Originally posted by TIM LOGAN • tlogan@post-dispatch.com on STLToday
Sometimes, what happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas.
That was the case this week, when a scandal-plagued federal agency, still reeling from revelations about a lavish conference in Sin City, pulled the plug on an upcoming gathering here in the Gateway City.
Now 10 downtown hotels are left with a bunch of empty rooms and wondering if they will ever get paid.
The General Services Agency, which manages nuts-and-bolts federal purchasing, told St. Louis convention officials this week that they are canceling a big energy trade show scheduled for America's Center next month. It would have filled nearly 2,500 hotel rooms downtown for four nights, generating an estimated $6 million in hotel and convention spending, plus cab rides, meals and more. Now? Nothing.
