A $720 million expansion at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is scheduled to open on October 3 at the property’s new event center. Meanwhile, the property—which started life in the 1980s as an alligator-wrestling attraction—has already begun book guests into four floors of its 14-story, 562-room facility.
Renovations at the 245,000 square foot casino were previously completed. Officials recently unveiled the new oval-shaped entrance hall, built around a platform displaying a 24-karat gold leaf-covered piano once owned by Elvis Presley. The atrium also features a multi-story chandelier and two wraparound escalators that rise along semicircular paths. Beaded wall coverings evoke piano keys and an Elvis song lyric proclaims, “I just can’t miss with a good luck charm like you.”
Seminole Gaming Chief Executive Officer and Hard Rock International Chairman Jim Allen said, “With this new atrium and the new finishes in the new casino, this product can now compete with anything in the United States.”
Still to be completed are three new swimming pools on the casino roof, stretching the length of a football field; a 60,000 square foot pool deck; new restaurant; spa; 20 cabanas; and two DJ booths. The 1,500 square foot event center will host concerts and other entertainment 80-100 nights a year, Allen said, along with conventions, trade shows, poker tournaments and private events.
Officials said an average of 20,000-plus customers visit Seminole Hard Rock Tampa every day, with more on weekends. According to figures reported to regulators and Wall Street, the Tampa casino is the nation’s most successful individual casino in terms of operating profits.
