The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, is mostly known as the ‘Guitar Hotel’.

This is due to the spectacular 450-foot guitar-shaped hotel tower that sits right in the centre of the resort and can be seen from over a mile away.

But that’s not all it has. Covering 100 acres of land, the resort has three hotel towers, a huge casino, an impressive lagoon-style pool and a wide selection of bars, restaurants, and shops too. It’s a one stop-shop for nightlife and entertainment.

But what is it like to stay and gamble here? I went along to review it so I could find out first hand.

Situated on the Hollywood Reservation of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, this resort brings the razzle dazzle of Vegas to the sunshine state.

The grounds are spectacular, giving both an up-scale and edgy vibe at the same time. The guitar is obviously the big centrepiece but (pardon the pun) I found there were a lot more strings to this resort too.

The original resort opened in 2004, with just one hotel tower – the Hard Rock Hotel. Although popular with locals, it wasn’t a tourist destination for most of its early years.

However, in 2019, a whopping $1.5 billion was invested, making it into the flagship casino resort of Hard Rock International that we see today.

Location

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood is situated in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and has great accessibility.

It is located just ten minutes from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and 30 minutes from downtown Miami and Miami International Airport.

If travelling by car, it is easily accessed from major highways and is situated on State Road 7 (U.S. Highway 441).

There are three car parks on site at Lucky Street Garage, Winner’s Way Garage and Seminole Way Garage and all offer complimentary parking. Valet parking is also available at a charge of $35 for overnight guests.

Before I even got to the casino entrance, I walked past a stunning feature which is known at the Oculus. This central hub connects the casino with the Guitar Tower and various shops and restaurants too.

Featuring a 35-foot indoor waterfall, lights, sounds and projections, with seating all around it, I sat for a while just taking it all in. It was really mesmerizing to watch and a lovely place to take a rest. 

Between the Oculus and the casino, I saw various bits of rock memorabilia on the walls – clothing, footwear, guitars and drum kits from celebrities such as Jimi Hendrix, Madonna and The Beatles. This continued throughout the casino floor and whole resort too.

Walking into the casino, the room felt very open and bright. Red and orange colourful carpets on the floor, with cream polished walkways in the middle and soft white lighting above. It felt warm and welcoming.

At 140,000 square feet, the casino is large. In comparison to Las Vegas that would put it similar to the size of Mandalay Bay or Caesars Palace, which is considerable. 

The slots were laid out well, leaving loads of space between them and, due to the large rectangular shape, it was easy to navigate. I also noticed both a non-smoking slots area and a non-smoking high limit area too.

Overall, the casino was well-maintained throughout, and the funky carpets and rock memorabilia give it a really colourful and vibrant playing environment. I really enjoyed the atmosphere too, which was lively and fun but also casual and comfortable. That's something even the best online casinos will never be able to replicate. 

Table Games Selection

If you love playing at the tables, you’re going to love playing at Hard Rock Hollywood. I lost count of the tables in the casino and had to look it up afterwards. No wonder I lost count – there are 200 tables!

I saw all the usual favourites – blackjack, craps, roulette, but also some other poker and blackjack variations that I hadn’t seen before.

The tables were all well-maintained and there was a great atmosphere around them with the dealers encouraging lots of interaction and fun. 

Classic table games:

• Roulette
• Blackjack
• Craps
• Three Card Poker

Variants:

• Ultimate Texas Hold’em
• Blackjack Switch
• Casino War
• Criss Cross Poker
• Double Draw Poker
• Face Up Pai Gow Poker
• I Luv Suits Poker
• Mini Baccarat
• Mississippi Stud

I found both 6:5 and 3:2 blackjack, although the latter had higher table minimums. During the day it is possible to find $5 bet minimums, but in the evening the majority of tables were $25 minimum. 

For poker players, there is an impressive separate 45-table poker room with large screen projector and TV’s showing sports. Daily tournaments and games are available 24 hours a day and variations include Limit and No-Limit Texas Hold’em, Omaha hi-lo and 7-card Stud.

Slots

With an incredible 2,700 slot games, Hard Rock Hollywood is my kind of place. The majority of slots are modern video reel games but there are some more traditional three-reel games too. 

Hard Rock Hollywood has a reputation for offering the newest games on the market. For example, top game provider Aristocrat chose Hard Rock Hollywood to debut its Dragon Link $1million Grand Progressive slot. 

The casino also features many progressive slots, standalone progressives, plus wide area link progressives as well. 

