Hard Rock offers employment options as opening of temporary casino nears
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BRISTOL — There are signs that the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Bristol is on its way. Construction crews have been on site for months. Hard Rock International has hosted numerous employee events throughout the past year and now the biggest literal sign now overlooks the Gate City Highway with large yellow letterers reading “Bristol Casino, future home of Hard Rock coming soon.”
“Construction activity at the mall really has picked up in recent weeks,” said Allie Evangelista, the president of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Bristol in an emailed statement. “We installed our new pylon sign and have added signage to direct new hires and applicants into the facility. We are still working through opening timelines for the project.”
The former mall site will eventually transform into a two-story, 80,000- to 100,000 square-foot casino complete with 2,700 slot machines, 100 table games and more.
The resort will also include two hotel towers, indoor and outdoor music venue space, restaurants, shops and more all in Bristol, Virginia — just a short drive from the Tennessee border. The final project is set to wrap up by mid-2023 to 2024.
But first, the region can prepare for the temporary casino, which is slated to open sometime between May and June of this year.
The temporary casino will bring 30,000 square feet of casino space with approximately 900 gaming slots and 20 tables of gaming options.
It will also include a new restaurant, a grab-and-go food outlet and a sports bar and lounge with entertainment along with an adjacent smoking sports lounge. According to the project’s officials, the temporary casino will also offer 600 new jobs to the area.
“It’s not just a means to produce revenue for the city, the state and for ourselves,” Martin Kent, president of The United Company that helped spark the casino project, told the Times News in October. “It’s also going to be a training ground for those in our area who have never worked in this industry. There will be an opportunity for people to train in the facility to be trained in trades that are unique to the casino and resort area they have never been a part of.”
So far, Hard Rock named Evangelista president of the upcoming hotel and casino and has also filled various executive positions including the vice presidents of marketing, human resources, casino operations, and food and beverage as well as the director of facilities, director of security, and the executive chef. According to project officials, a security manager and 12 security officers have started at the property while the interview and hiring process continues for other positions.
“In terms of upcoming events, we are finalizing dates for future hiring events that will focus on all positions and food and beverage careers,” a spokesman for the project told the Times News in an emailed statement. “Those dates will be released very soon.”
The resort is also slated to offer approximately 2,000 direct, permanent jobs and several thousand indirect and induced jobs. Officials said the project will also offer over 1,000 construction jobs.
Those added jobs, in addition to an economic boost for the Twin Cities and the region, are all goals casino officials are eyeing as construction continues and the project continues to progress.
“I really am excited because I think it’s not only going to be good for people to have a great place to work,” Evangelista recently told the Times News, “but it’s also going to be good for the community from the financial rewards that comes from having a business like this in their backyard.”
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