The CEO of Wyndham supports Caesar's Times Square bid.

 Residents of New York City heard one of the top hotel executives in the United States endorse Caesars' bid to obtain a state casino licence.

 The New York State Gaming Commission held a second environmental public comment hearing for the Caesars Palace Times Square plan on Wednesday, and the idea received a noteworthy endorsement.

 During the hearing, Geoff Ballotti, the president and chief executive officer of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, praised the planned casino located at 1515 Broadway.  Caesars Entertainment, not Wyndham, is collaborating on the proposal alongside SL Green and Roc Nation.

 Nonetheless, Wyndham and Caesars permit cross-matching of reward points, which is a common practice among hotel operators who do not offer gambling.  According to CEOWorld magazine, Wyndham was the biggest hotel operator in the United States by number of properties as of last year.

 After considering all of the options and hearing from other partners, Ballotti stated, "We think this is the only place where a casino will fit in perfectly with the identity and character of a neighbourhood that truly needs an upgrade."

 He subsequently said that Wyndham fully supports the initiative, calling it "the most comprehensive private safety and security investment in Times Square's history."

 No dwelling, no moving
 Bidders are beginning to focus their arguments on what they believe to be the best aspects of their bids as the competition for the three downstate New York casino licenses proceeds.  That has turned into housing for Caesars.  Although almost every other bid includes a housing promise of some kind, their construction is more disruptive.

 Caesars is unable to provide homes because it is remodelling an existing office building.  However, the project's key selling point is now the efficiency of using an old building that didn't have housing anyway.

 In contrast, Silverstein Properties, which is also in Manhattan, added 100 units to its proposal at the last minute after Wynn Resorts' Hudson Yards bid was thwarted in part by a lacklustre housing pledge.

 At the meeting on Wednesday, Garret Armwood, SL Green's vice president of government affairs, stated, "Instead of building big, we're reusing an existing, outmoded office building, creating a hotel and gaming facility within a 1960s-era building's existing footprint."

 "This is the best example of adaptive reuse," he added.  "A low carbon footprint, quicker delivery, and fewer construction-related disruptions."

 Is public opinion shifting?
 The Caesars project's second round of public comment was quite different from the first.  The majority of the call last week was devoted to union representatives endorsing the concept.  This time, there were roughly equal numbers of opposition and supportive callers—possibly even slightly more opposed.

 For the second part, several locals called in and appeared to be dissatisfied with the way the state's process was proceeding.  Several callers expressed their frustration that unions were taking over an environmental hearing by discussing worker benefits rather than the impact on local communities.

 Publicly and privately, some opponents alleged that the developers might be funding the support.  According to one guy, the partners were running a number of scams, such as providing free food in exchange for petition signatures and paying up to $20,000 a month for the assistance of certain officials.  Such claims have not been confirmed.

 Despite being open to the public, the meetings have not received much publicity, and some locals have speculated that this is deliberate.  Despite being situated in one of the city's least residential regions, Caesars does not seem to be as immune to local resistance as previously believed.

 Out of the several bidders who are anticipated to submit their applications next month, the state commission intends to award three casino licenses by the end of the year.