Everett stays with Wynn: Wynn Resorts has decided to keep the 3 million-square-foot casino-resort that it is building in Everett on the banks of the Mystic River in Boston. The Vegas-based company—which has been under fire since sexual assault and harassment allegations against its namesake former CEO surfaced in January—had met separately recently with rivals Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts about buying the project. But according to Curbed Boston, both parties offered to buy it for less than the approximately US$2.4 billion that Wynn plans to spend building it.
Mandarin Oriental tries on a Waldorf: Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts will convert the Mandarin Oriental on the Las Vegas Strip to the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas in August 2018. Waldorf Astoria will assume full operation of the property with plans to re-imagine and renovate the hotel with brand touches and improvements. The hotel will also offer its True Waldorf Service with personal concierges.
Trump releases financial disclosure: U.S. President Donald Trump released a 92-page financial disclosure report Wednesday and., in addition to disclosing a zero-interest loan to his lawyer Michael Cohen, who paid porn star Stormy Daniels US$130,000 in hush money in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign, the report showed that Trump Washington, D.C., took in US$40 million of revenue in 2017, its first full year of operations.
Tokyo nixes accommodation tax: The Tokyo metropolitan government decided Wednesday not to impose accommodation tax during the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in the capital. The three-month tax collection suspension from July 1 that year will be proposed to the metropolitan assembly in June. The Tokyo government has already promised the International Olympic Committee it will refrain from imposing accommodation tax on athletes, coaches and related officials from participant countries.
Autograph in Africa: Autograph Collection Hotels added five African Pride Hotels to its portfolio, marking the debut of the brand in South Africa. These hotels include: African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel, African Pride 15 on Orange Hotel, African Pride Mount Grace Country House & Spa, African Pride Irene Country Lodge, Arabella Hotel & Spa, Arabella Country Estate.
Red Lion Templin sells: RLH Corp. has sold Red Lion Hotel Templin’s on the River in Post Falls, Idaho for US$9.25 million. The hotel marks the seventh of 11 hotels being marketed for sale previously disclosed in October 2017. Red Lion Hotel Templin’s on the River, along with all other sold hotels, has signed a franchise license agreement to retain their Red Lion brand. Together with the other six previously announced sales, RLH Corporation’s gain on sales is approximately US$16.2 million.
Niro dreams of hospitality: Niro Romanian-based Niro Investment Group announced plans for extending its operations on the local hospitality and tourism industry. The group plans to invest €60 million (US$71 million) in this endeavor over the next four years: starting with a partnership for the Grand Hotel du Boulevard, a hotel that will reopen in 2019 under the luxury hospitality brand Corinthia as well as another new hotel property in Bucharest estimated to open by 2021. The company has also signed with The Swiss Alpine Hospitality Education Group (SAHEG) in a long-term strategic agreement to establish a Centre of Excellence in Hotel Management and Culinary Arts in Romania, with an objective to raise the competencies in the hospitality sector.
MGM sees the light: After searching for a renewable energy solution in Nevada throughout the past year, MGM Resorts International has partnered with Invenergy of Chicago. The company will install a new solar photovoltaic array with a generating capacity of 100 megawatts. This solar system will be located 25 miles north of Las Vegas.
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A new Niu: Russelsheim-based Merkur Development Holding and Novum Hospitality are continuing to extend their partnership via a new hotel Eschborn, Germany. The long-term tenant will be the mid-range “Niu” hotel brand. When completed, the 7-story building is anticipated to provide 176 hotel rooms and 83 apartments for long-term stays.
New Oxygen CEO: Phoenix, Arizona-based Oxygen Hospitality Group named Yaron Ashkenazi, an award-winning international hotelier, as its chief executive officer. Ashkenazi joins Oxygen from GCH Hotel Group in Berlin, Germany, where he most recently served as CEO for the country’s second largest hotel management group.