Hard Rock Prepares For Temporary Bristol Casino Grand Opening 

Hard Rock casino plans in Bristol, Virginia continue to plunge forward. Hiring events are in place to fill various employment positions prior to the grand opening of the temporary casino space this summer.

Final Hard Rock Bristol project includes massive hotel gaming space

Notably, the casino plans that Hard Rock has underway will mark the opening of the very first casino in Virginia. 

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is being built in the same location as the former Bristol mall. The $300 million project will include:

• Two towers of hotel rooms
• Up to 100,000 square feet of casino space spread over two stories
• 100 table games and 2,700 slot machines
• An outdoor entertainment space with a seating capacity of 20,000
• An indoor Hard Rock Live entertainment venue with a seating capacity of 3,200
• Hard Rock Hotels’ signature upscale restaurant, Council Oak Steaks and Seafood
• Convention space
• Various restaurants, shops, and bars

“Visitors will be thrilled to enjoy fantastic gaming and dining opportunities at our new property,” said President of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, Allie Evangelista. “Bristol Casino — Future Home of Hard Rock will be a major draw to Bristol and the region as we move toward completion of our full-scale resort and casino.”

Temporary casino has both gambling and dining offerings

The final project for the Bristol casino is still underway. In the meantime, Hard Rock is working hard to open a temporary casino for customers to enjoy. The temporary space is rightly dubbed “Future Home of Hard Rock.”

The temporary space will include 30,000 square feet of casino space. Moreover, casino offerings feature roughly 900 slot machines, 20 table games, and even a sportsbook for customers to place bets.

There will be a main floor of the temporary casino, as well as a non-smoking area and even a high-limit gaming space. Furthermore, it will feature a variety of food, beverage, and retail options, including:

• One of Hard Rock’s signature full-service restaurants, Mr. Lucky’s 
• A grab-and-go dining outlet
• An entertainment lounge and sports bar
• A smoking sports lounge
• A store with Hard Rock merchandise for sale, which will also feature a detailed showcase of the final casino plans

“We are excited to open the casino and welcome guests,” said Hard Rock International COO, Jon Lucas, in a press release. “As Virginia’s first casino, Bristol Casino — Future Home of Hard Rock will be a wonderful addition to the Hard Rock global portfolio of dining, hotel and entertainment properties.”

Lucas also added that he is “pleased by the significant progress that Allie Evangelista and her team are making toward a July 8 grand opening celebration for Bristol.”

More job opportunities for Bristol residents

A variety of jobs come with the addition of the Hard Rock casino in Bristol. Especially crucial to operations will be the positions open in hotel operations, gaming operations, and food&beverage outlets.

Experts have estimated that the final project for the Bristol casino stands to create 2,000 new jobs directly with the casino. That’s in addition to the 1,000 construction jobs generated by the building project.

On top of that, several thousand indirect jobs may come with the building of the final casino. The temporary casino alone has potential in creating a whopping 600 jobs for Bristol residents.

Hard Rock has held four hiring events for the past two weeks at Bristol Conference Center. They have been aggressively hiring to fill the various available positions for the temporary casino.

At this point, several positions at the executive level are since filled. This includes positions in operations, human resources, marketing, facilities, security, and refreshment.

“Residents in Bristol, and across the region, are showing great interest in a diversity of career opportunities with Hard Rock,” said Evangelista.

Additionally, security personnel, including 12 officers and a security manager, have already started at the temporary property according to officials of the project.

While the final Bristol casino project wraps up some time between mid–2023 and 2024, the temporary casino opens on July 8.

“I cannot wait to open the doors on July 8 for our temporary casino in Bristol,” Evangelista added. “We continue to hire new team members daily and are working hard to fill remaining positions.