Hard Rock International Is About To Start Developing New Casino Resort In Bristol

Article by : Helen Dec 16, 2020

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Updated: Mar 23, 2023

When Virginia began rumoring about the possible casino reopening last year, it didn’t take much time for casino operators and Hard Rock International (HRI) particularly to take action. HRI immediately started looking for opportunities to get on board and take its place on the state’s gambling scene. It has been a long year, but the company’s efforts have been paid off.

HRI has recently been selected to be the one to develop and operate a huge casino resort in Bristol. The new property is going to be located on the former site of the Bristol Mall venue. The decision to choose HRI to be the resort developer was not a surprise, as the Bristol City Council had no chances to sift through the long lists of potential candidates. The point is that HRI was the only company that submitted its application after the city council announced the start of the campaign in April 2020. Taking this fact into account, there was no doubt about the HRI’s win in the competition.

However, there was another obstacle to overcome before HRI could bring its iconic guitar to Bristol city. Before the project development started, residents of Bristol, Portsmouth, Danville, and Norfolk had to vote whether they agree to see a massive casino resort on their territory or not. Luckily, in November 2020, all four cities approved the HRI’s entry into the Bristol gaming scene. More than that, over 70% of Bristol residents voted in favor, giving massive support to Hard Rock International.

In order to turn Bristol Mall into the brand-new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, Hard Rock International should invest around US$400 million, which will be the next big step of the company on its way of developing the resort. The shopping center was shut down in August 2017. Later, in 2018, a part of it was acquired by a pharmaceutical company, Par Ventures, for US$2.6 million. The company was planning to convert the building into a cannabidiol facility, but those plans are already ruined, as the casino resort is planned for the same location. Anyway, Par Venture is not out of the game. It will be involved in the development of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol. The United Company is another entity that will help HRI to transform Bristol Mall into a new resort.

The scale of the new gambling venue is going to be impressive. It will include a 2-story gambling space with 3,200 seats, a massive outdoor entertainment area that will accept around 20,000 visitors at once, 7 restaurants, 4 bars, a couple of retail spaces, and some other options. A luxury hotel is also a “must-have” thing for such a huge project, so there will be a 350-room hotel in the building.

By completing the project and launching the resort, HRI will create as many as 2,000 new jobs, which is a reasonable contribution to the life of Bristol. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 20% of Bristol residents were below the national poverty line in 2019. The average household income in the city was US$37,900 per year, which is almost half of the country’s average. Hard Rock International, in turn, claims that its employees will have an annual salary of US$45,000 on average.

If we can’t attract high-tech jobs, then we have to look at what is being proposed. I believe this project will put Bristol and Southwest Virginia on the map and turn things around.