Canceled oyster fest hits Urbanna’s wallet
Here’s a pandemic casualty unlikely to appear on Dr. Fauci’s radar: The annual Urbanna Oyster Festival, traditionally set for the first weekend in November, has been shucked off. Citing risks from COVID-19, the Urbanna Oyster Festival Foundation, the event’s sponsor, called off the festival for the first time i[...]
Casino is a dicey prospect for some Danvillians
As Danville voters await a November referendum to approve one of the state’s first casinos, some residents are concerned the project would bring crime and traffic to the area. Danville is one of five localities granted approval to build a casino by state lawmakers earlier this year, although developers require the approval[...]
Festivals hit pause
The Hampton Roads region is known for its popular festivals, from Virginia Beach’s Pungo Strawberry Festival and Suffolk Peanut Fest to the Virginia Arts Festival and the star-studded Something in the Water. “We’ve got more festivals than Nero had,” says Kurt Krause, president and CEO of VisitNorfolk. For Norfolk alone, tourism means more than $887 […]
Norfolk inn sells for $1.65M
The Americas Best Value Inn Norfolk has sold for $1.65 million, commercial real estate brokerage firm Marcus & Millichap announced Friday. Built in 1959, the 62-room property sits on a one-acre lot at 1850 E. Little Creek Rd. in Norfolk. Maharishi Dayanand Investment Inc. sold the property to Parmeshwari LLC through a 1031[...]
Va. hotel revenues continue to slip
Virginia hotel revenues continued to worsen last week after a small improvement during the Labor Day weekend, according to data from STR Inc., a CoStar Group division that provides weekly market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. For the week of Sept. 13 through Sept. 19, hotel revenues in Virginia decreased by 52% and rooms […]
Va. hotel revenues drop again
Following a small improvement associated with the Labor Day holiday weekend, Virginia hotels saw a steep decline in revenues last week, according to data from STR Inc., a CoStar Group division that provides weekly market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. For the week of Sept. 6 through Sept. 13, hotel revenues decreased by 48% […]
JetBlue to offer daily West Coast flights from Richmond International Airport
JetBlue Airways announced Thursday that it will offer daily flights from Richmond International Airport (RIC) to Los Angeles (LAX), Las Vegas (LAS) and Tampa (TPA) starting in November and December. Once-a-day service to TPA will start Nov. 19 and service to LAX and LAS will start Dec. 18. Daily service to Tampa begins on Nov. [[...]
Don’t expect hotel revenue improvement to continue, industry says
UPDATED SEPT. 11, 2 P.M. Virginia hotel revenues saw some improvement last week, according to data released Thursday, but hotel industry representatives say it’s nowhere near enough to offset the “economically devastating” losses that the lodging sector has suffered this year due to the pandemic. For the week of Aug. 30 through Sept. 5, hotel […]
Caesars officially signs on to develop Danville casino
By signing a legally binding development agreement Thursday for a resort casino at the former Dan River Mills industrial complex in Schoolfield, Caesars Entertainment Corp. has guaranteed a minimum of $5 million in gaming tax revenue each year the casino is in operation. Voters will decide in November whether the project will mo[...]
Portsmouth casino to solicit minority ownership
Portsmouth’s casino development partner, Rush Street Gaming, announced Thursday that it will offer 5% or $5 million ownership (whichever is greater) of the proposed $300 million Rivers Casino Portsmouth to a local minority-owned business or private investor who is a person of color. “Rush Street has a track record of i[...]
Va. hotel revenues continued to improve last week
Virginia hotel revenues continued to improve last week, according to data released Wednesday by STR Inc., a CoStar Group division that provides weekly market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. For the week of Aug. 23 through Aug. 29, hotel revenues decreased by 38% and rooms sold declined by 27% compared to the same week […]
Eastern Va. restrictions to remain through Labor Day weekend
Gov. Ralph Northam said Tuesday during a news conference that he would not roll back COVID-19-related restrictions in Eastern Virginia prior to Labor Day. On Friday, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer sent a letter to Northam asking the governor to allow alcohol sales until 11 p.m. and requesting that the state eliminate the 50% oc[...]