Business

Bethesda hotel giant Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) lifted its full-year profit guidance on Wednesday on strong international room revenue growth. The company posted an 11% increase in revenue per available room — a key industry metric — for its international hotels. It recorded a nearly 17% year-over-year increase in room revenue in the Asia Pacific region excluding China.

The Baltimore Ravens are introducing field-level seats to M&T Bank Stadium this year as part of a major renovation plan. The team said 138 plush seats will flank each side of the northwest and southwest corners of the field. The new spots are “Permanent Seat Licenses,” a one-time purchase that allows guaranteed rights to buy season tickets every year for your location, as well as the opportunity to sell or transfer that license.

State funds are now being distributed to longshoremen affected by the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, but it’s only filling a fraction of what the workers typically earn. WBAL-TV 11 News got a rare insider’s look Tuesday at the pipeline of state aid to longshoremen. More than 1,800 union workers stop by the International Longshoremen’s Association Local No. 333 on a weekly basis to fill out paperwork necessary for certification and to seek advice to ensure their documents are in order.

Employers promoting jobs in Maryland will need to include salary ranges in ads and postings starting later this year, and experts say the law will help job seekers at the negotiating table with little extra work for employers. Gov. Wes Moore signed a wage transparency bill into law April 25 that will require employers to disclose pay ranges in job postings for positions that will be performed at least partially in Maryland.

Woodsboro Bank is celebrating its 125th anniversary on Wednesday, taking pride in its role as a community bank and looking to the future. The bank’s headquarters can still be found in its original location along Woodsboro’s Main Street. The bank was renting a building at its current site when it was founded in 1899, Steve Heine, the bank’s CEO and president, said. The bank then bought the site and began building its current building in 1900. It was finished in 1901.

Law enforcement and the Maryland Cannabis Administration are anticipating an increase in cannabis sales in the coming months. July 2024 marks one year since legalization across the state. The Maryland Cannabis Administration provided WBOC the following statement: “The market is expected to grow. The Department of Legislative Services fiscal analysis from the Cannabis Reform Act (SB516/HB556 of 2023), estimated that the adult-use market may double in Year 2 (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025).

It might not be a stretch to say that the future will be powered out of Beltsville — and the future will come faster if you’re in the U.S. Army. A company called ION Storage Systems, which was invented in a lab at the University of Maryland, is now up and running at its production facility in Beltsville. The company makes what’s known as a solid state battery — with a key component made out of ceramic.