On Friday, officials in Portsmouth marked a significant milestone with the topping-off ceremony for the $65 million Landing Hotel, located adjacent to Rivers Casino Portsmouth. This event celebrated the completion of the hotel’s eight-story steel structure.
The ceremony coincided with Mayor Shannon Glover’s State of the City address, where he confirmed that the hotel is on schedule to open its doors in early 2027. “They have consistently underpromised and overperformed,” Glover remarked, recalling the building's opening in 2023, which was two years ahead of the original timeline.
Once completed, the Landing Hotel is anticipated to enhance Portsmouth’s economy by generating 200 temporary construction jobs and 60 permanent roles. The hotel will offer 106 guest rooms, including 32 luxurious suites, alongside a lobby bar, executive boardrooms, and various other amenities.
Antonio Perez, General Manager of Rivers Casino Portsmouth, commended the city’s development initiatives during the event. “As we celebrate the remarkable economic progress in Portsmouth, we have yet another example of our city’s success, and it stands eight stories tall,” Perez stated.
Tim Drehkoff, CEO of Rush Street Gaming and Rivers Casino Portsmouth, emphasized the hotel’s upscale design and features. “We’ll have a sophisticated lobby bar, two new executive boardrooms, and additional amenities,” he noted, expressing satisfaction with the award-winning Architecture and Interiors team leading the design.
The construction is being managed by S.B. Ballard Construction Company. Steve Ballard, the company’s leader, indicated that the project is ahead of schedule and has maintained a strong safety record. “This is Portsmouth, a city of working people,” he said. “Hundreds are employed here daily, and they’ve been safe. We’re slightly ahead of schedule.”
The ceremony concluded with the symbolic raising of a steel beam, signifying the nearing completion of the hotel’s structural framework before it was placed atop the building.
Brian Donahue, Portsmouth’s director of economic development, remarked, “We haven’t seen an eight-story building rise in our city for quite some time. It’s been decades since this has occurred in Portsmouth, but I assure you, there will be many more to come.”