Popular games available in the casino include:

• Blazing 7’s
• Buffalo Diamond
• Dancing Drums Prosperity
• Zeus Power Link 
• All Aboard
• Dragon Link
• The Vault  

Remember that Dragon Link $1million Grand Progressive slot I mentioned earlier? Well seven lucky players have won jackpots of more than $1million in the first two years at Hard Rock Hollywood. I was hoping that luck would rub off on me at some point, but not so far! Maybe next time. 

Bar-Top Gaming

I found at least two bars offering bar-top gaming at Hard Rock Hollywood. The Center Bar is located, yes you guessed it, right in the centre of the casino. It has a really nice atmosphere and serves speciality cocktails and premium spirits.

There’s around 20 bar-top terminals and I enjoyed playing some video poker here. Although it’s always lively in there I’m told it can get really crowded after a Hard Rock Live gig. More about those later.

The second bar is the Hard Rock Sports Bar which is a more casual venue with a massive wall of LED screens showing sports. If you enjoy playing blackjack while watching sports then there’s even 12 live blackjack tables in there.

From the large square bar you can sit, watch sports, eat snacks, and play bar top games. It had a really lively and fun atmosphere and I would come back here to play.

Unlike casinos in Las Vegas, including Seminole's own property there The Mirage, just be aware that playing bar-top games here doesn’t qualify you for free drinks.

Hard Rock Hollywood Sportsbook

You can place sports bets at Hard Rock Hollywood in a few different ways. There are 40 self-serve kiosks around the casino available 24/7, you can go in person to the betting windows, or you can bet via an app.

The Hard Rock Sports Bar is the best place to view sports, though. The LED TVs show 360 degrees of all the big games including NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, Premier League soccer, NASCAR, golf, tennis, racing, and more.

Waitress Service

Being completely honest, I wasn’t too impressed with the waitress service at Hard Rock Hollywood. 

Drinks aren’t free, which is often the case outside of Las Vegas, but it was sometimes difficult to even find a waitress to get drinks while playing slots on the main casino floor.

Personally, I’d recommend getting drinks at the bar before you sit and play. Waitress service did look more reliable at the table games though.

Free drinks are offered, but only in the high-limit area. But be aware that the high-limit area is restricted to higher-level rewards card players on an evening. 

High Limit Gaming at Hard Rock Hollywood Casino

There’s a high limit area for table games and slots, depending on what you prefer. What I liked about both rooms is that although they are separate from the main floor, they still carry the same contemporary décor and feel as the main casino.

Often some high-limit rooms can be a little stuffy and intimidating, but at Hard Rock there was still vibrant colours on the floors, walls and ceilings so it just felt more like private gaming rather than feeling too high-end.

Another thing I liked about the high limit slots area was how big it was. Even in Las Vegas, some high limit rooms are small and cramped, but this one wasn’t. I would say it’s three times bigger than that of New York-New York for example.

With around 100 slots, you can play from $5 a spin, so if this is your bet level, then give it a go. 

Comped drinks are available in the high-limit areas but only to Unity Rewards Icon and X level players.  

Cash and Payment Options

Although cash is still the main currency on the casino floor, you can use alternatives at Hard Rock Hollywood.

Using your Unity Rewards card, you can set up a U-Wallet which allows you to debit money on to your rewards card and then use that when you play. 

The minimum amount you can debit is $1 and the maximum is automatically set to $2,000 but you can have this extended to $10,000 if you’re a high-stakes player. Just be aware that a 6% transaction fee applies.

Casino credit and Front Money is also available, but you must pre-apply at the casino.

On thing you can expect at Hard Rock Hollywood no matter what your payment method is quick withdrawals. A big perk of gambling in person is being paid out in cash, which is quicker than best online casinos with fast payout.

The resort was originally based on one hotel tower – The Hard Rock Hotel with 469 rooms. Following huge investment in 2019, two additional accommodation towers were added. The eye-catching Guitar Tower has 638 rooms and the more exclusive Oasis Tower has a further 168 rooms.

The development not only created more rooms but also turned Hard Rock Hollywood into a Vegas-style mega resort. This is carried throughout the property with light and bright décor, quality furnishings, plus original and intriguing art installations. 

The main theme running through the resort is, of course, rock and celebrity. And you’ll find non-stop framed and boxed memorabilia in all of the corridors and central lobbies. There’s even a car too.

I thought the resort had a really nice flow about it. Moving from one area to another, the corridors were really clean and colourful and there was no wasted space with points of interest positioned throughout.

