Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa recently announced that it has begun a $75 million expansion project to its casino, which will make it one of the largest casinos in the United States.
By adding 32,000 square feet of gaming space to its existing 190,000-square-foot gaming area, the Hard Rock Casino will have room for nearly 5,000 slot machines and 105 table games. Also included in the expansion is a new soon-to-be-announced restaurant, a new five-story parking garage with more than 1,300 spaces, a renovated pool complete with tropical landscaping and other updated amenities to further enhance the
Hard Rock Hotel experience.
“We've been planning this expansion for quite some time,” says John Fontana, president of
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa. “We've actually pushed back the dates in order to evaluate the market and economy just as every other business has been doing. Ultimately, the timing [of the expansion] was based on doing what's right for our guests -- and the demand is there. We really want to offer them the experience they're looking for.”
For the expansion, Fontana and the rest of the Hard Rock called in
Cleo Design as the casino's interior designer, premiere hospitality and gaming resort specialist
Klai Juba Architects as the project's architectural firm and
Turner Construction as builder.
The project is expected to create nearly 1,000 jobs in the Tampa Bay region, including 500 full-time construction jobs and more than 430 new permanent staff jobs at the newly renovated space.
More detailed information can be found in early 2012 while a job fair is planned for Spring 2012.
“The economic impact a $75 million expansion has on the Tampa Bay area cannot be taken mildly. We'll be one of Tampa's largest employers at nearly 3,500 employees, but these people aren't just getting a job, they're boosting our local economy,” says Fontana. “We couldn't be more proud to be able to announce that, through this expansion, we will help generate millions of dollars for the local Tampa Bay economy.”
Writer:
Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: John Fontana,
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa
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