Smashing Reveal: Rock Legends Help Unveil Latest Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Expansion
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
HOLLYWOOD (CBSMiami) – The latest expansion of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino was unveiled Wednesday.
Guitars were smashed, kicking off the big reveal as only the Hard Rock can do. Part one of the expansion is a new and unique resort.
"It will be the first building in the world that's truly to scaled designed as an authentic guitar," said Seminole Hard Rock CEO Jim Allen. "So it's not just an exterior facade, the curving of the building will be identical to an authentic guitar."
Rockers Nicko McBrain from Iron Maiden and Steven Van Zandt from the E Street Band were both on hand to help kick it all off.
"Now to do this, and to have guitar-shaped hotel!? The only thing I'm a little concerned with is it's not a drum," said the drummer joked. "Ya know, hang on a minute, that might be next."
The resort will be about 35 stories with 638 rooms, with swank chickee cabanas for what's called the "Bora-Bora Experience."
"You'll have chickees submerged in water with bedrooms, showers, complete butler service built into the pool itself. There will be night life, day pools, they'll be all the water and lazy rivers and all those things," Allen said.
Construction is well underway on the $1.5 billon project, including doubling the size of the casino and building a brand new Hard Rock Live that can seat 7,000. They've got big plans for that.
"We've designed it to do, whether it's 'America's Got Talent,' 'American Idol,' 'Dancing with the Stars,' any one of those shows could do production here," Allen said.
And the musicians, they're excited about that big new concert space.
"It's really, really important these days with all of the political shenanigans going on that we do get some spiritual nourishment from music," said Van Zandt. "And the Hard Rock is still the main place to get that."
Construction continues for about another year and a half or so. The grand opening is set for mid-2019.
