Hard Rock CEO Jim Allen pointed out the German visitor by his
first name “Andy” during a grand opening ceremony on Thursday.
“We actually have a special guest in the audience that no
one here locally is aware that the individual is here. Where is Andy?” Allen said.
Since 1993 Andy has visited over 400 Hard Rock locations around the world,
Allen explained. “He flew in especially just for our opening.”
During a media tour on Thursday morning, Hassan Abdel-Moneim,
head of Hard Rock hotel operations, confirmed the first guest to check in
arrived from Germany.
“Our first guest checked in yesterday,” Abdel-Moneim said. “I
wanna say it was at 11:30 a.m. The gentlemen came all the way from Germany.”
The New Resort
Located at 500 Gate City Highway in Bristol, the
620,000-square-foot resort features nearly 1,500 slot machines, more than 50
table games, a sportsbook, 300-plus hotel rooms, and seven unique dining
options, including a signature Hard Rock Cafe. The venue also offers a
2,000-plus seat Hard Rock Live, Rock Shop, designated non-smoking and high-limit
gaming areas, authentic music memorabilia, and more.
The new location that opened to the public on Thursday started
as a temporary casino, simply titled Bristol Casino. It opened in July 2022.
The temporary Bristol Casino welcomed over three
million guests, paid over $68 million in gaming taxes to the
Commonwealth of Virginia, donated over $960,000 to support local
community nonprofit organizations, and paid over $262 million in
jackpots. The project created approximately 900-1,000
construction-specific jobs and is expected to create over 1,400 full-time and
part-time jobs.
The grand opening Thursday featured Hard Rock executives and
partners.
Bristol Support
"This is such a monumental moment for
the Bristol community and Hard Rock," said Jon Lucas, COO
of Hard Rock International. "Hard Rock's music heritage is a natural
fit for Bristol, the 'Birthplace of Country Music.' We look forward to
serving Bristol and the surrounding region with world-class gaming,
dining, and entertainment offerings."
"This milestone brings great pride
to Bristol," said Jim McGlothlin, chairman of The United
Company, and Clyde Stacy, president of Par Ventures. "Hard Rock
Hotel & Casino Bristol is creating well-paying jobs and
generating new tax revenue across Southwest Virginia, and local businesses
in the Tri-Cities region are already seeing increased tourism and spending. None
of this would have been realized without the support
of Bristol's residents and leaders."
"This is such an amazing day for Bristol,"
said Allie Evangelista, president of Hard Rock Hotel
& Casino Bristol. "The support from
the Bristol community has been inspirational to our dedicated team,
which has worked around the clock to prepare for today's grand opening. We look
forward to offering guests Hard Rock's world-renowned amenities combined
with Bristol's legendary hospitality and service."
More to Come
The opening weekend celebration continues with concert
performances by Blake Shelton on Thursday, followed by Soul Asylum
on Saturday. Both events will take place in the new Hard Rock Live
entertainment venue.
No comments:
Post a Comment