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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[...]
New hotel chain to open first nationwide location in NoVa
A new hotel chain, stayAPT Suites, is set to open its first location nationwide in southern Fairfax County in early October, near Fort Belvoir on U.S. Route 1. The hotel will have 73 rooms, and each suite will include a living room and full kitchens. The Matthews, North Carolina-based chain announced the brand in January, […]
Hail to the … what now?
Under pressure from FedEx and other big sponsors, the Washington Redskins management announced in July that the NFL team will retire its name and mascot and rebrand itself away from divisive Native American imagery. The $3.4 billion organization, the seventh-most valuable franchise in the NFL, is now known as the “Washington F[...]
Staying strong
No one could have predicted 2020 would bring such dramatic changes. Civil unrest after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, coupled with a once-in-a-century pandemic, is accelerating social and economic changes around the country, including in the Richmond region. Once the capital of the Confederacy, Richmond began[...]
Hospitality | Tourism
NEIL P. AMIN CEO, SHAMIN HOTELS, RICHMOND Like other hoteliers, Shamin Hotels has been hit by the near evaporation of business travel. Amin is CEO of the company, which owns some five dozen properties and is the largest hotel operator in the Richmond region. Amin graduated The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where […]
Kings Dominion closure brings economic woes
For the first time in its 45-year history, Kings Dominion has halted its roller coasters for an entire season, thanks to COVID-19. But beyond being disappointing for fans of the amusement park in Doswell, “the economic impact is huge,” says E. Linwood Thomas IV, director of economic development for Hanover County. “Kings D[...]
Arts | Entertainment | Sports
TONY BENNETT MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, CHARLOTTESVILLE In 2019 Bennett achieved what no team had never done before — coaching his team to become NCAA men’s basketball champions in his 10th year with the program, a year after the Cavaliers fell during the first round of the tournament. Cementing his reputation as […]
Va. hotel revenues continue to improve slightly
Virginia hotel revenues improved slightly last week, STR Inc. reported Wednesday. During the week of Aug. 16-22, hotel revenues decreased by 42% and rooms sold declined by 31% compared to the same week last year, but this marks a small improvement from the previous week, which saw a 44% decline in revenue and 32% decrease […]
