Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 3 A P R I L 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 V I E W P O I N T S bernsteinshur.com Be valued. BE SHUR. We're lawyers in the business of your success. From the Editor B ack in February at the MEREDA conference, hospitality expert Sean Riley said he expected a strong hospitality season this year. COVID restric- tions have been lifted and travelers are itching to get back to their favorite places. A destination like Maine has even more appeal for travelers after being cooped up for two years. People are clamoring to visit attractions and eat in restaurants. But, for Maine's pandemic-battered hospitality industry, there were some caveats: Business travel is still lagging, which means the meetings-and-con- vention business is still soft. Labor shortages will be an issue, affecting hours and capacity. And there's always the threat of COVID making another surge. With all that in mind, we dispatched our report- ing staff to take the temperature of where the industry is right now. For our cover story, Renee Cordes spoke to people in the wedding industry. Hard hit in the past two years, wedding planners, officiants, invita- tion designers, caterers and venue owners are fully booked and ready for the season. See "Highly engaged," which starts on Page 12. e restaurant business was among the hardest hit sectors in the pandemic. While dining estab- lishments anticipate a very busy summer, they're also handcuffed by the labor shortage, which might mean shorter hours and longer waits. See "Dining dilemmas," which starts on Page 16. New life for a drive-in theater, worker visas and a resort island are among the topics covered in the "Hospitality roundup," on Page 20. Our list in this issue is Maine's largest hotels. See Page 26. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz CORRECTION: In the April 18 print edition of Mainebiz, the list of largest Maine-based banks overlooked Kennebec Savings Bank, which should have been No. 10 on the list. A corrected version of the list will run in the annual Book of Lists. Featured @ Mainebiz.biz For a daily digest of Maine's top business news, sign up for the Mainebiz Daily Report at mainebiz.biz/enews Get Maine's business news daily at mainebiz.biz and on Twitter (@Mainebiz). Below is our most popular content for the period from March 28 to April 11. 1. Maine Med sells historic Portland homes, which once housed hospital staff, in $5M deal 2. Brooke Shields lands a starring role at Waldo County hemp farm 3. BIW president quits without warning or why, after Navy names new supervisor 4. A Casco Bay island sells for $5.35M to team behind Portland development firm 5. A Monument Square building sold to buyers with Maine, Mass. roots 6. Maine Law starts $13.5M renovation on its new home in Old Port 7. Cianbro acquires Florida construction company to establish Southeast foothold 8. People's United Bank, including 17 Maine branches, acquired by M&T Bank 9. For insurance scion Royce Cross, after 52 years in business, it's his time in the sun 10. Martin's Point Health Care CEO will step down in June P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F M A L O N E C O M M E R C I A L B RO K E R S 1 Looks like a banner summer (with a few caveats) People are clamoring to visit attractions and eat in restaurants.

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