Hotel opens at site of Henrico Sports and Events Center
Shamin Hotels May 11 celebrated the opening of a new Residence Inn by Marriott hotel just steps away from the Henrico Sports and Events Center in Glen Allen.
The hotel actually opened May 7 and was booked to capacity during the weekend, thanks to a graduation at Virginia Commonwealth University and a volleyball tournament at the events center.
“I almost wondered, should we be wearing ties or jerseys when we’re here?” Shamin Hotels CEO Neil Amin said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The 185,000-square-foot Sports & Events Center opened in late 2023 as an anchor in the redevelopment of the former Virginia Center Commons shopping mall; in 2025, it attracted about 600,000 guests, according to county officials.
A new Home2Suites hotel is expected to open late this year at the site, with two restaurants to follow.
Two other existing hotels – a Comfort Suites and Candlewood Suites – are located just across Telegraph Road from the center, while a third – a Courtyard by Marriott – sits less than a mile away next to the Regal Virginia Center cinemas.
“With its easy access from Interstate 95, this area has become the place to play, as thousands of visiting families, players, coaches and others across the Mid-Atlantic can attest,” Henrico County Board of Supervisors Chair Roscoe D. Cooper III said. “Now, with the addition of this wonderful hotel – and another coming soon – this area also will be the place to stay.”
The Residence Inn features 111 suites with full kitchens, a 550-square-foot meeting room and amenities that include a bar, indoor pool and fitness center. The hotel is Shamin’s 22nd in Henrico and 82nd overall.
The properties represent more than $500 million invested in Henrico – the most of any locality, Amin said.
He thanked Henrico officials for their partnership and for recognizing what a large indoor sports facility could do to drive tourism in the region.
“You had bold plans, and then most importantly, you took bold action,” Amin said. “Many times, plans sit on the shelves, but not in Henrico.”
In 2024, visitor spending in Henrico totaled $1.92 billion dollars in economic activity, as well as nearly 10,500 jobs with a combined payroll of $628 million, according to estimates of the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
Henrico accounts for about 10,200 hotel rooms, a little more than half of the rooms in the region.
County Manager John A. Vithoulkas recalled the initial discussions about redeveloping Virginia Center Commons. In addition to the indoor sports facility, hotels and restaurants, the area now includes hundreds of apartments, townhomes and condominiums in various stages of completion.
“This is a great day for our county and our region,” he said. “It’s a great day for tourism and the opportunities, jobs and other economic benefits that tourism provides. It’s also a great day to celebrate the extraordinary things we can accomplish as a community when we have great vision, tremendous partners and flawless execution.”
