Hard Rock International is still negotiating the purchase of a developable parcel of land in Vila-Seca and Salou, Catalonia, in northeastern Spain, according to the local government. In 2018, authorities gave Hard Rock Entertainment World permission to build a casino and leisure complex there; the complex, to be called Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tarragona, España, would include two hotels with more than 1,000 rooms, a shopping quarter and entertainment facilities.
The casino could have as many as 1,200 slot machines and 100 table games, making it one of the largest gaming halls in Europe. The company is reportedly planning to invest as much as €2 billion (US$2.216 billion) into the property, reported G3 Newswire.
Until June 2015, the Veremonte Group led the push to create Europe’s largest holiday resort under the name BCN World, then announced its decision to withdraw from the project. In order to guarantee the project’s continuation the Catalan government reached an agreement with La Caixa Bank for the right to buy the 500 hectares (1,235 acres) of land allocated for BCN World.
According to sources, Hard Rock initially earmarked €600 million (US$664 million) for the first phase of the project, which it says will offer a “unique combination of hotels and convention areas, with world-class entertainment, dining and shopping” as well as a concert venue with a capacity of 15,000. The site for the planned integrated resort is about 70 miles from Barcelona in Tarragona Province, next to the existing PortAventura World entertainment resort. Hard Rock has announced a partnership with PortAventura for the construction of a 500-room family-oriented hotel. Value Retail will be another major local partner of the project.
Hard Rock and the retail brand are planning to develop a 10,000-square-meter tourism shopping destination with around 75 shops. Phase One of the project is expected to employ over 11,500 people temporarily and permanently.
It is believed that the integrated resort will generate more than €1.3 billion in economic benefits for the region. While other major casino operators, including Melco International Development and Genting Group had also previously shown interest in the project, the government has confirmed that Hard Rock was the only company to submit a bid before the June 30 deadline.
