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Something in the Water will return to Va. Beach in 2023
Music superstar and Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams announced Wednesday that his signature three-day music festival, Something in the Water, will again be held in Virginia Beach on April 28-30, 2023, after the festival moved to Washington, D.C., this summer. The inaugural Something in the Water festival was held on the V[...]
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[...]
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 casino[...]
Kings Dominion to remain open year-round
Kings Dominion will expand to year-round operations beginning in January, the Doswell theme park announced Tuesday. The park will now be open an additional nine weekends, or 18 more days, in January, February and early March. Historically, Kings Dominion opens for weekends in the spring and starts daily operations around Memoria[...]
Danville Quality Inn sells for nearly $5M
A Quality Inn hotel in Danville with 58 rooms has changed hands. Anil Patel purchased the hotel located at 2175 Riverside Drive in Danville from Riverside Motel Corp. for $4.275 million, according to Colliers. The new owner expects to continue operating the hotel as a Quality Inn under a license from Choice Hotels. Prashant Merc[...]
Roanoke Days Inn sells for $3M
A Roanoke Days Inn has a new owner. Saul Urban LLC purchased the 165-room hotel, located at 601 Orange Ave., from Shri Sainath Enterprises LLC for $3 million, according to Colliers. The new owner is planning a comprehensive renovation of the property and is exploring alternative uses. Prashant Merchant and Nic Wade, both of Coll[...]
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[...]
Hotel revenues continue to outpace 2019, but only slightly
The commonwealth’s hotel industry is continuing its recovery, though the Northern Virginia market continues to be a drag on its performance, according to 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 August […]
Colonial Downs Racetrack sets $2.88M daily bets record
Colonial Downs Racetrack broke records again in its racing season, with bettors waging more than $6.5 million on New Kent County Virginia Derby Day earlier this month, Colonial Downs Race Group announced this week. The total amount bet on races during the 26-day racing season was $74.9 million and a daily average of $2.88 million, […]
Chrysler Museum names communications director
Norfolk’s Chrysler Museum of Art has named Ashley Grove Mars as its new director of communications. Mars previously spent more than seven years working for the Virginia Zoo, including in marketing and as creative director. She worked as its communications director since March 2021, according to her LinkedIn account. Mars h[...]
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%[...]
Virginia Lottery reports record $3.75B in revenue
The Virginia Lottery posted record sales of $3.75 billion and a record of almost $779.6 million in profits for fiscal year 2022, the lottery’s board announced Tuesday. Sales increased roughly 15% from last year, and the lottery’s profits increased about 1.9% over the prior fiscal year’s record. The lottery’s fiscal year [...]
