Over 1,200 employed as $500M hotel/casino prepares to open

BRISTOL, Va. — The wait is over.

More than six years and three months have passed since word first leaked out prominent local business leaders Jim McGlothlin and Clyde Stacy intended to convince the Virginia General Assembly to legalize gambling so they could establish a casino at the former Bristol Mall.

That legislation ultimately passed in April 2020 with a provision that voters in five cities had to approve the designated gaming operator.

It has been three years, 11 months and 21 days since city voters overwhelmingly approved plans for a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino resort to operate at 500 Gate City Highway.

It’s been 856 days since a temporary casino opened in the ground floor of a former Belk department store and immediately exceeded state projections for adjusted gross revenues.

And 709 days have passed since Hard Rock leaders joined with local officials in the former Sears parking lot, on the ex-mall’s east side, to officially break ground on a transformational project aimed at creating over 1,000 new jobs with above average wages and generating significant tax and other revenues for the region and state.

Today at noon, the doors will open on the $500 million Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, a 620,000-square-foot resort that will include two gaming spaces, a 303-room hotel, restaurants, Hard Rock Café, a 2,000-seat Hard Rock Live entertainment and event venue, Hard Rock Sportsbook, spa, pool and other amenities.

Tonight at 7 p.m., country music star and TV personality Blake Shelton will christen Hard Rock Live with a sold-out performance.

Thousands are expected to visit during grand opening weekend.

City officials have initiated plans to help traffic and encourage anyone not going to Hard Rock to avoid the Gate City Highway/Interstate 81 Exit 1 area.

Much like the Bristol Casino was the first in Virginia, the Hard Rock will be the first Virginia casino with an attached hotel. Portsmouth opened its casino in January 2023, but developers have yet to begin hotel construction.

Danville’s hotel and casino is scheduled to open next month. Ground was recently broken for the Norfolk casino with a planned opening in 2027 and voters in Petersburg last week approved a casino referendum.‘’

“Something big is about to happen here,” Hard Rock Bristol President Allie Evangelista said Tuesday. “I saw the vision when I came here three years ago. The vision of what a Hard Rock property could do for a small community. Its a a small town but its a large region and the entire region will benefit from us being here.”

One guest is coming from Germany, marking his 400th visit to a Hard Rock property.

“He’s coming here because of Hard Rock. He doesn’t know Bristol. Others are coming here because of Hard Rock and we want them to see all this region has to offer. They might go shopping downtown or go trout fishing. They might come for the speedway and then come to Hard Rock.”

She said the “sky is the limit.”

“It’s exciting,” Evangelista said. “Everyone is proud to be opening the property. They realize this is a big deal,” “People are tired. We’re putting a lot of hours in for training. But you only get to open once. We want to enjoy the moment.”

Virginia’s 2020 approval of casinos by local referendum was based on this type of tourism jump-starting economically challenged communities with job creation and better wages.

About 1,250 people are currently working there and another 50 are being trained, she said.

Another 130 are having their applications reviewed by the Virginia Lottery, which oversees gaming in Virginia so they expect to be at around 1,400 within the next week — with many just coming onboard in the last month, she said.

“I’ve seen already what we pay people is helping them get a better life for themselves and their families,” Evangelista said.

The property generates gaming taxes for the state and the local share is divided among 14 Southwest Virginia localities.

Those localities have already received nearly $20 million to be spent on education, emergency services or infrastructure, during the two years of the temporary Bristol Casino.

The 303-room hotel — largest in this region — will generate lodging taxes for the city and its array of restaurants will generate new meals tax revenues.

What can people expect when they walk in for the first time?

“We’ll likely be busy. You will likely realize quickly its more than a casino. This is a Hard Rock property which is a lot more than that. We’ll have the best of gaming available but it not just gaming anymore,” she said.

“We have a variety of food and beverage outlets to offer our guests opportunities for fine dining at Council Oak [Steak and Seafood] or Asian cuisine at YouYu [Noodle Bar], Marketplace has Southern, Mexican and Italian and we’re opening Hard Rock Café — a brand that’s been enjoyed all over the world for 53 years — right here in Bristol. You don’t have to come here only because you like to play slots and tables,” Evangelista said.

Studio 621 is a bar dedicated to memorializing the 1927 Bristol Sessions recordings and country music. Its lineup includes moonshine cocktails, a range of products from Tennessee Hills Distillery and other brand names.

There will be different types of music occurring regularly throughout the facility — near Studio 621, the Council Oak bar plus special events inside the 2,000-seat Hard Rock Live.

The music memorabilia on display throughout the property is valued at $1 million and gives the facility a museum-like feel.

Evangelista calls the 303-room hotel a “first class experience” with an array of room options including 56 suites. There is also a spa and an indoor/outdoor pool.

Not all of those dining options are available for children.

“Our property is primarily an adults-only property. Most options are 21 and older, primarily because of regulatory requirements in Virginia. It’s very similar all over the country,” she said.

The entrance near the former Mr. Lucky’s is open to all ages, which includes a coffee shop and a Rock Shop. The second-floor Marketplace dining area is open to all ages as are the hotel lobby, pool, spa and gym. Also the YouYu restaurant offers takeout for those under 21.

Children will not be allowed in the Hard Rock Café and Council Oak Steak and Seafood.

“The property is to the level of what you would see in Atlantic City or Las Vegas but not on the scale. Our hotel is 300 rooms not 3,000, but it is a beautiful property and the memorabilia brings the property to life,” she said.

“Our high limit rooms are very spacious and luxurious. We have an Asian gaming room is very well designed. In Council Oak we have a private dining room that can seat up to 30 people and an outdoor patio to all guests to enjoy this beautiful weather,” she said.

The Hard Rock sportsbook has been relocated near the center bar in the Hard Rock Café.

The former Bristol Casino is closed and being reconfigured as a smoke-free gaming area. The small smoke-free space on the ground floor will continue operating while the space is updated, Evangelista said.

The property has four entrances and about 2,300 parking spots on property. They plan to operate shuttles when they are at capacity to help guests. There will also be valet and VIP parking options.

Hard Rock recently acquired a 14-acre former dairy plant property across Gate City Highway. The buildings have been demolished and the site was being cleared Tuesday afternoon.

“That’s where our team members are going to park,” she said. “We have big plans for the area. It’s 14 acres in a very good location. Our team members will go there for now to free up parking for our guests. It’s really an extension of our property. And there is still a lot of this property that is not yet developed.

“We have ideas and plans. We just need to now open this property, get the support we have been getting from the community and our guests, produce results and, I think, the sky is the limit,” Evangelista said.