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The Highlander nearly complete in Radford
The Highlander, a $40 million boutique hotel and conference center, is expected to open next to Radford University soon. University officials and their partners in the project broke ground in April 2021 and expect it to be completed in January 2023. The conference hotel will have 124 rooms, including four suites, and a 4,000-square-foot conference […]
On the road again
Business and leisure travelers are putting the pandemic in the rearview mirror and once again are filling Virginia hotels and resorts. While that’s good news, widespread staffing shortages continue to hamper the hospitality industry. Occupancy rates are almost back to 2019 numbers, with Northern Virginia finally seeing upticks as corporate and government travel has slowly […]
Petersburg approves Cordish Cos. for possible casino
Petersburg City Council is taking a gamble on Maryland-based The Cordish Cos. to develop a casino there — even though Petersburg doesn’t yet have permission to build a casino, according to state law. Council members voted unanimously Tuesday in favor of Cordish,, a commercial real estate company that has developed casinos across the mid-Atlantic and […]
Supporting the ‘shining star’
Artwork adorns almost every wall of Joan Brock’s immaculate and welcoming Oceanfront home. It’s in the powder room and big, open kitchen. It takes pride of place in a downstairs office and over a fireplace mantle. Large, framed pieces dominate a bright stairwell landing and cozy upstairs sitting room. It’s the accumulation of a passion […]
Va. hotel revenues up slightly over 2019
Northern Virginia’s hotel market continues to be a drag on the lodging industry’s performance in the commonwealth as a whole, according to recently released data from STR Inc., a division of CoStar Group Inc. that provides market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. The latest data show rooms sold decreased by 4.6% in Virginia through […]
Hilton will expand global HQ in Fairfax
Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. will expand its Fairfax County corporate headquarters, creating 350 jobs over the next five years, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday. Over the next five years, the Fortune 1000 global hospitality company will add a variety of roles in areas created to support growth in the coming years, according to a Hilton […]
South Boston hotel springs back to life
A steady stream of developers considered purchasing South Boston’s long-shuttered John Randolph Hotel during the past decade, but none sealed the deal until Julian and Karie Brittano toured the downtown property last fall. This spring, the couple’s High Point, North Carolina-based firm, The Brittano Group Inc., and its subsidiary, The Rook Hotels, entered into a […]
April Va. hotel revenues down slightly from pre-pandemic
Virginia hotel revenues in April were down 3.5% compared with pre-pandemic April 2019 revenues, largely due to the lagging Northern Virginia market, according to data released Wednesday by STR Inc., a division of CoStar Group Inc. that provides market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. Hotel rooms sold decreased by 4.7% last month, compared with […]
Summer dreams
Tournaments at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. Events at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. A busy Oceanfront boardwalk. That was the scene in Virginia Beach during just one weekend in mid-March. And it was the perfect “prelude” to the summer travel season, says John Zirkle, general manager of the DoubleTree by Hilton Virginia Beach. “The […]
Va. hotels expect 28% drop in 2022 biz travel revenue
Virginia hotel revenue from business travel this year is projected to be down 28.3% from pre-pandemic levels, or about $674 million less than the $2.39 billion the lodging industry took in during 2019, according to a report released Tuesday by the American Hotel & Lodging Association and Kalibri Labs. Nationally, the associations forecasts a 23% […]
Hotel workers must complete anti-human trafficking training
RICHMOND, Va. — After a few lawmakers missed time during the session due to COVID-19, Del. Shelly A. Simonds, D-Newport News, said she was thrilled to see all 100 members of the House unanimously pass a bill requiring hotels to provide human trafficking training for employees. “It was really exciting for me to watch the […]
