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Destinations · Minneapolis

Where to Stay When Visiting 3M (Maplewood)

By Rachel Julian, Editor-in-Chief · · 5 min read

3M's headquarters is in Maplewood. Downtown and the airport ride the METRO light rail; the suburbs need a car. Which one your campus is in decides the trip.

Direct answer: Visiting 3M's Maplewood HQ (3M Center): stay in the downtown St. Paul area near the office. Stay in downtown St. Paul near 3M — the hotels here are walkable to the capital-city core and on the Green line. For 3M in Maplewood, it's a short drive east; downtown St. Paul is still the practical base. Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP) is about 20 minutes west of downtown St. Paul. The METRO Green line connects downtown St. Paul to downtown Minneapolis, with a transfer to the airport line. One airport, and downtown St. Paul is walkable and on the light rail — though 3M's Maplewood campus, to the east, needs a car.

3M is a diversified manufacturer and materials-science company (Post-it, Scotch tape, and thousands of products), headquartered at 3M Center, Maplewood, MN 55144. That's downtown St. Paul — Minnesota's capital, home to Ecolab and a cluster of finance and insurance offices, with 3M's big campus just east in Maplewood, on the METRO Green line.

Company
3M — a diversified manufacturer and materials-science company (Post-it, Scotch tape, and thousands of products)
HQ address
3M Center, Maplewood, MN 55144
Where it is
Maplewood, at 3M Center, east of St. Paul
Airport
MSP ~20 min · METRO Green line (downtown St. Paul)
Stay in
downtown St. Paul
“3M's sprawling campus is in Maplewood, east of St. Paul. Base in downtown St. Paul about 15 minutes west and drive out to the campus.”— Rachel Julian, Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Which airport — and how far?

Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP) is about 20 minutes west of downtown St. Paul. The METRO Green line connects downtown St. Paul to downtown Minneapolis, with a transfer to the airport line. One airport, and downtown St. Paul is walkable and on the light rail — though 3M's Maplewood campus, to the east, needs a car.

Where should you stay near 3M?

Stay in downtown St. Paul near 3M — the hotels here are walkable to the capital-city core and on the Green line. For 3M in Maplewood, it's a short drive east; downtown St. Paul is still the practical base.

The shortlist: verified hotels near 3M

Real hotels in the downtown St. Paul area, matched to the visit. Confirm exact distances before booking.

  1. The Saint Paul HotelDowntown St. Paul

    A historic downtown landmark — the room for hosting a client or an executive visit near Ecolab and the capital-city core.

    Best for: exec visits & hosting
  2. InterContinental Saint Paul RiverfrontDowntown · riverfront

    Full-service on the riverfront with meeting space, walkable to the downtown offices — the meetings and onsite pick.

    Best for: meetings & the standard onsite
  3. DoubleTree by Hilton St. Paul DowntownDowntown St. Paul

    Reliable full-service in the core, walkable to Ecolab and on the Green line — a dependable business base.

    Best for: a straightforward business stay
  4. Holiday Inn St. Paul DowntownNear Ecolab

    Cost-aware in the core near Ecolab, Securian, and Travelers, with meeting space and parking — the value pick.

    Best for: a cost-controlled stay

Where can you take a client to dinner near 3M?

Downtown St. Paul and the nearby Cathedral Hill and Grand Avenue districts cover a client dinner; Minneapolis is a Green line ride west for more options.

What should you check before booking?

The area gets you close; the room still has to protect the work. Run the pick through the Sales-Ready basics — a real work surface, a quiet room, a lobby you'd host in — using the hotel details that decide the trip and the Sales-Ready Index.

The standard

3M is a Twin Cities HQ where the light-rail-or-car question matters as much as the hotel. Book near the office in the downtown St. Paul area, lean on the METRO light rail from MSP, and keep the trip tight.

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Sources: 3M HQ location per 3M (3M Center, Maplewood, MN 55144). Nearby hotels per Twin Cities district hotel guidance (Tripadvisor / hotel-brand and district listings); METRO light-rail coverage per the Metro Transit map; distances approximate — confirm before booking. Hotel fit notes are The Sales Traveler's own assessment, not paid placements.

Run a hotel near here? Travelers are being routed to this page. See how the Sales-Ready standard works — and how a property earns the mark that lands it on the shortlist.

More Minneapolis: the where-to-stay-in-the-Twin-Cities overview (downtown vs. the suburbs, and where the light rail reaches), and how to choose a hotel for a sales trip.
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