The Landing Hotel: Rivers Casino Portsmouth Expands Its Footprint

By HRCNN Staff Writer, Hampton Roads Construction News Network (HRCNN)

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Rivers Casino Portsmouth is moving forward with its most ambitious expansion yet: The Landing Hotel, an eight-story addition set to redefine the city’s entertainment and hospitality landscape.

Announced in May 2025 and backed by parent company Rush Street Gaming, the $65 million project is more than a hotel. It is the next stage in Portsmouth’s plan to anchor Victory Boulevard with a world-class entertainment district.

The Landing Hotel will feature 106 guest rooms, including 32 suites and two “super suites” offering more than 800 square feet. Plans also include a lobby reception, a ground-floor bar, and multiple executive boardrooms. Each element is designed to connect directly to the casino’s restaurants, gaming floor, and 25,000-square-foot Event Center.

Construction began in summer 2025, with completion expected in early 2027. In July, Rush Street Gaming selected Norfolk-based S.B. Ballard Construction Company as general contractor, ensuring the project would be led by a Hampton Roads firm with a record of managing complex commercial builds.

The project reflects years of groundwork. In 2020, Virginia’s General Assembly approved casino gaming in five cities. Portsmouth voters backed the measure that November, and Rivers Casino Portsmouth opened in January 2023 as the Commonwealth’s first permanent casino facility.

The Landing Hotel is the logical sequel. It will provide the overnight capacity needed to attract tourism dollars and strengthen Portsmouth’s competitive edge. That competition is pressing, as Norfolk advances its own permanent casino project and operates temporary facilities.

Rivers executives have said The Landing Hotel is both a hospitality upgrade and a strategic defense to maintain market share. Private financing underscores Rush Street Gaming’s confidence in Portsmouth’s entertainment economy, while avoiding public subsidy.

The hotel’s expanded meeting space and suites are designed to keep revenue on site, hosting concerts, conventions, and executive gatherings without losing visitors to hotels elsewhere in the region.

On November 29, 2025, the casino will showcase that vision when country music rising star Chase Matthew performs live at 8 p.m. in the Event Center. For guests, it will be a night of music. For developers, it will be proof of concept—the kind of programming The Landing Hotel is built to support when it opens in 2027.

About HRCNN
The Hampton Roads Construction News Network (HRCNN) provides accurate, builder-informed coverage of construction, zoning, and infrastructure across Coastal Virginia. Founded under Earthly Infrastructure®, HRCNN supports transparent decision-making, resilient infrastructure, and responsible growth.

Rivers Casino’s Big Night: Country Music, Construction, and the Coming Landing Hotel

By Eric S. Cavallo, Editor-in-Chief, Hampton Roads Construction News Network (HRCNN)

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — On November 29, 2025, Rivers Casino Portsmouth will host two storylines in one evening. Country artist Chase Matthew performs at 8 p.m. in the Event Center, while Earthly Infrastructure® and HRCNN document the site where the property’s first on-site hotel—The Landing Hotel Portsmouth—is planned.

The hotel advanced publicly on May 2, 2025, when Rivers Casino Portsmouth and parent company Rush Street Gaming announced plans to break ground in the summer. The project is framed as the next phase of the city’s entertainment district anchored along Victory Boulevard.

Plans call for an eight-story, privately funded build with a projected budget of about $65 million. The program includes 106 guest rooms—32 of them suites—with two larger “super suites,” and suites generally ranging from roughly 400 to 800+ square feet.

Concept materials emphasize a lobby-level reception area and bar, executive boardrooms, and direct connectivity to the casino’s existing restaurants, gaming floor, and event center, positioning the hotel to capture meeting and entertainment demand already on site.

Developers are targeting an opening in early 2027, consistent with a two-year delivery window for a mid-rise hotel adjacent to an active venue. The companies have cited construction mobilization beginning in summer 2025 and a privately financed approach to ownership and operations.

In July 2025, Rush Street Gaming selected Norfolk-based S.B. Ballard Construction Company as general contractor, moving the hotel from announcement toward execution with a Hampton Roads builder attached to the job.

The hotel follows years of groundwork: General Assembly authorization and local referendums in 2020 enabling casinos in five Virginia cities, voter approval in Portsmouth that November, and the January 23, 2023 opening of Rivers Casino Portsmouth as the Commonwealth’s first permanent casino facility.

Regional dynamics add urgency. With a competing project advancing in Norfolk—including interim facilities before a permanent casino—Rivers executives have positioned The Landing Hotel as a competitive necessity to grow overnight visitation and defend market share.

About HRCNN
The Hampton Roads Construction News Network (HRCNN) is a regional news platform dedicated to delivering accurate, builder-informed reporting on construction, zoning, and infrastructure across Coastal Virginia. Founded under Earthly Infrastructure®, HRCNN provides timely coverage that supports transparent decision-making, resilient infrastructure, and responsible growth in Hampton Roads and beyond.