A $1.5 billion guitar-shaped Hard Rock property in Hollywood, Florida, opened to much fanfare last week.
Celebrities galore – Johnny Depp, Khloe Kardashian and Bella Thorne, to name a few – were on the scene for the ostentatious grand opening, which included a light show, guitar smash and red carpet, reminiscent of the original Hollywood in California.
Pop rock band Maroon 5 was the musical headliner, but the live music show was far from the only big event on tap for the anticipated opening.
The guitar-shaped Hard Rock property – the first of its kind – is part of a larger project, one estimated at $2.2 billion, expanding the two Florida Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos. The other property is located in Tampa and celebrated its opening on October 3.
Both the Hollywood and Tampa locations of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino are successful Seminole-run resort casinos and contain all the glitzy, overstated fixings of a traditional Hard Rock property. The hotel shaped like a guitar adds another layer of cool.
Opening roster
Guitar smashing is exactly what it sounds like and was one of the events highlighted at the hotel’s opening.
After the hotel’s Guitar Smash event, Seminole leaders expressed excitement and welcomed guests.”The Guitar Hotel will attract visitors from throughout the nation and around the globe,” said Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming and Chairman of Hard Rock International, according to a press release.
An LED light show, significant for its grandeur – LED lights are built into every side of the hotel – took place next. The show, playing on the musical theme of the enormous space, boasted six high-powered light beams projecting some 20,000 feet into the night sky, according to the company’s press release.
Not your average hotel
Months earlier, in an opening announcement revealing some of what visitors could expect from the guitar hotel. “The Hard Rock brand is stronger today than it ever has been,” Allen said. Allen spoke of how the brand “represents more than food, beverage and a place to stay.”
The musical element is an enormous part of what defines the Hard Rock hotels, restaurants and entertainment properties around the world.
The expansive property also includes a day pool with club atmosphere, a family-friendly man-made lake featuring paddle boats and a lazy river, a 12,000-foot rooftop bar and lounge area as well as retail stores and large spaces for conventions.
Plus, with 14 restaurants on site, guests are bound to find something to suit their tastes, whether they’ve won big or lost.
Music is clearly just one part of the Hollywood Hard Rock experience. Some other cool happenings opening weekend: a bustling pool lagoon with mermaids, acrobats, jet packs.
In other words, costumes were encouraged. With the grand opening days before Halloween, the timing seems spot on.