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Richmond’s Maymont wins $8M tourism grant
Updated July 20, 2022 Maymont Foundation, which maintains and runs Richmond‘s Maymont park, was awarded an $8 million federal grant Tuesday to promote regional tourism, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration announced. With an additional $2 million in matching funds from the foundation, the EDA grant will be used for infrastructure improvements to [&helli[...]
Richmond Raceway names new president
When Lori Collier Waran was a young girl, she spent a lot of time around Richmond Raceway. Her grandparents lived just blocks away and her grandfather would volunteer to park cars so he could watch races. Sometimes Waran tagged along, too. “The raceway was sort of my playground,” she recalled. Now, the raceway will be […]
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 […]
Va. restaurant, travel association names new VP
Richmond-based Virginia Restaurant Lodging & Travel Association has promoted Brittany Wojdyla to vice president of membership and business development, the organization announced Thursday. In her new role, Wojdyla will be responsible for leading the association’s membership efforts throughout the state, developing partnerships and sponsorships, managing events and overseeing marketing an[...]
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 […]
Something in the Water officially heads to D.C.
Music superstar and Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams announced Tuesday that his signature three-day music festival, Something in the Water, will be held in June in Washington, D.C., making its departure from Virginia Beach official. Scheduled for June 17-19 on Independence Avenue, the three-day festival includes a long list of pop and hip-hop artists, including […]
Fifth District economy growth is moderate, Fed says
The Federal Reserve’s Fifth District (including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) continued to grow moderately despite supply chain issues, labor shortages and rising prices, according to the latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, released Wednesday. The Beige Book is published eight times per year and is based on anecdotal information [...]
Bristol temporary casino to open July 8
Hard Rock International Inc. will open its temporary casino in Bristol July 8, the company announced Thursday. The 30,000-square-foot temporary full-service casino featuring 900 gaming slots and 20 tables for gaming operations will open at 500 Gate City Highway, the former Bristol Mall. It is expected to generate 600 jobs. In February, the casino named […]
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 […]
RIR president to head Henrico sports/entertainment authority
Henrico County officials on Wednesday named longtime Richmond Raceway President Dennis Bickmeier to lead its new sports and entertainment authority. Bickmeier’s last day with the raceway, where he has led for more than a decade, is April 15. He will begin working in his new role on April 18. “With Dennis Bickmeier serving as our executive […]
Norfolk Tourism Foundation names new director
The Norfolk Tourism Foundation and VisitNorfolk announced Thursday that Kelsey Backe is the foundation’s new director. “I am thrilled to be able to join the Norfolk Tourism Foundation and to put my skills to use supporting our current hospitality workers, our future hospitality workers and tourism research initiatives that will help our community invest wisely […]
Mountain Lake Lodge promotes general manager to CEO
Mountain Lake Lodge, where 1987 hit movie “Dirty Dancing” was filmed, announced Thursday the promotion of Heidi Stone to president and CEO. Stone has served as the Pembroke hotel‘s general manager since 2013. “Heidi Stone is a talented hotelier whose proven leadership and commitment is reflected through her team,” Giles County Administrator Chris McKlarney said in a[...]
