Design & Development

Minnesota Wild adds hotel to arena redevelopment effort

Featured image credit: Ltp1220/CC BY-SA 4.0/Edited for size

Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold has said a new hotel will now be added to redevelopment plans for Xcel Energy Center, the home of the NHL franchise.

A $250m (£189.83m/€226.67m) to $300m revamp has been touted for the arena, which would also cover the adjacent RiverCentre convention facility, but Leipold said a 650-room convention centre hotel has now been added to the project, which will raise its price tag.

“The whole project is so great for downtown St. Paul, and it’s not just the arena,” Leipold said, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. “It’s a lot of stuff, so we think it’s great for downtown. It’s good for our fans, good for our market and we’re pushing hard this year.”

The 17,954-capacity Xcel Energy Center opened in September 2000. It is owned by the City of St. Paul and operated by the Wild’s parent company, Minnesota Sports & Entertainment. The City and the team have been seeking state financial assistance for the project since late last year, but it has not proceeded.

Leipold said the Wild may contribute up to $250m in financing and would target further assistance from the state. However, he conceded elections scheduled for November could complicate matters.

“We’re trying to sell the Legislature and the governor,” Leipold added. “The problem is, nobody knows who’s going to be running the Legislature, Republicans or Democrats. We don’t know who the governor’s going to be.

“We’re kind of in a tough spot right now. But ultimately, we need to get the renovations and the upgrades in this arena.”