Commercial Construction & Renovation

Columbus, Ohio's hotel market plans to continue its surge once the coronavirus pandemic has passed, following in February's footsteps of 2,286 rooms in 20 hotels under construction and 18 in the pipeline, including everything from lifestyle to luxury hotels. The city recently has been attracting key conferences, helping to boost its profile in the market. Read the Hotel News Now Story here

A North Carolina hotelier has filed plans to build a dual-branded hotel in Cary. Greensboro-based hotel development and management company Daly Seven has filed development plans for the North Harrison Hotels, a 7-story hotel project calling for around 250 rooms. Read The Business Journals story here

By year’s end, Racine may have not one or two — but three new Downtown hotels under construction. All three have been announced within the past year. The hotel trio in various stages of planning and/or moving toward construction. Read The Journal Times story here

Faced with unprecedented disruption in demand following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call for tasting rooms state-wide to close, many of Napa Valley’s wineries have been forced to rethink their business models. Read the Napa Valley Register story here

Mall operator Simon Property Group closed its 200 US malls and outlet centers at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The move came as more than 110 US retailers, from Abercrombie & Fitch to Warby Parker, also made the decision to close their stores amid the coronavirus outbreak. Read the Forbes story here

The city of Milwaukee is trying to help restaurants switch to the new carryout-only world by letting them reserve two street parking spaces outside their front door for customers. Read The Business Journals story here

Hotel occupancy in Atlanta could plummet as much as 80% in April and 74% in May because of the COVID-19 chill, the city's tourism chief warns. Read The Business Journals story here

Domino's aims to hire 10,000 new employees to handle the surge in delivery demand amid the coronavirus outbreak. The chain will hire for positions across the board, including pizza makers, drivers and store managers. Read the Nation's Restaurant News story here

As the foodservice industry enters crisis mode during the coronavirus pandemic, and restaurant traffic continues to dwindle while brands rely on delivery and takeout, community giving is on the rise. Read the Nation's Restaurant News story here

Philadelphia has deemed bicycle shops to be essential businesses during the pandemic, as residents look for solo means of transportation. The shops are seeing a surge in demand, and owners say they're taking steps like disinfecting bikes and limiting face-to-face contact to protect staff and customers. Read the WHYY-TV/WHYY-FM story here