Hard Rock puts back opening of permanent Bristol casino

Hard Rock has been granted a six-month delay.

US.- The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol has announced a delay in the grand opening of its $550m permanent casino and resort space in Virginia, originally scheduled for July. It will now open later in the year when the whole project is complete.

Hard Rock has been granted a six-month delay as it met two requirements for an extension: the fact that the temporary casino will be part of the permanent casino, and that its financial commitment had been met.

In a press release, it said: “Instead of opening the permanent casino in stages beginning in July, the partnership team prefers to have a grand opening with a fully operational casino and amenities for an overall better guest experience.”

Allie Evangelista, president of Hard Rock Bristol, said: “The July opening was really a purpose of meeting regulatory compliance of the two years operating as a temporary property. July 8th of 2024 would be our two years operating this property; that’s where we would have to be operating at a permanent facility.”

She added: “The biggest benefit is really the guest experience because being able to open all at once, we really can provide and deliver on the hard rock product. There’s a wow factor that wouldn’t happen if we [were] only opening the casino, which is really just mostly for our gamers. This way, we get to welcome guests for all different reasons, all at once when the property’s ready to open.”

Evangelista said hotel construction is still on track. The casino is hiring for various positions. The project includes a 303-room hotel with a spa and indoor/outdoor pool, and a casino featuring over 1,500 slot machines and 75 game tables.