All of the hotels Wayne mentioned are fine.  The Marriott, BTW, is within
walking distance.  The outskirts of downtown Providence aren't all that
far <g>.  Kind of like downtown Bangor <g>.  With the Westin and Holiday
Inn literally next door to the Civic Center, either one could be the main
hotel.  Parking in downtown Providence is not easy to find, illegal
overnight (on the street) and not very safe at any time.  I've had my car
broken into three times and several friends have had them stolen.  Be sure
to park in a protected lot while you're down there.
 
BTW, there are two brew pubs near the Civic Center.  I'm looking into
whether either of them take reservations for large groups.  Hopefully, we
can have a HOCKEY-L get-together during the weekend.
 
-- Ron