52 Indian Gaming April 2006

Destination: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Hollywood, FL

ROAD TRIP

Seminole Tribe of Florida

This month Indian Gaming magazine traveled to SeminoleHard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida, located thirty

minutes from downtown Miami. The Seminole Tribe ofFlorida owns and operates two Seminole Hard Rock Hotel& Casino complexes, one in Hollywood and the other inTampa. Our visit focused on the Hollywood property.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the resort’s tropi-cal landscaping and of course, the 50-ft. tall signature HardRock guitar. From the moment we checked in, we could tellthis was going to be a unique experience and well worth thetrip. Gary Bitner of Bitner Goodman, the public relationsfirm for the property, took us on our tour.

Before we got started, we learned more about the tribe’shistory. Faced with the threat of termination by the U.S.Government, the Seminole Tribe sought and was grantedfederal recognition in 1957. Long before federal recogni-tion however, pressures from American colonization efforts disrupted life on this Indian Florida frontier, and sent manyto seek better lives elsewhere. The Muscogee speakers hada word for those “renegades” who fled native homelands for

Florida soil, a word that sounded like si-min-oli and meant “wild”or “runaway.” Much has developed since then, including a modern government headquartered in Hollywood, Florida. Theelected Seminole Tribal Council and a separate Board ofDirectors oversee the gaming enterprises, cattle ranches, citrus groves, Billie Swamp Safari, the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museumand the majority of the Tribe's cigarette-related companies. TheTribal Council is chaired by Mitchell Cypress, who governs fivereservations throughout Florida and provides education, health-care, housing and other governmental services to more than3,000 members.

As we started our tour, Bitner noted that in keeping withthe Hard Rock theme, the hotel and casino showcasessigned, one-of-a-kind pieces of music memorabilia through-out the hotel. He went on to explain that since it opened witha the dramatic smashing of a guitar in May, 2004, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has hosted more thanfive million visitors and has become one of the entertainmentcapitals in Florida. Additionally, in early 2005, the SeminoleHard Rock Hotel & Casino received the prestigious

four-diamond award from the American Automobile Association (AAA).

At the heart of the entertainment complex is Florida'slargest and most elaborate 130,000 sq. ft. casino, includingmore than 2,100 of the latest electronic gaming machines.Open 24- hours every day, the casino also features 48 tablesof live action poker, including Seven Card Stud and TexasHold’em. A plush carpet with musical notes swirling in goldon a dark maroon background further emphasizes the themeof the property.

The hotel includes 500 contemporary guest rooms andsuites in a 12-story Mediterranean style hotel tower thatencircles the 4.5 acre pool area. Each room is designed tomeet 4-star, 4-diamond standards, with all rooms includingTivoli stereo and CD systems, Roman tubs and showers withnatural daylight flooding in and fully stocked mini-bars.

We walked to the Casino Center Bar area, which is elevated and surrounded by a metal “Tower of Power” multimedia center, with nearly 70 plasma screen monitorsbroadcasting music videos. Then we headed to the SeminoleParadise retail and entertainment complex and passed the250-seat Food Court which has a variety of food conceptsand menu items available. Additional restaurants and night-clubs are located in the nearby Seminole Paradise retailand entertainment complex, a 300,000 sq. ft. outdoor center that includes the hippest retail shops, all wrappedaround a courtyard fountain and fronting a lake. Popularstores include The Body Shop, Brats, Brookstone, Hoffman’sChocolates, Quiksilver Boardriders Club, Ritchie Swimwearand the Sunglass Hut. The complex also includes the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum at Okalee Village and the Okalee

Village tourist attraction,including a 750-seatamphitheater for alliga-tor wrestling!

Two great venues fordining are the Hard RockCafe Hollywood and theCouncil Oak, a top gradesteak and seafood restau-rant named for the oldoak tree where earlymembers of the SeminoleTribal Council regularlymet. For all day dining,the hotel also includes theBlue Plate restaurant.

No place else in SouthFlorida can you rock, roll,disco, or just kickback andenjoy the blues than at Seminole Paradise.

High-profile entertainment venues include 88's Dueling Pianos,an outrageous sing along led by two nimble-fingered ivory ticklers, Jazziz Live, a hip jazz state-of-the-art setting regularlyfeaturing top name acts, Knighttime Billiards, an upscale,indoor/outdoor venue featuring nine holes of trick shot pooland an arcade, and Murphy’s Law Irish Pub with a little bitof Ireland in everything from the 150-foot carved mahoganybar and stained glass touches to the ale and nightly live entertainment.

Seminole Paradise also features Pangaea, a spin-off of theworld-renowned celebrity ultra lounge in New York City,Gryphon, club impresario Michael Ault's intimate and exclu-sive European-style discotheque from New York, Spirits, a

54 Indian Gaming April 2006

ROAD TRIP

The Beach Club is the entertainment hub of the 4.5 acre lagoon-style pool area.

The resort includes 500 beautifully appointed luxury guestroomsand suites with a 4-star, 4-diamond standard.

multi-level mega-nightclub equipped with state-of-the-artsound and lighting from Luis Puig, owner of the world-famousClub Space, and Passion, an island-themed rock 'n' roll danceclub complete with a V.I.P champagne room. Lastly, TheImprov Comedy Club completes the scene with a bevy of latenight laughs from local and national comic headliners and aunique magic bar.

Next we toured the 4.5 acre lagoon-style pool area, nestled beside a rock mountain, which provides a dramaticbackdrop to a 182-ft. waterslide and 12-person elevated spa.The pool features several waterfalls and a lazy river, hot tubsand a shallow pool with play features. The poolside cabanasare built like traditional Seminole chickees, however theseare equipped with televisions and refrigerators! The BeachClub outdoor café and pool bar is the entertainment hubof the pool area.

The complex also includes Hard Rock Live, a multi-pur-pose space suitable for exhibitions, concerts and sportingevents seating for over 5,600. The room seems very intimate for such huge performances. The property features50,000 sq. ft. of meeting and exhibit space, including a16,000 sq. ft. grand ballroom, divisible into eight sections,

and several smaller rooms for breakout sessions and boardmeetings. Also included is a 7,000 sq. ft. poolside functionarea.

According to Michael Bloom, President of the property, the Hard Rock brand is the fourth most recognizable brandknown worldwide. Combined with the Seminole name, it hasreally put the tribe on the map. “The tribe worked with the HardRock International team to get the license. Visitors and localsimmediately identify with the property name,” Bloom said.“Rock and roll music has touched us all and whether you are20 or 60 years old, you identify with some aspect of music during those years.”

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is a completeWorld-Class resort with all amenities expected of the Hard Rockbrand. This is a must visit property, touted as "the happeningplace to be in Miami.” We completely agree and look forwardto a return visit to the Tampa property! ¨

For more information about the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood,visit www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com

April 2006 Indian Gaming 55

The 300,000 sq.ft.outdoor entertainment center includes restaurants,nightclubs and retail shops wrapped around a coutyard fountain.