August Opening Projected for First Phase of Two-Story Addition
Construction of a 110,000 square foot expansion is underway at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa. An August opening date is projected for the first portion of the expansion and will include an upscale Council Oak Steaks & Seafood Restaurant, an additional 50,000 square feet of casino space with another 1099 gaming machines, the new Corner Bar, plus a unique “Video Waterfall” with video images projected onto moving water.
The expanded casino will ultimately include 3208 gaming machines, a new high-limit gaming area with its own VIP Players Club desk, and a separate VIP lounge and show kitchen. The addition will make the Seminole Hard Rock the largest casino in Florida and the largest of seven casinos owned and operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The two-story casino expansion will be completed by year end and will ultimately include a 390-seat Marketplace restaurant and a new 7-level parking garage for 1,250 cars, bringing the total number of parking spaces available at the complex to 4,500.
“Video Waterfall” Compares to Las Vegas Casino Attractions
The most striking project component will be a $2 million “Video Waterfall,” with eight machines that project video images on a curved wall of Plexiglas, as water cascades down the front of the wall. The Video Waterfall will feature music videos as well as other presentations created specifically for the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa. The shows will combine video and music elements, to the delight of casino patrons. With a giant chandelier and skylights above it, the Video Waterfall will curve along the side of a grand stairway connecting the new first and second floors of the casino.
The new casino space will include forty-four new chandeliers featuring “Color Kinetic” lighting and one-of-a-kind custom ceiling details designed by Cleo Design. New ergonomic seating and foot rests are designed into all of the additional gaming machines and the casino floor will debut several “gaming for two” seating areas containing comfortable love seats and memorabilia featuring musical couples like Sonny and Cher.
In keeping with the Hard Rock brand, unique pieces of music memorabilia will be showcased throughout the expanded casino. Also planned for the casino is the debut of new interactive memorabilia displays that allow guests to not only see the unique memorabilia, but also learn about the history of the piece and hear the music of the musicians and bands represented in the display. These first-of-their-kind displays currently being developed by Hard Rock International will feature LCD touch screens that allow guests to browse through images, sound and data appropriate to the display.
Council Oak Restaurant Named for Tribal Meeting Place
Already known for its distinctive Floyd’s Restaurant and Nightclub, the Seminole Hard Rock will add a 120-seat Council Oak Steaks & Seafood Restaurant to join the ranks of fine dining establishments in Tampa. Designed by Laurence Lee Associates of Los Angeles and modeled after the popular Council Oak at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, the new Tampa restaurant will feature dry aging of beef on the premises, resulting in some of Tampa’s best steaks.
Arriving guests will pass by a water feature at the entrance to Council Oak to enter the reception area featuring a view of the butcher shop and aging lockers, where prime aged beef will be prepared every day. An open show kitchen will allow guests to observe their meals being prepared by the culinary team. The Council Oak will also feature a 45-seat cocktail lounge with a stage featuring live entertainment nightly. A Knife Club is also planned for the restaurant, with the steak knives of regular customers and celebrity guests displayed on a wall. The Council Oak will be open for dinner only.
The Council Oak gets its name from an actual oak tree located on the Hollywood Seminole Reservation. For decades during the last century, tribal leaders met formally and informally under the branches of the huge oak. As a result, the tree has become a historic icon to members and associates of the Tribe.
Fall Opening Brings Marketplace Restaurant
The fall completion of the expansion project will introduce a new 390-seat marketplace-style restaurant on the casino’s new second level. Action cooking stations will combine entertainment with food service and will include a sushi and noodle bar, a working bakery, an open Mongolian grill and other features. The marketplace-style restaurant will be open for both lunch and dinner.
The new second level of the casino complex will also include a VIP Club for top-level casino customers. The VIP Club will feature its own chef preparing food to order to club guests in an open show kitchen. VIP guests will be invited to interact with the top chefs from all of the Seminole Hard Rock’s restaurants, sharing recipes and enjoying made-to-order gourmet meals. An intimate lounge area and separate concierge desk will also be part of the VIP Club.
The expanded parking garage will also include a new 9-bay covered bus port with a separate bus waiting lounge for casino patrons, who come for day-long excursions from all over Florida. Access to the bus port and new parking garage will be via Orient Road, on the side of the casino complex closest to I-4.
Patrons entering the casino from the new parking garage and bus port will be greeted by a new Seminole Retail Store featuring traditional Seminole merchandise such as patchwork shirts, vests and skirts, as well as intricate woven baskets and Seminole dolls. Authentic items from other U.S Indian tribes will also be offered at the Seminole Store.
The 900 square foot store Seminole Store will also feature live demonstrations of wood carving, beadwork, basket weaving and patchwork. Demonstrations will be given by both members of the Seminole Tribe and other and other Native American artisans.
A new Corner Bar will be located adjacent to the Seminole Store, with a video wall arching over the bar seating area.
Casino Designers Recognized for Dozens of Las Vegas Projects
Klai Juba Architects of Las Vegas is the project architect for the expansion project and HKS Architecture of Orlando is the architect of record. Klai Juba also designed the original Seminole Hard Rock complexes in Tampa and Hollywood, Fla., and is known for its work at Mandalay Bay and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Interior design firms working on the project are Laurence Lee Associates of Los Angeles, Calif., and Cleo Design of Las Vegas.
Recipient of the prestigious Four Diamond rating from the American Automobile Association, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa is located east of the city and just off the newly-widened I-4 at North Orient Road on the Tampa Seminole Reservation. It is 20 minutes east of Tampa International Airport, 10 minutes east of downtown Tampa, and five minutes east of historic Ybor City. It is located about one hour west of Orlando area attractions, via I-4.
