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Earlier this week, Germany's public health institute reduced travel restrictions for people arriving from the United Kingdom, India, Nepal, Portugal and Russia, deeming them as areas that are no longer a variant concern, Reuters reports.

Each of those countries were downgraded to "high incidence areas," according to German federal government agency Robert Koch Institute. Citizens are allowed to travel to Germany and quarantine for 10 days upon arrival.

Before these restrictions relaxed, travelers from those countries were "banned from entering Germany unless they were residents, in which case they had to quarantine for 14 days on arrival," the article states.

Caesars Entertainment announced Caesars Palace in Las Vegas will soon undergo a multimillion-dollar renovation, "bringing a revamped touch to the resort's iconic ancient Roman aesthetic," reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Part of the renovation, which will begin this month and is set to be complete by the end of 2021, includes the resort's original main entrance, main casino and porte-cochère. The facelift will feature a "dramatic and soaring dome and barreled ceiling over a stunning 15-foot tall statue of Augustus Caesar, two state-of-the art gaming pits flanking from the main entrance and a new lobby bar," Caesars Entertainment said in a release.

Brendan Bussmann, director of government affairs for Las Vegas-based at Global Market Advisors LLC, said "the investment shows the company’s commitment to its flagship property," the news outlet writes.

Hotel owners across the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic had support from federal relief programs, higher-than-expected leisure demand and lenders showing flexibility on their loans, writes Hotel News Now's Bryan Wroten. But now that the industry is in recovery mode, it's a matter of time until lender flexibility will tighten and require borrowers to make regular payments again.

Hospitality private lender Stonehill provided a lot of relief in 2020, typically about six months’ worth, said Mathew Crosswy, president at Stonehill Strategic Capital. About 80% of the portfolio was paying back their relief at the start of 2021.

"Everybody is paying some form of payment starting at the beginning of the year,” he said. “Today, we even have some borrowers that have been able to catch up on the interest that we deferred.”

The Wall Street Journal reports New York City has started the process of relocating 8,500 homeless people out of the city's hotels and back into shelter systems, sparking opposition from advocates and support from some local groups.

During spring of 2020, thousands of homeless people were moved into more than 60 privately owned hotels, which were converted into emergency shelters, in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus. New Yorkers who were living in homeless shelters were dying from the virus at a higher rate than others.

"With the state recently lifting most social distancing restrictions in response to dropping COVID-19 infection rates, New York City is looking to fill hotel rooms with tourists again, as part of a larger effort to jump-start a slumping economy," the newspaper writes.

Reuters reports players of the Australian Open "would be unwilling" to undergo a two-week hotel quarantine again for next year's tournament, according to Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley; however, he's confident the international tennis tournament will remain as scheduled this January.

Each player arriving in Australia for this year's tournament was required to quarantine for 14 days before they were permitted to play, and those requirements continue.

"Tiley said tennis players had been playing at tournaments in other countries without such strict restrictions and demanding they undergo strict quarantine before next January's Australian Open would be 'a tough ask,'" the news outlet writes.