Hotel du Pont can host board meetings, conferences, galas and weddings for up to 400 guests, across 19 event spaces and more than 25,000 square feet. The hotel stands at 42 West 11th Street, at the corner of 11th and Market in downtown Wilmington, Delaware. It opened on January 15, 1913, and has 217 rooms and suites, so a group can meet, dine and sleep under one roof.
Seminars and company events
The hotel sells meetings, conferences and private dining. Conference Service Managers coordinate menus, audiovisual set-up, group bedrooms, private dinners and transportation, and a Group Concierge can book restaurants, tours and spa time for attendees.
The meeting floor has two parts. The Conference Center groups nine rooms for up to 180 guests. Its main room, King Sullivan, covers 2,340 square feet under 12-foot ceilings and seats 180 theater style, 125 classroom or 160 at rounds. An adjacent reception area is set for breakfast, coffee breaks or an evening reception. Knowles, next door, takes 54 theater style or 45 classroom and serves as a breakout room or a lunch room for up to 54.
The Executive Conference Center has five rooms, including a boardroom for 8. The Greenville Suite has raised perimeter seating around a flexible central floor, a layout often booked by law firms for mock trials and executive sessions; it seats 80 theater style. Odessa, with daylight and a view of Rodney Square, takes 30.
Audiovisual staff are on site for sound, lighting and projection. Wi-Fi, video conferencing tools and a business center with printing are listed among the services.
Weddings and receptions
The hotel sells weddings and has its own events team for planning and coordination on the day. Three rooms are presented for weddings. The Gold Ballroom, dating from 1918, is the main reception room, with a gilded ceiling, hand-carved medallions and 20 bas-reliefs of influential women. The Du Barry Ballroom, with fluted pillars, parquet floors and a crystal chandelier, suits a ceremony, a cocktail hour or a smaller reception. The Christina Room, the former club room on the lobby level, is lined in Italian walnut and works for a rehearsal dinner, a welcome reception or an after-party. Couples can book a tour of the rooms before deciding.
Rooms and capacities
The Gold Ballroom covers 4,295 square feet with ceilings over 27 feet. The meeting page gives it up to 400 guests, the wedding page 250 for a reception. The Du Barry Ballroom covers 2,540 square feet, with 180 guests listed for a wedding and up to 225 for a formal dinner. The Christina Room covers 552 square feet and holds 100. Eleven private dining rooms add options for smaller dinners.
Accommodation
The 217 rooms and suites allow a multi-day conference or a wedding weekend to stay on site. Accessible rooms with roll-in showers are offered. Facilities include a fitness center open around the clock, a concierge, valet parking with in-and-out access and a pet-friendly policy.
Catering
Event menus are prepared by the hotel's chefs, built around local ingredients, and served in the meeting rooms, the ballrooms and the private dining rooms. The hotel also runs Le Cavalier, a French brasserie, the Green Room Bar, Spark'd Creative Pastry, its bake shop, and in-room dining.
History and setting
The hotel opened in 1913 in Wilmington's financial district. It keeps its Italian Renaissance architecture and Gilded Age interiors, and it belongs to Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide.
Getting there
The hotel is in downtown Wilmington and offers courtesy transportation within the downtown area. Wilmington station, on the Amtrak Northeast Corridor between Washington, Philadelphia and New York, is a short ride away. Philadelphia International Airport is the nearest major airport.
