PORTSMOUTH, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2025--
Rivers Casino Portsmouth and Rush Street Gaming today announced plans to break ground on a new hotel this summer: The Landing Hotel Portsmouth.
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Mayor of Portsmouth Shannon Glover first shared the news during the annual Portsmouth State of the City meeting as another sign of tremendous economic momentum in the City of Portsmouth. The sold-out State of the City 2025 meeting was held in The Event Center at Rivers Casino on May 2.
“Portsmouth is on the move – and we’re winning,” said Mayor Glover. “The Landing Hotel Portsmouth is more than just a beautiful new addition to our skyline. It’s a symbol of Rivers Casino’s positive impact on Portsmouth and our continued rise as a regional entertainment destination.”
The Landing Hotel Portsmouth is a $65 million privately funded development. The project will bring roughly 200 new temporary construction jobs and 60 new permanent positions to Rivers Casino Portsmouth. In addition to the new hospitality tax for the City of Portsmouth, the hotel is expected to drive additional local commerce and gaming, restaurant, conference, and event revenues by supporting weekend and overnight visits to the area.
The Landing Hotel Portsmouth is expected to open in early 2027.
“A hotel was always part of the casino’s masterplan, and we’re excited to be moving forward as expected,” said Tim Drehkoff, CEO of Rush Street Gaming and Rivers Casino Portsmouth. “The Landing Hotel Portsmouth will be Rush Street’s fourth casino hotel, custom-designed for the greater Hampton Roads market.”
Award-Winning Architectural Design
The Landing Hotel Portsmouth will be an upscale eight-story destination directly adjacent to Rivers Casino Portsmouth—overlooking the property’s water feature. The hotel will have 106 well-appointed and generously sized guest rooms, including 32 expansive suites, among them two ‘super suites’ providing both indoor and outdoor space.
Setting this property apart are spacious guestrooms and upsized suites comparable to luxury hotel brands. Suites will range from approximately 400 square feet to over 800 square feet.
A sophisticated Lobby Bar is planned near the reception area on the first floor, where two private executive board rooms and other amenities will also be available. Complimentary breakfast and a sundries shop will be among the hotel’s offerings.
Guests of The Landing Hotel will have immediate access, via a dedicated covered corridor, to The Event Center at Rivers Casino along with eight on-property restaurants and lounges—including the popular Admiral’s Steak & Seafood, an Open Table Diners’ Choice winner—plus BetRivers Sportsbook, poker room and the full-service gaming floor.
The architect is the award-winning KOO Architecture & Interiors of Chicago. KOO is a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE), Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and a member of the U.S. Green Building Council.
A Winning Destination on Victory Boulevard
“Having a hotel fulfills the promise of an integrated destination-style casino,” said Roy Corby, general manager of Rivers Casino Portsmouth. “The Landing Hotel will make Rivers an ideal choice for weekend getaways, wedding parties, conventions and expos, business travelers, concertgoers, and sports fans alike.”
The Landing Hotel Portsmouth will be independently owned and operated by Rivers Casino and Rush Street Gaming, which also owns and operates The Landing Hotel in Pittsburgh and Schenectady and Riversuites in Philadelphia.
The Landing Hotel Portsmouth will be a non-smoking facility. Guests must be over 21 and present a photo ID to access Rivers Casino’s gaming floor. For additional information and reservations, visit thelandinghotelva.com.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A Video and High-resolution renderings of The Landing Hotel Portsmouth, courtesy of KOO Architecture & Interiors of Chicago and Rush Street Gaming, are available here: TLH Renderings.
About Rivers Casino Portsmouth
Rivers Casino Portsmouth is a world-class destination located along Victory Boulevard, south of I-264. As part of Portsmouth’s New Entertainment District, the complex currently features a full-service casino, poker room, BetRivers Sportsbook, event and conference venues, premier restaurants, and more. Rivers Casino Portsmouth is Virginia’s first permanent casino and the latest addition to Rush Street Gaming, one of the fastest-growing casino and entertainment companies in the country. Rush Street Gaming and its affiliates have developed and operate successful casinos in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Des Plaines, Illinois; and Schenectady, New York. All Rush Street Gaming casinos, including Rivers Casino Portsmouth, have been voted a “Best Place to Work” or “Top Workplace” by their Team Members. For more information about Rivers Casino Portsmouth, including ongoing career opportunities, please visit RiversCasino.com.
Rivers Casino Portsmouth and Rush Street Gaming announced plans to break ground on a new hotel this summer: The Landing Hotel Portsmouth.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.
Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.
Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”
Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”
He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”
Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.
More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.
In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.
Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”
Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.
“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.
The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.
The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.
Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.
In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)
