coronavirus

Park Hyatt, Peninsula Hotels to Temporarily Close Doors in Chicago

by Kristin Harlow March 19, 2020

CHICAGO — The Park Hyatt Chicago and Peninsula, both luxury hotels in downtown Chicago, have temporarily closed their doors due to the coronavirus outbreak. The 198-room Park Hyatt will not accept room, restaurant, bar or other reservations until April 30. No reservations will be available until further notice at the 339-room Peninsula, according to the hotel’s website. These properties are the first two downtown Chicago hotels to close because of the coronavirus and other closures will likely follow, according to Crain’s Chicago Business.

March 19, 2020

Midwest Multifamily Ohio

Woda Cooper Cos. Creates Interim Rental Assistance Fund, Waives Late Fees for Residents Impacted by COVID-19

by Kristin Harlow March 19, 2020

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Woda Cooper Cos. Inc. has unveiled plans to create an interim rental assistance fund and waive late rent fees for residents whose jobs are directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The company has also halted celebrations commemorating its 30th anniversary later this year to focus on helping residents navigate the financial impacts of the pandemic. As part of the announcement, Woda Cooper will waive all late fees for rent due April 1 for any resident who has been laid off or furloughed. In addition, the company will establish an interim rental assistance fund of $250,000 to assist residents who have been laid off or furloughed, and ask vendors, lenders and investors to help financially in the effort. Woda Cooper will match the first $250,000 of contributions received and add those funds to the rental assistance fund. Columbus-based Woda Cooper owns and operates more than 300 affordable housing communities in 15 states.

March 19, 2020

California Company News Indiana Midwest Retail Top Stories Western

Simon, URW Among Latest to Temporarily Close Retail Centers Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

by Alex Tostado March 19, 2020

INDIANAPOLIS AND LOS ANGELES — Simon Property Group and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) have announced they will temporarily close their respective shopping centers across the United States amid the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak. Simon (NYSE: SPG) closed all of its U.S. properties at 7 p.m. local time Wednesday. URW will close its properties starting today. URW, which is headquartered in Paris and has offices in Los Angeles and New York City, operates 47 properties in the U.S. Due to European governments implementing crowd bans, URW began shuttering centers in France, Spain, Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia on March 16. In a corresponding move, the company began actively reducing non-staff expenses and deferring non-essential capital expenditure. Unless instructed otherwise by local authorities, URW will reopen its properties March 29. URW says “essential” retailers will remain open. Essential stores are typically defined as grocery stores, pharmacies, convenient stores, etc. “We have not made this decision lightly and believe this is in the best interest of protecting our various stakeholders. We look forward to reopening these centers in the very near future,” says Jean-Marie Tritant, U.S. President of URW. “In the meantime, we are doing everything possible to make sure that ‘essential’ retail outlets …

March 19, 2020

Features Student Housing

The Coronavirus Outbreak: A Guide to The Impact on Student Housing

by Katie Sloan March 19, 2020

The impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is being felt across every sector of the U.S. economy as the virus continues to spread worldwide. The student housing industry is not exempt, as the number of colleges and universities canceling in-person classes continues to grow, with some requesting that students vacate residence halls immediately for the remainder of the spring semester. The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. has climbed to 10,442 and the death toll has risen to 150 as of March 19, according to The New York Times coronavirus case map. President Trump declared a national emergency on March 13, which gave him authority to use $50 billion allocated by congress for disaster relief to address the coronavirus crisis. The Trump administration broadened the government’s response to the pandemic on Wednesday, spelling out the first details of a $1 trillion economic package that requests an infusion of $500 billion for direct payments to taxpayers and $500 billion in loans for businesses from Congress, according to reports by The New York Times. President Trump also invoked a seldom-used wartime law that allows the government to press American industry into service to ramp up production of medical supplies. University and College Closures Universities are taking …

March 19, 2020

Company News Hospitality Maryland Southeast

Marriott Reportedly Set to Furlough Tens of Thousands of Hotel Employees Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

by Alex Tostado March 18, 2020

BETHESDA, MD. — According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Marriott International Inc. is in the beginning stages of furloughing what could be up to tens of thousands of employees. The hotel chain cited travel cancellations and government travel bans due to the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak as the basis for its decision. Through a Marriott spokeswoman, the Journal reported the jobs are from hotel managers down to housekeeping. The spokeswoman said there have not been any corporate-level furloughs, but those are being discussed. According to Marriott, the Bethesda-based company employs 130,000 people nationwide. Additionally, on Tuesday afternoon, the CEO of Marriott, Arne Sorenson, as well as CEOs from Best Western, Choice Hotels International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corp., InterContinental Hotels Group, MGM Resorts, Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, Universal and The Walt Disney Co. met with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in an effort to work with the federal government to protect the millions of employees working in the hospitality sector. Based on current occupancy estimates, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) says 4 million hospitality jobs have been eliminated or are on the verge of being lost in the next few weeks. The AHLA reports …

March 18, 2020

Hospitality New Jersey Northeast Retail

Eldorado Resorts Temporarily Closes 2,379-Room Tropicana Atlantic City Casino, Hotel

by Alex Patton March 18, 2020

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Eldorado Resorts has temporarily closed its 2,379-room Tropicana Atlantic City casino and hotel in New Jersey. In an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, the company is complying with an order from the governments of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut to temporarily close movie theaters, gyms and casinos in the Tri-State area. The property features 125,935 square feet of casino space, 20 restaurants, 18 bars and amenities including a fitness center, indoor and outdoor pools and full-service spa.

