Photo: The permanent Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol opened on Nov. 14. (WJHL) Photo: The permanent Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol opened on Nov. 14. (WJHL) Photo: The permanent Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol opened on Nov. 14. (WJHL) Photo ...

With the grand opening of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol on Thursday, employees are hard at work preparing for the doors to officially open to the public. On Tuesday, employees held a team member rally to get everyone pumped up for opening day.

Smoking will be allowed inside the new Hard Rock casino gaming area but efforts have been made to address concerns of non-smokers. Virginia allows casinos with proper ventilation an exception under provisions of the 2009 Virginia Indoor Clean Air Act.

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol is set to open Thursday. The iconic guitar smash is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. The grand opening is set for noon. We plan to stream those events on our website and social media platforms.

After over two years as president of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, Allie Evangelista is finally getting to see the permanent facility open in its