A “guitar smash” celebrated a sneak peek at the .5 billion expansion and renovation project at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain entertained as guitars were smashed by officials including Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr., members of the Seminole Tribal Council and Jim Allen, chief executive officer of Seminole Gaming and chairman of Hard Rock International.
Invited guests viewed the first seven floors of the 35-story guitar-shaped hotel tower, now under construction and scheduled to open in mid-2019.
Spokesman Gary Bitner said the new tower will add 638 rooms and suites for a total of 1,270. Currently the property offers 469 rooms and suites, several restaurants, a lagoon-style pool, casino and meeting and convention space.
The new hotel tower also will feature a 41,000 square foot spa, multiple restaurants and lounges and a 10-acre pool complex bordered by waterfalls and private cabana villas. The complex will provide 141,000 square feet of meeting space, including a new 37,000 square foot ballroom.
Bitner said starting in March 2018 the existing Hard Rock Live venue will be demolished, rebuilt and expanded into the new $100 million Hard Rock Live , with 7,000 seats, set to open in mid-2019. Also, the existing casino will be doubled in size to offer 3,267 slot machines and 178 table games.
The Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa also is in the midst of an $800 million expansion.
