Hard
Rock International and the Luckie Street Partners Planning
a 270 room Hotel with 30Condos
in a Mixed-use
Development in Downtown Atlanta
.
ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 25, 2007 - Hard Rock International announced today
that it has entered into a management contract with Luckie Street Hotel
Partners, which is comprised of local veteran developers, for the development
of a destination hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. Hard Rock Hotel Atlanta will
be the focal point of a contemporary mixed-use development featuring 270
spacious rooms and 30 luxury residences with a flagship retail and entertainment
destination. It will be located in Downtown Atlanta opposite the Georgia
Aquarium. The development epitomizes Hard Rock�s hotel expansion strategy
within premier locations in the U.S. and worldwide.
�Atlanta is a perfect destination for Hard Rock International. The
city�s international airport, (the busiest in the U.S. with over 78 million
passengers), and the State of Georgia support a thriving music industry
in addition to several burgeoning cultural and commercial enterprises,�
said Hamish Dodds, president and CEO, Hard Rock International. �Hard Rock
looks forward to bringing a new era to Atlanta through unlimited-luxury
with an enticing mix of dining and lounging that is on the cutting edge.�
The hotel will keep community stakeholders� energy and momentum moving
forward as continued excitement and energy are focused towards downtown
Atlanta. Hard Rock Hotel will offer its guests a destination rock star
experience encapsulating a spectrum of first class hotel services, cuisine
and nightlife with a distinctive rock vibe. The hotel will exude an upscale
style and design featuring an inspired collection of premier-class amenities,
including a destination spa & fitness center, recording studio with
the first ever guest jam rooms (Glory Days Studio) appointed lavishly with
cutting-edge technology, signature restaurants and high-profile bars designed
and developed to cater to both business and leisure travelers, accommodating
groups with state-of-the-art business facilities and meeting space. A hands
on music museum and music industry incubator is also being considered with
potential partners to further enhance Atlanta�s leadership position in
the music and entertainment industry. There are many more facets of this
destination hotel in planning, which will be unveiled as the team moves
further in the development process.
�Atlanta is one of the premier cities in the world for music production
with a tremendous amount of economic impact each year for the city. We
feel like the music industry is one of Atlanta�s most unleveraged assets.
Our vision is to create an epicenter of cool culture and music for Atlanta�s
world class music scene and promote a platform from which to leverage this
asset and promote our existing and future talent,� says Cole Walker, managing
partner of Luckie Street Hotel Partners.
Hard Rock Hotel Atlanta reflects a local vision to create a new style
of hospitality experience in Atlanta. The next step in development is to
achieve formal financing for the project and to this end Luckie Street
is currently discussing the development with selected banks. Under the
plan, construction of the new hotel could start in mid-2008, with an approximate
opening date of late 2010.
�With the recent acquisition of Hard Rock International,� notes Jim
Allen, Chairman of Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, �the Seminole Tribe
of Florida continues to look for growth opportunities in the hotel and
casino sectors. We are proud to be associated with this new development
in a vital southeastern US market, and excited about the strategic prospects
for Hard Rock moving forward.�
About Hard Rock International
With 122 high-energy Hard Rock Cafes and eight Hotels/Casinos in 47
countries, Hard Rock International is one of the world�s most globally
recognized brands. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns
the world�s greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed
at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible
fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues
and an award-winning website. In addition to the two flagship Seminole
Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood, Fla., Hard Rock Hotels/Casinos
are located in Las Vegas, Biloxi, Orlando, Chicago, Pattaya and Bali, with
San Diego scheduled to open later in 2007. Additional hotel and casino
projects have been announced in Macau, scheduled to open in 2009, and Palm
Springs, scheduled to open in 2010. Hard Rock International, Inc. is owned
by Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, Inc. For more information on Hard
Rock, visit http://www.hardrock.com. |