With its traditional guitar smash, the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Hard Rock International stamped its mark in Virginia on Nov. 14.

A celebration featuring STOF Chairman Marcellus W. Osceola Jr., Hard Rock International Chairman/Seminole Gaming CEO Jim Allen, and other officials and dignitaries, marked the grand opening of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, located in the southwest part of the state on the border of Tennessee.

“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,” Jim McGlothlin, chairman of The United Company, and Clyde Stacy, president of Par Ventures, said in a joint statement.

The local businessmen secured a partnership with Hard Rock to build the destination property. While addressing the audience, Chairman Osceola assured Bristol that Hard Rock will be a big part of the community.

“Every place that we built has a connection with the community that it’s in, and we take time and we take part in everything that community does, and we will donate our time as well as our dollars to reinforce everything that this community stands for. You can bet on that,” he said.

During the ceremony, Hard Rock presented a check in the amount of $100,000 to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Helene disaster relief.

The 620,000-square-foot resort includes nearly 1,500 slot machines, more than 50 table games, a sportsbook, 300-plus hotel rooms, a 2,000 seat Hard Rock Live, and several dining options, including a Hard Rock Café and Council Oaks Steaks & Seafood.

“This is such an amazing day for Bristol,” Allie Evangelista, president of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, said in a news release. “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.”

The area is known as the “birthplace of country music.” A concert by country music star Blake Shelton on opening night helped christen the property’s Hard Rock Live. Hard Rock operated the state’s first casino –a temporary venue known as Bristol Casino – Future Home of Hard Rock – from July 2022 until Nov. 11, 2024, while the new property was being built.