On Wednesday, Hard Rock International and the Bristol community celebrated the groundbreaking of the long-awaited permanent casino located at 500 Gate City Highway. The celebration featured a commemorative shovel groundbreaking with Hard Rock representatives and local community leaders.
“From the very start, this property’s economic and community impact has surpassed expectations, and we are thrilled to unveil what’s coming next,” said Jon Lucas, COO of Hard Rock International. “We are especially grateful to our local partners, Jim McGlothlin and Clyde Stacy, whose vision has made all this possible. Building on our momentum, and with the incredible support from the Virginia Lottery and the Bristol community, we are ready to begin the next chapter.”
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol will be approximately 300,000 square feet featuring 1,300 slots, 50 table games, a sports book, multiple dining options, including a signature Hard Rock Cafe and fine dining restaurant Council Oak Steaks and Seafood, Constant Grind, a Rock Shop, a Hard Rock Live entertainment venue, authentic music memorabilia, and much more.
The project is expected to create approximately 900-1,000 construction-specific jobs and will be managed by TN Ward and Berwil Construction. Once the permanent location opens, the casino is expected to create over 1,200 full-time and part-time jobs.
“This is an exciting day for Bristol!,” said Allie Evangelista, President of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol. “Our temporary casino has been a tremendous success, and we already have welcomed guests from all 50 states. Our amazing team members – with their friendly smiles and can-do attitudes – are the foundation of this success. I cannot wait for the next step, when we open the permanent casino in 2024 and have even more entertainment, dining, and music amenities to offer our customers.”
In the meantime, guests can enjoy ‘Bristol Casino – Future Home of Hard Rock,’ a temporary full-service casino, boasting 30,000 square feet of casino space and featuring 870 slots, 21 tables and a sportsbook. The space includes a main casino floor as well as non-smoking and high limit gaming areas. Guests also are able to enjoy Brick’d, a brick oven pizza, Mr. Lucky’s and grab and go food outlet, and Bristol Bar, a sports bar and lounge with live entertainment. Casino guests are able to enjoy the ‘Unity by Hard Rock’ loyalty program.