March 18, 2020

Company News Mississippi Retail Southeast

Eldorado Resorts Temporarily Closes Three Casinos in Mississippi

by Alex Tostado March 17, 2020

GREENVILLE, LULA AND VICKSBURG, MISS. — Eldorado Resorts Inc. has temporarily closed Tropicana Greenville, Isle of Capri Lula and Lady Luck Vicksburg in Mississippi, due to the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak. The Reno, Nev.-based company said in a press release that the closures are in accordance with the Mississippi Gaming Commission order to shut down operations as of midnight local time, March 16. Eldorado agreed to sell Lady Luck last summer to Twin River Worldwide. The sale is expected to close this year. Eldorado acquired Tropicana Entertainment Inc. and all of its real estate assets in April 2018 for $1.85 billion.

March 17, 2020

Colorado Loans Mixed-Use Retail Top Stories Western

Kroenke Sports, Revesco Receive $124.6M Refinancing for Elitch Gardens Theme Park in Denver

by John Nelson March 17, 2020

DENVER — Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE) and Revesco Properties have received a $124.6 million loan to refinance Elitch Gardens Theme and Water Park in downtown Denver. The 130-year-old property is Colorado’s only combination amusement park and water park. The park is set to open for its 2020 season in April, but no word has come out if the outbreak of COVID-19 has changed that plan. Eric Tupler and Tyler Dumon of JLL arranged the five-year, floating-rate loan through Pacific Western Bank. KSE and Revesco, both based in Denver, plan to use the loan to retire existing debt and fund predevelopment work for the future River Mile project. Expected to take 25 years to fully come to fruition, River Mile is Revesco’s planned mixed-use district that will span 62 acres along a one-mile stretch of the South Platte River. KSE is a partner on the project. River Mile will eventually replace the amusement park, according to local media outlets. The redevelopment is expected to span 14 million square feet of residential and commercial mixed-use space, as well as public space along the riverfront. The River Mile project will include Meow Wolf, a 90,000-square-foot art installation attraction that is expected to …

March 17, 2020

Features Loans Multifamily

Managing Volatility, Disruption Is Crucial to Multifamily Debt Market, Says Freddie Mac’s Martinez

by Taylor Williams March 16, 2020

As markets, consumers and businesses react to the novel coronavirus, lenders and mortgage bankers across the country find themselves reflecting on the volatility that characterized the multifamily debt market in 2019 and wondering just how similar 2020 could be. To be sure, market uncertainty is par for the course during presidential election years, and the market event related to coronavirus is creating additional anxiety. The multifamily debt markets are also working to move away from the LIBOR index as a benchmark for pricing loans to a new index, creating the need for adjustment within the industry when that move takes effect in 2021. But beyond those factors, lenders and mortgage bankers anticipate continued strength in multifamily loan production fueled by strong fundamentals and low interest rates. These topics formed the basis of discussion for much of the Mortgage Bankers Association and CREFC’s Multifamily Housing Convention & Expo, held February 9-12 in San Diego. The event afforded ample opportunities for publications that cover the industry to meet individually with multifamily finance professionals and gauge their outlooks on the health and prospective performance of the market in 2020. Rebusinessonline.com took advantage of those opportunities to sit down and talk with Rich Martinez, …

March 16, 2020

Industrial Market Reports Maryland Southeast Southeast Market Reports

After Historic Industrial Leasing Year in Baltimore Region, What Comes Next?

by Alex Tostado March 16, 2020

Industrial leasing activity in the greater Baltimore metropolitan region last year began with a whimper thanks to the federal government shutdown in January and February, but quickly gathered steam and never looked back, even in the final days to close out the year. In fact, the pace was record-breaking and historic by any measurement, with more than 9.5 million square feet of space absorbed. This figure was approximately 40 percent higher than 2018, which was also a tremendous year. There is more good news locally for companies that make their living developing warehouse and industrial space, brokers who match end-users for the available spaces and related professionals. Central to this activity is that fact that lots of people live in the Combined Statistic Area of Baltimore-Washington, D.C. region, which is the fourth largest MSA in the country and is still growing. A certain Seattle-based online retail company is establishing its second headquarters just down the road in Northern Virginia and its positive impact is being felt throughout the region. The central Maryland marketplace boasts an enviable transportation network led by major north-south axis Interstate 95, is within close proximity to several major seaports (Baltimore, Wilmington and Philadelphia) and one-third of …

March 16, 2020

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