Las Vegas’s Hard Rock undergoing $1 billion expansion
In usual flamboyant Las Vegas style, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is planning a massive, $1 billion expansion of the boutique resort just off the strip.
Morgans Hotel Group and DLJ Merchant Banking Partners recently acquired the property.
The expansion will more than double the size of the hotel and casino. The move comes as some analysts say the market may finally be softening.
The expansion plan calls for the addition of about 950 rooms, including an all-suite 15-story tower; about 60,000 square feet of meeting and convention space; and about 35,000 square feet of new casino space.
In addition, the Hard Rock’s pool, which allows guests to play blackjack while swimming, will be expanded. New restaurants and bars and a new nightclub are also planned.
When the project is completed, in 2009, the hotel will have 1,500 rooms, making it one of the larger boutique hotels in Las Vegas. Still, the hotel will be smaller than places like Wynn Resorts, which has more than 2,700 rooms.
Debuting in 1995 as an $80-million, 325-room hotel-casino, the resort has since expanded to nearly twice its original size.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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