Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, also known as The Guitar Hotel, due to its tower constructed to resemble a Gibson Les Paul guitar, is a hotel and casino resort near Hollywood, Florida, United States, located on 100 acres (40 ha) of the Hollywood Reservation of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The property currently has three hotel towers, a 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m) casino, large poker room, a 4-acre (1.6 ha) lagoon-style pool facility with a center bar and many private restaurants, shops, spa, cabanas, bars and nightclubs, and the Hard Rock Event Center. A large expansion was completed in October 2019.

The resort currently has a 12-story "classic Hard Rock Hotel" with 469 guest rooms and suites. Guests are greeted by a 50-foot (15 m) tall signature Hard Rock guitar, (based on a Gibson electric guitar model) at the entrance of the hotel, along with a massive LED advertising screen at the front of the main parking garage. The resort has 120,000-square-foot (11,000 m) of meeting space, including a 38,000-square-foot (3,500 m) exhibit hall.

The Hard Rock's $1.3 billion property expansion project added a 450-foot (140 m) tower designed to appear as a pair of guitars, back-to-back, with lights providing the imagery of guitar strings and 638 rooms alongside a seven-story, 168-room "Oasis Tower" overlooking the pool cabanas—all scheduled to open on October 24, 2019, several months in advance of Super Bowl LIV being held in Miami on February 2, 2020. The expansion also included a 42,000-square-foot (3,900 m) "Rock Spa", and over 20 new dining and nightlife destinations. Between the existing 12-story hotel, new Guitar Hotel, and new Oasis Tower, over 1,200 hotel rooms became available in October 2019.

On May 9, 2014, Seminole Chief Jim Billie announced a $100 million upgrade of the tribe's casinos, with much of that spent on the Hard Rock Hollywood location, including improved entryways, center pool bar, pool facility upgrades, updated hotel room and suite interiors, and a new restaurant. As of March 2019, the tribe's upgrade budget was significantly increased to over $2.4 billion, split mainly between this location and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa.

The current casino layout covers over 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m) featuring slot machines and various table games including blackjack, baccarat, mini baccarat, Pai Gow poker, Let It Ride and three card poker. In June 2023, the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe entered into another gaming compact authorizing live Crap and Roulette gambling, live sports betting, as well as allowing for additional expansion of two more properties in Hollywood, Florida. As of June 2018, the poker room is located in a former ballroom area, relocated from its prior venue due to ongoing construction work.

Blackjack is the most popular card game in the United States and was an addition to the casino. In a deal valued at $1.1 billion, former Governor Charlie Crist gave the Seminole Tribe a license for blackjack in its casinos. In exchange, The Seminole Tribe loaned the State of Florida $1.1 billion over the course of two years. On July 3, 2008, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the governor's agreement was unconstitutional, but table games continue to operate because the Federal Department of the Interior approved the now-invalid pact with the state. The addition of blackjack to the Hard Rock casinos in Hollywood and Tampa gave credibility to its claim of being a major gambling destination.

Hard Rock Live is a 7,000 seat multi-purpose theater, which opened on October 25, 2019, with a concert by Maroon 5. The theater replaced a 5,500-seat arena (razed in March 2018 as part of the property-wide expansion) of the same name, which hosted different types of events including musical acts, comedians, mixed martial arts, boxing and other smaller events, along with a residency by Billy Joel. During construction of the new theater, events were held at the temporary 3,500 seat Hard Rock Event Center, which hosted acts including Britney Spears on her Piece of Me Tour.

The 69th edition of the Miss Universe competition, was held on May 16, 2021, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino where Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa crowned her successor Andrea Meza of Mexico at the end of the event.

Model Anna Nicole Smith, who was staying at the resort, died in her hotel suite on February 8, 2007. An autopsy ruled her death was caused by an "accidental drug overdose" from prescription drugs.

• List of casinos in Florida

Notes

Further reading

• Associated Press (January 29, 2008). "Vegas-style slots debut at Hard Rock casino". The News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida – via newspapers.com.
• Holland, John (May 12, 2004). "Odds-on favorite". Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida – via newspapers.com.
• Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood (April 23, 2004). "Are You Ready to Play?". Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida – via newspapers.com. Grand Opening Party, May 11
• Sortal, Nick C. (June 7, 2008). "It's a big deal: Blackjack starts June 22". Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida – via newspapers.com.

• Official website

Preceded by Tyler Perry Studios Atlanta, GA

Miss Universe venue 2020

Succeeded by Universe Dome, Port of Eilat Eilat

26°03′05″N 80°12′36″W / 26.051318°N 80.210034°W / 26.051318; -80.210034