand* 800 Adjacent 4.5
    Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Convention Center* 100 Adjacent 4
    Embassy Suites St. Louis Downtown 100 Adjacent 4
    Drury Inn and Suites – Convention Center 170 Adjacent 3
    Holiday Inn St. Louis Downtown Convention Center 200 Adjacent 3
    The Magnolia Hotel* 100 1 Block 4
    Hotel Saint Louis 65 2 Blocks 4.5
    Four Seasons Hotel 50 3 Blocks 5
    Hampton Inn St. Louis Downtown Gateway Arch 100 3 Blocks 3
    City Place St. Louis Downtown Hotel 100 4 Blocks 3
    Hilton St. Louis Downtown at the Arch 80 4 Blocks 4
    HoteLumiere 200 4 Blocks 4
    Hyatt Regency St. Louis At the Arch 600 5 Blocks 4
    The Hotel Majestic 55 5 Blocks 4
    The Last Hotel 75 6 Blocks 4.5
    Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark 425 6 Blocks 4
    Live! By Loews (coming in 2020) 55 6 Blocks 4.5
    Drury Plaza Hotel – At the Arch 150 7 Blocks 3.5
    Westin St. Louis* 75 9 Blocks 4

Convention Center

  • How many total gross square feet of exhibit space at Convention Center? 502,000 SF
  • How much of this exhibit space is contiguous? 502,000 SF
  • How many total gross square feet of meeting space is available at the Convention center? 140,000 SF
  • How many meeting rooms does the convention center have? 80
  • How big is the largest meeting room? 28,000 SF
  • How many ballrooms does the convention center have? One now and will have another after mid-2022 of 75,000 SF
  • How big is the largest ballroom? 28,000 SF
  • When was the last renovation or expansion? 2012
  • When is a future renovation/expansion scheduled? Complete mid-2022
  • Is there free Wi-Fi at the convention center? Negotiable
  • Is there an exclusive in-house Electrical provider? Yes
  • Is there an exclusive in-house AV provider? Preferred but not exclusive
  • Is there an exclusive in-house decorator? Preferred but not exclusive
  • Is there an exclusive in-house caterer? Yes
  • Is the convention center a union property? Yes
  • If union property, can you provide estimated pricing list?
    While America’s Center holds no union contracts, the jurisdictions historically claimed by the unions, are recognized and accepted. Service contractors, i.e., Decorating companies and Audio-Visual companies may sign contracts with the appropriate unions. Most often a Decorating company will contract with the Teamsters, Decorators, and Carpenters to perform exhibit work. An Audio-Visual company at times will contract with the Stagehands, Projectionists, and IBEW, though in most cases, the use of a labor broker will be suggested to hire/supervise the appropriate unions and will hold these contracts. Because the exact terms of these contracts may vary regarding wages and general work rules, it is suggested that customers refer specific questions to their own service contractors. That said, please see attached 2018 rate sheets for sample pricing from Klance Unlimited, who works in the building frequently.
  • Here are a list of labor unions with whom planners will be required – to work at the convention center:
  • Union Jurisdictions
    The following represents the type of work performed by each union in general terms. It is NOT meant to be all inclusive of the jurisdictions claimed by each union
  • Audio Visual Unions
    Stagehands-IATSE Local #6 – Erect/dismantle staging, set stage scenery, lighting, camera work for image magnification, Teleprompters, rigging, scaffolding
    IBEW Local #1 – Installation, teardown of audio systems and camera work for image magnification
    IBEW Local #4 – Set up and operation of cameras for live broadcast, radio, television, audio, visual equipment used in live broadcast
    Projectionists – IATSE Local #143 – Installation, and teardown of projection equipment, video monitors, multi-image systems, video signals, video screens
  • Exhibit Hall Unions
    Decorators Local #39/Carpenters District Council – Set/dismantle pipe/drape, skirting, hanging signs/banners, laying carpeting, install/dismantle display booths
    Teamsters Local #600 – Unloading/loading of freight from delivery vehicle, movement of materials to/from booths, movement of empty freight cartons
    IBEW Local #1 – Provide electrical service, networking, electronic voting systems

Off Site Venues

  • How many off site venues within walking distance can host up to 2,000 people? At least 5
  • How many off site venues within a ten-minute bus transfer can host up to 2,000 people? 10+
  • How many restaurants are within walking distance of the convention center? 50+
  • Can you list 3-5 local attractions and their whereabouts?
    National Blues Museum – 3-minute walk from the center
    Gateway Arch – 15-minute walk from the center
    City Museum – 10-minute walk from the center
    Ball Park Village – 10-minute walk from the center
    Busch Stadium – 10-minute walk from the center
    Budweiser Brewery Museum – 10-minute bus ride from the center
    St. Louis Union Station and Aquarium – 10-minute walk from the center