The transcriptional coactivator host cell factor 1 (HCF-1) is critical for the expression of immediate-early (IE) genes of the alphaherpesviruses herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and varicella-zoster virus. HCF-1 may also be involved in the reactivation of these viruses from latency as it is sequestered in the cytoplasm of sensory neurons but is rapidly relocalized to the nucleus upon stimulation that results in reactivation. Here, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrate that HCF-1 is recruited to IE promoters of viral genomes during the initiation of reactivation, correlating with RNA polymerase II occupancy and IE expression. The data support the model whereby HCF-1 plays a pivotal role in the reactivation of HSV-1 from latency.