DANVILLE -- Caesars Virginia dealt out a sneak peek of its casino during a media tour of the full gaming facility last week.
The grand opening of Caesars Virginia's high-end casino hotel resort takes place Tuesday, and company representatives are excited about the long-awaited project that broke ground more than two years ago finally becoming a reality.
"Just to see this all coming together now, to be this close, watching the team start to get into their spaces, putting on their uniforms, starting to fill in different areas of this property, it's going to be something so exciting, something transformational for the city of Danville," Caesars Virginia General Manager Chris Albrecht told reporters gathered in the facility's grand lobby boasting a statue of the first emperor of ancient Rome, Augustus Caesar.
Officials eagerly await the grand opening. Originally scheduled for Dec. 12, the grand opening was postponed and will feature a parade and an appearance by Dennis Rodman, who will make the ceremonial first bet in Caesars Sportsbook.
The sneak peek included a guided tour of the casino floor as well as glimpses of Gordon Ramsay's restaurant, "Ramsay's Kitchen" and the downtown Danville-themed 500 Block Food Hall featuring three restaurants by Danville developer and restaurateur Rick Barker and Steve Parry, of Parry Restaurant Group.
The 587,00-square-foot casino resort features more than 90,000 square feet of gaming space, including nearly 1,500 slots, 79 table games, a 21-table World Series of Poker room and Caesars Sportsbook.
The first feature catching the eye of visitors will be the imposing Augustus statue, with his right arm outstretched and finger pointing upward, surrounded by a circle of columns beneath a decorated ceiling. Above it hangs a chandelier with tubed, amber-colored lights.
To the left is the casino floor, featuring carpeting with images of Roman emperors.
A wide hallway to the right leads to a bar, Thread, offering cocktails, light foods and live entertainment, Ramsay's Kitchen and a hotel check-in area.
On the other side at the gaming floor are the flashing lights of slot machines, and areas where customers can play craps, blackjack and roulette. There's also a center bar boasting a round image of a skyline above it, with a cluster of glass figures hanging from its center.
"There are design elements that are very much the Caesars brand," Albrecht told the Register & Bee during an interview after the tour. "At our center bar, you can see the skyline above there, which is a pretty cool-looking feature."
Las Vegas-based Marnell Companies, an architectural firm, designed the Caesars Virginia casino resort. The company has designed other casino and hotel projects, including the Bellagio Las Vegas and the Caesars Palace convention expansion.
The Caesars Virginia casino resort is also home to a 320-room hotel tower, 50,000 square feet of meeting and convention space that also serves as a 2,500-seat live entertainment venue, full-service spa, pool and a wide variety of dining.
The hotel is now accepting reservations "and we are extremely excited to begin welcoming guests on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at noon," according to Caesars Virginia officials.
As for the 500 Block Food Hall, it features Southern Slices -- a pizza eatery, Mill Burger and The Garage, serving barbecue. That section is designed with nods to the 500 block of Craghead Street, which Barker has been redeveloping over the last several years.
"You're going to see a lot of downtown elements there with the 500 block restaurants," Albrecht told reporters.
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In addition to Caesars design features, there will also be references to Dan River Inc. and Schoolfield. The Dan River Inc. finishing building once stood where Caesars is now. That structure was demolished to make way for the casino in the spring of 2023.
Albrecht mentioned the former workers at Dan River Inc., which operated from 1882 to 2006. He referred to the history they and their families represent and their connection to the Caesars Virginia project.
"They're part of what's happening here," he told reporters.
The Caesars Virginia project broke ground in August 2022.
Thousands showed up for the opening of the temporary Danville Casino in May 2023, Albrecht said, adding that he anticipates many more for next week's grand opening.
"We're going to expect to see more than double or triple that for what we're about to see next week," he said.
Since the opening of the temporary facility, it had paid more than $66 million in gaming taxes to the city of Danville and the state, according to figures provided by the company in early November.
"We've had great results from our temporary facility," Albrecht told reporters. "We hope to see a tremendous lift from what we've seen so far in the temporary structure."
When asked why the grand opening was delayed, Albrecht pointed to the "magnitude" of the project and getting it up and running.
"I think it's a tremendous accomplishment for the construction team ... to get us to this point," he said. "We needed a few extra days to make sure everything was ready to show the public this amazing facility and for the team to be comfortable in their spaces. I think we're ready to do that."
Grand opening festivities will include a parade of race cars and supercars led by master of ceremonies Rodman, executive remarks from Caesars Entertainment and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and a firework and drone show.
"Rodman is a longtime friend of Caesars," according to Caesars Virginia officials. "As one of the greatest and most decorated players in NBA history, we are happy that he's available to help us celebrate the opening of Caesars Virginia."
As for the temporary Danville Casino, it will continue operating for a few days after the grand opening, Albrecht said. All of the slot machines in the temporary facility -- except for a handful that will be returned to the manufacturers -- will be moved into the permanent casino, he said.
The table games in the Danville Casino, which were used, will likely be sent to one of Caesars' sister facilities, he said.
"We've got all brand-new table games for Caesars Virginia," Albrecht said.
It will take several months to break down the temporary facility, he said.
"Eventually, that will be a parking lot for our guests," Albrecht said of the space Danville Casino occupies.
As for the hotel, it has 28 suites, with a couple on each floor, he said.
"The views from all these hotel rooms are spectacular," he said, adding that they will have floor-to-ceiling windows. "You can look outside and see the mountains to the north. Look to the south and see our pool and the rest of the facility as well. Our guests are going to have these amazing views, these amazing experiences."
Albrecht said the company expects the hotel to be full throughout 2025.
John R. Crane
(434) 791-7987
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