Of course, the big focal point is the Guitar Tower which is staggeringly impressive to look at from the outside. I decided to book a room inside it to see what it’s like to stay there.

Hard Rock Hollywood Rooms

As you would expect from somewhere which is essentially a brand new casino and resort, everything looks pretty fresh. The corridor is bright and modern with a slight hint of colour and the room doors are light wood.

I booked a Deluxe King Room at the Guitar hotel which, at 520 square feet, was a good size for a basic room. Walking into the room, the décor was light, mostly decorated in neutral colours with a splash of colour on the soft furnishings.

It had a bit of a beach hut vibe to me, with light wood, white and grey finishing and the big window let in lots of light making it feel even more spacious.

As well as the large comfortable bed, there was also wardrobe and drawer space, plus a separate desk and chair area. The bathroom was also a good size with a large walk-in shower that came with a seat, rain head showers and body sprays.

Overall, I really enjoyed the room and could find no complaints at all. All the usual amenities were included – iron/ironing board, hairdryer, HDTV and a large safe. But there was also a nice robe and some lovely body products in the bathroom to make it a little bit extra special.

Looking at the alternative rooms, the original Hard Rock Hotel rooms seemed to be a bit smaller starting at 450 square feet. While the Oasis Tower rooms look to be the more exclusive rooms starting from 640 square feet. In that tower you overlook the amazing lagoon pool and you can get swim up rooms too.

If you can’t bear to leave your four-legged friend at home, then you can treat them to a stay at Hard Rock Hollywood. Pet-friendly rooms are available for pets weighing 40lbs or less and there is a $100 non-refundable pet fee per stay.

Bars

There are around ten bars in total throughout the resort, with some of them doubling up as eateries too. Overall the standard is excellent and caters to a wide range of guests. Some of my favourites are: 

• Oculus Bar – stunning bar with view of the Oculus centrepiece 
• Center Bar – casino bar right in the heart of the action with cool vibe
• Hard Rock Sports Bar – fun energic casual bar with bar top gaming and sports
• L Bar – sophisticated cocktail lounge with casino views

If you prefer a more high-end exclusive lounge, then the Davidoff Cigar Lounge, offers premium drinks and a wide selection of cigars if that’s your type of thing.

For the younger crowd there’s DAER Nightclub and Dayclub inside The Guitar Hotel with a rooftop bar.

Buffets and Restaurants

I found a good selection of restaurants in Hard Rock Hollywood, more than I thought I would actually. And what I really liked about it was the variety.

Fine dining options include Council Oak Steaks and Seafood (which I personally recommend), Cipresso, Abiaka, Kuro, Bae Korean Grill, and Marky’s Cavier Lounge.

Although there isn’t a buffet, so to speak, Kuro restaurant hosts the Signature Hard Rock Brunch every Sunday. This is a high-end buffet style affair with ten serving stations serving seafood, sushi, carving, pasta, desserts, and a range of drinks including bottomless bubbles, mimosas, and sangria. Be prepared to pay top dollar for this though – current price starts at $125.

More casual dining options are offered at Hard Rock Café, Rise Kitchen & Deli and the Bol as well as the poolside bars. If you’re looking for quick eats, then there’s a food court open 11am – 11pm serving pizza’s, burgers, sandwiches etc.

Shows and Entertainment

Although the Guitar Hotel is considered an attraction in itself, it actually does have its own nightly show too. 

Every night at 9pm (and again at 9.30pm on Friday and Saturday), the guitar puts on a choreographed audio and visual spectacle showcasing the LED lights built into all sides of the guitar tower. 

The colour and intensity of the lights change in time to the various pieces of music and it is a really impressive sight. I recommend watching it from the designated viewpoint at the southeast corner of the pool lagoon.

The main attraction at Hard Rock Hollywood, though, is Hard Rock Live. The 7000-capacity concert venue has state-of-the art technical capabilities and can rival any entertainment venue across the US.

It has already attracted A-list celebrities such as Ed Sheeran, Blake Shelton, and Diana Ross, but has also been used for award shows and sporting events too.

When a big-name act is in town, Hard Rock Hollywood is the place to be and the casino and bars can get jam-packed, so just be aware of that. 

Other attractions include both DAER Nightclub and Dayclub, Entice Nightclub and, of course, the Oculus that I mentioned earlier. Although for me, the lagoon pool is an attraction in itself and is definitely worth a visit.

Hard Rock Hollywood Pool

Quite simply, Hard Rock Hollywood has one of the most spectacular pool areas you will find anywhere. Covering 4.5-acres, the pool complex provides a range of experiences.

