THIS IS QUEENSBOROUGH
queenschamber.org
COVER STORY
ALL ‘INN’: RWNYC ADDS 400-ROOM HOTEL When Resorts World New York City opened its doors in 2011, a full-service hotel was always part of the plan. A decade later, that vision will become a reality when the 400-room Hyatt Regency JFK opens its doors later this month. “We have wanted to bring a hotel to the property for so long because we’ve seen how popular our integrated resorts have been in places like Las Vegas and Singapore,” said Bob DeSalvio, who as president of Genting New York State oversees operations at the Queens casino, as well as Resorts World Catskills. “Working with an iconic brand like Hyatt with global recognition will allow us to tap into the travel and tourism market on a broader scale.” DeSalvio believes the hotel will attract a broader clientele to
RWNYC, including tourists flying in and out of JFK looking for a quicker commute to the airport, international travelers with overnight layovers, and New York City residents looking for a local getaway. “By showcasing our unparalleled hospitality, gaming, dining and entertainment offerings, we think guests of all interests will make their way to Queens,” he told This Is Queensborough. The $400 million project includes 8,000 square feet of conference rooms and meeting spaces, retail options, restaurants, and new gaming areas. The four-star, eightstory hotel will also feature nongaming amenities to attract visitors of all sorts. When it opens, the hotel is expected to create 500 jobs, and if
the past is prologue, many of those jobs will go to Queens residents. “Resorts World New York City employs an all-union workforce of nearly 1,000 people,” DeSalvio said. “Eighty-three percent of those employees are people of color and nearly 50 percent are women. Eighty percent of those workers are from New York City and more than half are from Queens.” Since it opened ten years ago, RWNYC has contributed more than $3 billion to New York’s public schools, and the new hotel will provide even more revenue to the state’s Lottery Education Fund. But RWNYC’s commitment to giving back goes far beyond simply paying taxes. RWNYC has donated millions to local charities since it opened,
but the casino’s promise to be part of the local community was never more evident after Hurricane Sandy devastated communities in south Queens, especially the Rockaways, less than a year after RWNYC opened its doors. “We provided hot meals to displaced residents and hosted a staging area for emergency vehicles,” said DeSalvio. “We even temporarily stored on casino property some of the 7,000 tress that came down during the storm.” So it was no surprise when the COVID pandemic hit Queens especially hard during the first few weeks of the outbreak that RWNYC would play a role in helping the borough cope and eventually recover. CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
The Hyatt Regency JFK at Resorts World New York City will have its grand opening later this month.
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