In downtown St. Paul, the Embassy Suites Hotel will close in early January, laying off more than 100 workers prior to a renovation and rebranding as a Drury Plaza Hotel. Cork’s Irish Pub, which is located in the hotel, will close as well.
The Missouri-based Drury hotel chain operates 150 hotel properties in 25 states under the brand names Drury Inn, Drury Plaza and Pear Tree Inn, according to the company’s website.
News of the Embassy Suites closure, first reported by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, was confirmed Friday by the hotel’s general manager. He referred all further questions to the Zimmerman agency, a public relations firm.
The agency forwarded a brief statement by email:
“The Embassy Suites by Hilton St. Paul Downtown is closing on Jan. 8, 2019, due to a change in ownership. The hotel will not be accepting any additional reservations after Dec. 30, 2018. As the comfort of our guests is a top priority, we are working with our partners to assist guests and groups to reserve alternate hotels nearby. After extensive renovations, the hotel will reopen as the first Drury Plaza Hotel in the state of Minnesota. Drury Hotels looks forward to continuing the tradition of excellent customer service with a revitalized hotel for St. Paul visitors.”
The eight-floor Embassy Suites, located at 175 E. 10th St., was recently operated under the Hilton brand.
The 208-room hotel is known for hosting domesticated ducks that swim in an indoor, landscaped pond. Among its guest amenities, it advertises an indoor swimming pool and fitness center, shuttle service within a five-mile radius, a 5,000-square-foot banquet center and “newly renovated, spacious two-room suites.”