Just around the Guitar Hotel and Oasis Tower there are three different options. You can relax on the beach, made with locally sourced Florida sand, and chill out on the lounge chairs. You can also relax in a tropical lagoon setting amidst palm trees and towering waterfalls.

Alternatively, you can enjoy some water activities such as canoeing and paddle-boarding on a huge lake which is nearly as long as three football fields.

While over at the Hard Rock Hotel, there’s another lagoon style pool with artificial rockfaces, waterfalls and a waterslide too.

You can hire a cabana at all of the pool areas, but the best ones by far are the Bora Bora style ones.

Offering complete luxury, the cabanas provide a paradise retreat with stunning views, a stylish bungalow good enough to live in, and its own butler service too. If you have the money, they look incredible. 

There are pool bars available around both main pool areas and I’m told there are regular pool parties too.

If you want to go full on luxury, then the Rock Spa and Salon is a 42,000 square-foot oasis offering wellness treatments, a fitness centre, and a salon. The spa will make anyone feel like a pampered celebrity with dipping pools, a spa atrium, and dry and wet lounges all set in serene skylit surroundings.

Spa

Hard Rock Hollywood offers the Rock Spa & Salon, which they describe as a "42,000 square-foot oasis." That includes a 3,200 square-foot fitness centre and a 3,600 square-foot salon. 

The Spa itself promises to treat everyone like a rock star, and boasts luxury treatment rooms, couples rooms, skylights, dipping pool, private seating areas, dry and wet lounges, and an atrium. 

All that luxury does come with a price point to match, though, so be aware of that before you book and of their vast array of treatments. 

Hard Rock Hollywood, like all Hard Rock resorts, uses the Unity Rewards program.

The global loyalty program allows you to earn and redeem Unity Points at over 150 Hard Rock locations around the world. Not only other Hard Rock hotels but also casinos, cafes, restaurants, and shops too. 

Anyone aged 21 years or over can sign up to the program at the Unity Rewards desk. Just make sure you take along photographic ID. 

Once you receive your card, use it or show it every time you spend money at Hard Rock Hollywood and all other Hard Rock resorts you may visit. That means when you’re gambling, dining, drinking, shopping, or paying for attractions. 

Collecting points will enable you to redeem them for benefits - 100 Unity Points converts to $1 USD which you can spend on slot play, dining, drinking and shopping.

Points will also help you climb the status tiers (and benefit levels) as follows:

• Star (0 – 3,999 points) – Members only hotel rates, discounts and promotions
• Legend (4,000 – 14,999 points) – all of the above plus event tickets, priority and point multiplier days
• Icon (15,000+ points) - all of the above plus priority access and an annual celebration event
• X (invite only) - all of the above plus personalised host, complimentary valet, exclusive gig tickets and complimentary three-night annual trip

Should you join Unity Rewards?

For me it’s a definite yes. If you’re going to be visiting Hard Rock resorts and spending money, whether that’s in the casino, the hotel or just having a nice meal, you might as well get rewarded for it.

When it comes to Unity Points, you earn three Unity Points for every $1 spent in any participating cafe and non-casino hotel. While you earn one Unity Point for every $1 spent on all other non-gaming spend in casinos. 

It’s a little bit trickier when it comes to gambling spend as it differs depending on the casino and the individual game play. But ultimately, you just need to remember to use your card when you gamble so the points can add up.

Unity also occasionally has some new member sign-up offers on, so look out for those. The current one gives new members a free Unity by Hard Rock T-shirt plus up to $200 freeplay based on your first day casino losses. Check out the website for full terms and conditions.

Hard Rock Hollywood Hotel and Casino surprised me. It was much bigger and, to be truthful, much better than I thought it would be. 

Being a Las Vegas regular, I didn’t think anywhere would be able to rival that in terms of overall entertainment and luxury, but it really did.

The look and feel of the place combined with the size and ambience of the casino made me feel welcome. Add that to the stylish room, the incredible pools and the variety of restaurants and bars and it really is something special.

The only downside I could really find was the waitress service and lack of free drinks on the casino floor and when bar-top gaming. But I know this isn’t standard across the US anyway. 

The only other slight negative is that you can’t just stroll over the road to another casino if you’re luck isn’t in. However, there are some nice chillout areas and bars where you can take a breather.

All-in-all I think Florida has a super casino here on its doorstep and I’d be really happy if it was my local casino. For those further away, I think it is definitely worth travelling for and I would happily come again.