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.