hotel | ARLnow.com

Wacky Conventions Stuff County Coffers

Published April 21, 2011 at 12:12PM

The total estimated economic impact for local businesses: $400,000. Total estimated hotel tax revenue: $11,250.

Each year, dozens of such specialized industry events quietly come to Arlington, spend bundles of money and leave without most residents even knowing they were here. All told — while there’s no official accounting of it — there are likely hundreds of meetings, conventions, tour groups and reunions that stay in Arlington hotels on an annual basis. And there are millions of dollars to be made from those gatherings — by hotels, restaurants, taxi companies and the county government.

Events

Twilight Convention Coming to Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published April 15, 2011 at 10:01AM

The convention, which starts today, will feature appearances by a number of Twilight stars (including Chaske Spencer, left) as well as parties, musical performances, trivia competitions, auctions, photo ops and a costume ball. Tickets to the convention range from $20 for a one day pass to $289 for a weekend ‘gold’ package.

The event will be hosted by the sisters behind The Hillywood Show, of YouTube fame.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 29, 2011 at 7:41AM | Updated March 29, 2011 at 11:32AM

Grand Opening for USAA Office in Pentagon City — A new USAA branch has opened on Pentagon Row. The “financial center” — in company parlance — will hold its grand opening celebration from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 2. The branch is located at 1301 South Joyce Street.

Doorways Job Featured — Arlington-based Doorways for Women and Families is looking for a new executive director. The job was featured as the MyFoxDC.com “Job of the Day” yesterday. The listing notes that Doorways’ annual operating budget has more than doubled in the past five years, to $3.1 million. [MyFoxDC]

Around Town

Photo Tour of Swank New Crystal City Hotels

By ARLnow.com

Published March 7, 2011 at 4:00PM

The new 300-room Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel and 325-suite Residence Inn Arlington Capital View will open to the public on Wednesday, but public relations staffers have been busy showing off the properties over the past week. Located on the south end of Crystal City, the hotels offer rooms with expansive views of Reagan National Airport and the Potomac River.

We’ll talk about what each hotel offers guests in a minute, but first let’s discuss the stuff that locals can take advantage of.

News

Melee Breaks Out at Hip Hop Award Show in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published March 6, 2011 at 2:50AM | Updated March 7, 2011 at 1:40PM

Update at 3:05 a.m. — A video posted on AllDMVHipHop.com (NSFW) shows a group of nearly a dozen people fighting inside the hotel.

A huge brawl broke out at a local hip hop award show in Crystal City Saturday night, sending several people to the hospital.

News

Arlington Business Booster Recommends Replacing Tourism Funds

By ARLnow.com

Published March 3, 2011 at 3:35PM

“I think we have a great program,” Arlington Economic Development Director Terry Holzheimer said at a board work session this afternoon. “The program has value.”

“This board has been put in a very difficult position,” said board member Jay Fisette, adding that he hope to “come up with some way to share” the cost of tourism promotion with local hotels to save money from the already-stretched county budget.

News

Favola: Tourism Funding Still Up in the Air

By ARLnow.com

Published March 2, 2011 at 12:58PM

Last week a bill that would have renewed the county’s 0.25 percent tax surcharge on hotel rooms — a tax that had the support of the local hotel industry — failed in the House of Delegates. The defeat was attributed to Republicans retaliating against Arlington’s HOT lanes lawsuit.

The tax surcharge brings in nearly $1 million each year, which is used to promote Arlington’s $1 billion tourism industry. The surcharge will expire at the end of the year.

News

Arlington’s Hotel Tax Bill Fails in House of Delegates

By ARLnow.com

Published February 23, 2011 at 3:59PM | Updated February 23, 2011 at 5:15PM

A bill that would have renewed Arlington’s 0.25 percent hotel tax surcharge failed in the Virginia House of Delegates yesterday. The bill, which was approved by the state Senate, did not get the necessary two-thirds vote to pass.

An earlier House version of the bill failed to get out of committee after it was blocked by Del. Tim Hugo. The Fairfax County Republican cited Arlington’s lawsuit against high occupancy toll lanes on I-395 as his reason for blocking the bill.

News

Arlington Hotel Tax Surcharge Passes House Subcommittee

By ARLnow.com

Published February 9, 2011 at 3:57PM

A House of Delegates Finance subcommittee approved Arlington’s hotel tax surcharge bill today. It’s expected to be taken up by the full committee on Monday.

The bill that was under consideration today was approved by the Democrat-controlled state Senate in January, under the leadership of Arlington’s Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple. A House version of the bill, introduced by Del. Bob Brink, failed to make it out of committee after being blocked by a key Republican.

Around Town

$129 Million Crystal City Hotel Project Sets Opening Date

By ARLnow.com

Published February 4, 2011 at 10:03AM | Updated February 4, 2011 at 11:34PM

The new Renaissance Arlington Capital View and the new Residence Inn Capital View hotels are currently expected to open on March 9.

The hotels will both be owned by developer JBG and managed by Marriott. Construction, which began in 2008, was funded with $129 million in financing from Wells Fargo.

News

Ballston Development Grows, Mosaic Park to Get Major Upgrade

By ARLnow.com

Published January 24, 2011 at 8:02AM | Updated January 24, 2011 at 2:28PM

On Saturday the county board approved a transfer of development rights from the park to the new development, adjacent to Ballston Common Mall.

As a result, Founders Square will now be taller and denser than before. A 15-story office building will become a 20-story office building, a 198-unit residential building will become a 257-unit residential building, and a 164-unit residential building will become a 183-unit hotel.

News

Richmond Bites Back on HOT Lanes Suit By Blocking Tax Bill

By ARLnow.com

Published January 21, 2011 at 4:12PM | Updated January 21, 2011 at 4:47PM

The lawsuit, which has thus far cost the county about $1.5 million in legal fees, was filed in order to block VDOT’s plan to build High Occupancy Toll lanes on I-395. The suit has been ruffling feathers in Richmond ever since, but on Wednesday it came back to bite the county on a key legislative priority.

Del. Tim Hugo (R) of Fairfax County used his chairmanship of a House finance subcommittee to delay action on HB 1513, Del. Bob Brink’s bill that would extend Arlington’s 0.25 percent hotel tax surcharge for another three years.