Hard Rock International announced a pair of major projects this week while work on the $1.1 billion renovation of the Mirage in Las Vegas continues.
Owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Hard Rock plans to build an $850 million casino resort in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Partners in the project include Misla Hospitality, Stonecrest Investment Management, and The Interfin Companies. They plan to start construction by the middle of this year with an opening slated for 2029.
“This significant $850 million investment, in addition to generating jobs and becoming another attraction for the island, helps continue positioning Puerto Rico as an ideal destination in the Caribbean – a destination for tourism, living and global investment,” Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón said.
The casino will be located near historic Old San Juan. The project includes a hotel with 415 rooms, 58 suites, and 186 private residences. The company estimates the project will create 2,500 construction jobs and 1,250 permanent jobs once the casino opens.
Growing Portfolio
The project in Puerto Rico adds to a growing list of new properties and redevelopments for Hard Rock. They announced a $50 million capital improvement plan this week for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.
The project is already underway and includes the renovation of more than 700 guest rooms, 60 suites, and eight penthouses in the hotel’s North Tower. Additionally, walkways and corridors will be enhanced and several new dining concepts will be added.
Other upgrades include new carpet on the casino floor and second floor corridor, 16 new electric vehicle chargers, and South Tower exterior restorations. Hard Rock expects to complete the majority of the projects by the end of this year.
In Las Vegas, the Hard Rock property on the Strip is also making significant progress and is expected to open in 2027. The company acquired the property in 2021 from MGM Resorts.
In 2024, the Seminoles opened a property in Bristol, Virginia. Last year, Hard Rock opened a casino in Ottawa, Canada.
Poker At Hard Rock Vegas?
So far, the company has been tight-lipped on whether the Las Vegas property will house a poker room. Hard Rock has a large poker footprint in Florida at the Hollywood, Tampa, and Coconut Creek properties. That includes hosting World Poker Tour and Moneymaker Tour events.
The Virginia property officially opened a 14-table poker room in 2025. The Hard Rock Cincinnati, Rockford (IL), and Tulsa (OK) casinos also offer poker.
However, the Canadian property doesn’t have a poker room and some other locations around the country don’t as well, including the casino in Atlantic City.
