The St. James Hotel hosts board retreats, sales meetings, leadership sessions, team building, recognition events and weddings for 6 to 240 guests, across 10 event spaces totaling 18,050 square feet. The hotel opened in 1875 at 406 Main Street in downtown Red Wing, Minnesota, on the Mississippi River below the town's bluffs, and has 68 guest rooms on site.
Seminars and company events
Meetings run as full or half days, with a dedicated planner and full-service support. The hotel suits corporate meetings, conferences, executive retreats, strategic planning sessions, workshops and staff or client recognition. A corporate meeting package for groups of 15 to 50 covers the meeting room, breakfast, a mid-morning break, lunch, an afternoon break, internet access and covered parking. Groups can reserve all 68 guest rooms for exclusive use. The hotel is 45 to 90 minutes from the region's major cities.
Weddings and receptions
Five settings take ceremonies and receptions, with three private spaces for getting ready. Rental includes setup and teardown, tables, chairs, linens, AV, buffet equipment and tableware, staffing, security and insurance. With the Summit Room or the Portside Room, a second space is included for the social hour, along with the switch from ceremony to reception layout. The Billiard Room and the Hamline Room serve as getting-ready rooms, and two apartments a few steps away, The Flat and The Foundry, each with 1,500 square feet, river and bluff views and a full kitchen, can host the wedding party.
Rooms and capacities
The Summit Room has floor-to-ceiling windows over the Mississippi and takes 240 for a ceremony or reception. The Portside Room mixes historic details with a modern fit-out and takes 140 for a ceremony, reception or social hour. The Laurentine Room looks out on the river and the historic Red Wing Depot, with an outdoor patio: 120 for a ceremony, 150 for cocktails and 70 for a reception. The Historic Area groups the Historic Lobby, the Library, the Private Dining Room and the Victorian Dining Room, with a pipe organ and the Grand Staircase: 120 for a ceremony, 240 for cocktails and 60 for dinner. The Oak Room overlooks downtown and takes 70, and Jimmy's Pub seats 45, or 77 when the two are combined.
Accommodation
The 68 guest rooms come in Classic, Premium, Whirlpool and Suite collections, plus accessible rooms, and no two are exactly alike. Some rooms welcome dogs.
Catering
Scarlet Kitchen & Bar, in the courtyard, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with river views. The Port, on the lower level, pairs prohibition-era cocktails with a bold menu. Jimmy's Pub is a British-style lounge with a mahogany bar and a fireplace. Event menus are handled by the hotel's own catering team.
History and setting
Eleven local businessmen opened the hotel on Thanksgiving Day, 1875, when Red Wing was a leading wheat market. The four-story Italianate building was designed by the E.P. Bassford firm, and its dining room was so well known that trains changed their timetables so passengers could eat here. The Lillyblad family ran it from 1914, and the Red Wing Shoe Company bought and restored it in 1977. Historic Hotels of America named it Best Small Historic Hotel in 2019.
Getting there
The hotel is in downtown Red Wing, within walking distance of the historic depot and the riverfront. Covered parking is free for vehicles under 6 feet 7 inches.
