Background (1995–2006) In 1995, Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Peter Morton spent $80 million to open the Hard Rock Hotel near the
Las Vegas Strip in
Las Vegas,
Nevada. A subsequent $100 million expansion in 1999 nearly doubled the hotel's capacity. In May 2006, Morton sold the
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas to
Morgans Hotel Group for $770 million, including the rights to the
Hard Rock Hotel brand west of the Mississippi, including
Texas, California, Australia, and
Vancouver, British Columbia. The hotel began another expansion in 2007 at a cost of $750 million. The project added 875 rooms in two towers and expanded meeting space. In March 2011, Morgans surrendered control of the property to partner
Brookfield Asset Management, citing the high debt on the property in the face of the economic downturn. In April 2018, the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas was sold to
Richard Branson with plans to renovate the property under the
Virgin Hotels brand;
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas debuted in March 2021.
Hard Rock purchase by Seminole Tribe (2007–2013) Hard Rock International formed when on December 7, 2006,
the Rank Group sold its
Hard Rock business to the
Seminole Tribe of Florida for $965 million, including 124
Hard Rock Cafes, four Hard Rock Hotels, two Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hotels, two Hard Rock Live! concert venues, and stakes in three unbranded hotels. Hard Rock Hotel and Casino operates as a Hard Rock International division. In 2007, the Seminole Tribe of Florida owned and operated all units except the Sioux City, Tulsa, Biloxi, and Vancouver properties. In 2004, Hard Rock International and
Sol Melia Hotels and Resorts launched Lifestar Hoteles España SL, a
joint venture that intended to manage Europe's first Hard Rock Hotel in
Madrid, but it was never opened as a Hard Rock property upon the dissolution of the joint venture in 2007. The other joint venture hotels in 2007 were in Chicago, New York, and San Diego (the San Diego property includes Hard Rock condominiums). Hard Rock also operated hotels and resorts in Orlando, Florida (a joint venture with
Loews Hotels);
Bali,
Indonesia; and
Pattaya,
Thailand, (a joint venture with Ong Beng Seng/Hotel Properties Limited). Hard Rock International continued to expand internationally (including hotels, casinos, resorts, and condominiums) through several joint ventures (Becker Ventures, Ong Beng Seng/Hotel Properties Limited and Loews Hotels), including hotels in Chicago, Bali, Orlando,
Penang, San Diego, Singapore, and planned openings in Abu Dhabi, Cancun, Dubai, Hungary, Panama, Punta Cana and Puerto Vallarta, as well as hotel-casinos in
Hollywood, Florida;
Tampa, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; and
Catoosa, Oklahoma, just northeast of
Tulsa. The Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi, MS is owned by Twin River Management Group, Inc. Opened on January 20, 2010, in
Singapore at
Sentosa, the Hard Rock Hotel at
Resorts World Sentosa is owned by the
Genting Group.
Rebrandings and expansion (2014-2020) The Hotel Zoso in
Palm Springs, California was converted into a 160-room Hard Rock Hotel and opened in 2014. It subsequently closed. A location in
Atlantic City, New Jersey was planned in 2010, but those plans were canceled in 2012; however, in 2017, they acquired from
Icahn Enterprises the closed
Trump Taj Mahal, which in 2018 was reopened as Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. All-inclusive resorts operate under the Hard Rock brand in the Dominican Republic and Mexico. In 2013, the
Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park opened as a joint slot machine and track venture near
Cleveland, Ohio. Then in early 2019, it was announced that
JACK Cincinnati Casino in
Cincinnati was sold for $745 million to
Vici Properties and Hard Rock International, with Vici acquiring the land and buildings for $558 million and Hard Rock buying the operating business for $187 million. Hard Rock would lease the casino from Vici for $43 million per year, and would rebrand it as Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati. In 2015, Hard Rock announced a new hotel in
Bogotá, Colombia, which will open in 2019. The company had plans to open in the biggest financial district in Colombia, the
Centro Internacional, but it revised those plans. The hotel will be located in the exclusive
Zona Rosa de Bogotá, home of luxury boutiques. In July 2019,
Hard Rock International announced plans for a casino in
Rockford, Illinois, about 75 miles west of Chicago along
I-90. Two other proposals were made for the city's lone casino license, but the city council only recommended the Hard Rock proposal to the Illinois Gaming Board, who will decide which site will get the license. The temporary casino, named Rockford Casino-A Hard Rock Opening Act, opened on November 10, 2021. It features a Rock Shop, Hard Rock memorabilia, slots, and two restaurants. The permanent casino is planned to open within two years and feature a Hard Rock Cafe, live music venue, 90 foot tall replica of a Rick Nielson guitar, and will be a full-fledge Hard Rock Casino. In November 2019, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain opened adjacent to the
Toyota Amphitheatre near
Wheatland, California. Also in November, Hard Rock announced a new hotel in
São Paulo, Brazil, in the heart of popular
Paulista Avenue.
Recent and pending projects (2021-present) In January 2021, it was announced that Hard Rock will be opening a new hotel in
London, Ontario, Canada, with a 353-room hotel slated to finish construction in 2025. It will be located in the 100 Kellogg Lane complex. In May 2021, a $300 million Hard Rock Casino location opened in
Gary, Indiana about 35 minutes east of Chicago. Branded as Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, the location includes memorabilia from local natives
Jackson 5 and a 1,950-seat Hard Rock Live performance hall. In December 2021, Hard Rock purchased
The Mirage, from
MGM Resorts for $1.075 billion. The deal closed in December 2022. The
Las Vegas Strip property will be completely renovated, but was permitted to keep using "The Mirage" name for up to 3 years. A new 36-story hotel tower in the shape of a
guitar, like the one at the
Seminole Hard Rock, will be added. After renovations, the plan is to reopen the hotel under the name
Hard Rock Las Vegas in 2027. Hard Rock is currently developing the
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Athens in
Athens,
Greece. It will become the first
integrated resort in
continental Europe when it opens in 2027. Hard Rock is also currently developing non-gaming hotels in
Ras Al Khaimah,
United Arab Emirates and
Malta. Hard Rock is one of multiple bidders who are bidding for one of three casino licenses for
Downstate New York. Hard Rock is looking to build an
integrated resort called
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Metropolitan Park adjacent to
Citi Field in
Flushing, New York. ==References==