Squirrels president is worried over ballpark timeline
The Richmond Flying Squirrels are worried that a new stadium may not be ready by April 2025 as needed to meet new Major League Baseball regulations, according to the Minor League Baseball team’s president and managing partner, Lou DiBella. In a statement Tuesday, DiBella said that there has been “very little progress[...]
Shoring up
Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown are all significant parts of the nation’s foundation, and historic tourism drove the region’s economy during the 20th century. But Colonial Williamsburg hasn’t been enough to keep big crowds coming to the area consistently in the 21st century, even before the pandemic. Visit[...]
Atlantic Park breaks ground in Virginia Beach
Atlantic Park, the $335 million dollar surf park development planned for Virginia Beach‘s Oceanfront, has broken ground and closed on its financing, according to an announcement Thursday from Venture Realty Group, the firm developing the project with music icon Pharrell Williams. The 11-acre surf park has been in developme[...]
Va. hotel revenues in February up 14.9% from 2019
Hotel revenues in Virginia were 14.9% higher in February compared with pre-pandemic levels, largely because of increased room rates, according to data released Tuesday by STR Inc., a division of CoStar Group Inc. that provides market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. Hotel rooms sold increased by 4.3% last month compared wi[...]
Radford’s Highlander hotel names senior leadership
The Highlander, a $40 million boutique conference hotel opening this spring in Radford, announced its senior leadership team March 1. The team includes Executive Chef James Kirby; General Manager Rachel Pegues; Director of Sales and Marketing Ginger Clark; and Director of Food and Beverage John O’Conner. Kirby is a graduat[...]
Virginia hold ’em
The slot machines are already ringing out in Bristol and Portsmouth, where Virginia’s first commercial casinos opened during the past year. The state’s first permanent casino, Rivers Casino Portsmouth, opened its doors on Jan. 23. Operated by Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming, the resort has 1,148 slot machines, 57 ta[...]
Hilton CEO Nassetta to chair U.S. Travel Association
The U.S. Travel Association elected Christopher J. Nassetta, president and CEO of McLean-based Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., as its national chair. The Washington, D.C.-based association, which represents the interests of more than 1,000 industry organizations, announced Nassetta’s election Thursday. As national chair, h[...]
January Va. hotel revenues surpass 2019
Virginia hotel revenues in January were 14.9% higher than pre-pandemic levels, largely due to higher hotel room rates, according to data released Tuesday by STR Inc., a division of CoStar Group Inc. that provides market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. Hotel rooms sold increased by 5% last month compared with January 2019.[...]
Second Petersburg casino bill dies in Senate committee
Updated Friday, Feb. 17 Petersburg voters won’t get an opportunity to approve a casino this fall, and Richmond may get a second chance to vote on a casino referendum in 2023, state legislators decided Thursday in a 10-6 vote. However, the matter could come down to last-minute state budget negotiations. The Virginia State S[...]
ASM Global to develop, run GreenCity arena in Henrico
ASM Global will develop and operate the 17,000-seat arena at Henrico County’s $2.3 billion GreenCity development, county officials announced Monday. Billed as what will be the nation’s greenest arena with net-zero energy impact, the venue is set to be part of a multiuse community with a focus on environmental sustain[...]
Petersburg casino bill passes Va. House
The Virginia House of Delegates narrowly passed a bill Tuesday that would allow Petersburg residents to vote on a casino referendum this fall. The legislation moves next to the Virginia State Senate, where a similar bill died in committee. Del. Kim Taylor, R-Dinwiddie, sponsored HB 1373, which passed 49-44 in the full House vote[...]
Morrissey’s Petersburg casino bill fails in Senate Finance
Updated Friday, Feb. 3 With an 7-8 no vote Thursday evening, the Virginia Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee killed state Sen. Joe Morrissey’s measure to bring a casino referendum to Petersburg’s ballots this fall. A similar bill in the House of Delegates, however, is still alive. A few days after receiving [...]