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1. Resorts World Las Vegas Sets June Opening Date
The $4.3 billion Resorts World Las Vegas is scheduled to open June 24, 2021, after being in development for many years, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Along with a casino, retail space and more than 40 food and beverage outlets, the integrated resort offers 3,500 rooms total at its three hotels, which will be branded under Hilton, Conrad and LXR flags.
When it opens, Resort World will employ roughly 5,000 employees, 500 of which will be managers, the article states.
The development marks the first property to open on the Las Vegas Strip in more than a decade.
2. Gun Lake Casino Will Add $300 Million Resort Expansion
The Gun Lake Casino near Wayland, Michigan, plans to add a $300 million hotel with 250 rooms and suites, a restaurant and full-service spa, WOOD TV8 reports. The casino will also add a pool with an enclosed glass dome, hot tub, private cabanas and nightlife entertainment space.
Gun Lake Casino President and Chief Operating Officer Sal Semola said the expansion is the casino’s largest project in its 10-year history and should provide more jobs for the community. A report released by the Gun Lake Tribe in February states the casino has generated $2.8 billion for Michigan’s economy since it opened in 2011 and has paid $502 million in wages.
3. Australian Hoteliers Hope for Return of Normal Travel Demand
While the new Trans-Tasman travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand is expected to contribute some international hotel demand, hoteliers in Australia aren’t fully convinced it will be enough, even in the short term, reports HNN contributor Tamara Thiessen.
Dean Long, CEO of Australia’s Accommodation Association, said the increased resumption of flights from New Zealand will be of little benefit to hotels in major gateway cities, as most trips will be family visits.
“Maybe there will be some travel bubbles in October between Southeast Asian countries,” he said.
4. US Hotel Performance for March 2021
The U.S. hotel industry reported its highest levels of performance since the start of the pandemic, according to March 2021 data from STR, CoStar Group’s hospitality analytics firm. Occupancy reached 54.6%, average daily rate was $106.08 and revenue per available room hit $57.87.
Both occupancy and RevPAR were the highest for any month since February 2020, the news release states. ADR was at its highest since March 2020. However, the year-over-year percentage changes show significant increases because they are being compared to a pandemic-affected period in 2020. Comparisons with March 2019 show that occupancy is down 20%, ADR is down 19.7% and RevPAR is down 35.8%.
5. State Department Advisory Update Warns Against Travel to 80% of Countries
In bringing travel advisories more in line with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, the U.S. Department of State will make a change that “will result in a significant increase in the number of countries at Level 4: Do Not Travel, to approximately 80% of countries worldwide,” CNN reports.
There are currently about 36 countries on the State Department’s Do Not Travel alert, the highest travel advisory level, the article states.
"This does not imply a reassessment of the current health situation in a given country, but rather reflects an adjustment in the State Department's travel advisory system to rely more on CDC's existing epidemiological assessments," the department said in a media note.