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New Hard Rock Hotels and Condos to Open
Hard Rock has made several announcements recently regarding their
latest hotel openings. First, in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, Hard Rock will build a
new property in close proximity to the
Padres Stadium and the San Diego Convention Center. And, in an interesting new twist, the rooms in this
hotel-condo will be for sale — 420 luxury rooms and suites starting in the
$400s. Construction will not be complete until Spring 2007. The second announcement comes from Madrid,
where the first ever European Hard Rock Hotel
is gearing up to finally open in Spring 2006, although it was originally slated to begin operations before the end of
this year. The 192-room hotel occupies the historic Gran Hotel Reina Victoria, and is currently accepting reservations
for March. Finally, the New York Hard Rock Hotel opening has also been pushed back to sometime in
2006, as soon as the old Paramount Hotel
has finished being refurbished. No word yet on what month it is expected to open. So — I'm curious to hear from folks
who have ever stayed in a Hard Rock Hotel — what was your experience like? Would you stay in one again? Maybe one of
these new properties? And would you ever even consider buying a condo in a party-scene Hard Rock Hotel? (I guess if
partying is your thing, uh, yes?!) I know the HR Cafes are considered tourist traps by some — do the hotels have the
same reputation?
Filed under: Business
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Whiplash Dec 18th 2005 5:34PM
Me and my wife stayed at the Hard Rock in Vegas. And yes, it's definitely a party place. They have room-service that delivers lingerie, and a bedside pamphlet that talks about beating hangovers and how to know if you can score a threesome. It's not a "family" place. In fact, I don't even think you can stay there if you are under 18.
The room was very cool though. Ultra modern furnishings, flat panel TV's etc, made for a very comfortable stay. The only thing that sucked is that the hotel is right in the flight path of the airport, so planes made it a little difficult to sleep soundly. But then again, it's Vegas... who sleeps?
Rone Dec 25th 2005 7:52AM
I've stayed in the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando and Vegas, and am booked into the new property in Chicago for a business trip in 06. These hotels are nothing like the Cafes. They are up there with W and Schrager - very high design, rooms with all the amenities expected of today, and yes - bars and entertainment are a major factor.
But take San Diego for example - the two "lounge" bars are being designed by Rande Gerber of The Whiskey Bars, and the signature restaurant will be Nobu. Hardly the college hangouts you may have in mind. The properties you mention - in Madrid and New York - showcase the direction Hard Rock Hotels are headed - 4 star experiences. Given the existing hotels of late and the brand - one of the most recognized in the world - it all seems more than possible.
As for the condo-hotels - well they have become the real estate option of most of the major hotel brand of late - Four Seasons, St Regis, Westin, etc. They are the choice for those that travel to these very high demand destinations frequently, would like own some real estate, but just can not justify the costs and maintenance hassles associated with traditional second home real estate. At the Hard Rock in Vegas, they had 1,000 suites to sell and over 3,000 reservations. In San Diego, they have just over 400 condo-hotel suites for sales - and given the fact San Diego is one of the top 5 most visited cities in the US %uFFFD it seems they will have similar success. And as you know %uFFFD real estate is all about location %uFFFD especially in the condo-hotel business, and the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego%uFFFDs location is right at the entrance to San Diego%uFFFDs downtown Gaslamp Quarter.
Owning real estate or a condo-hotel in a Hard Rock is not for everyone - that's for sure. But for those looking to own a piece of what should become one of San Diego's marquee hotels, it's something to have a look at - www.hardrockcondos.com.