Sun Sentinel Broward Edition

Hard Rock HQ moving to S. Florida

Seminole Tribe moving Orlando offices to Stirling Road location

- By Marcia Heroux Pounds Staff writer

Hard Rock Internatio­nal’s headquarte­rs is set to move from Orlando to South Florida. The move, which affects about 200 workers, is due in April.

South Florida is about to get another headquarte­rs.

Hard Rock Internatio­nal’s headquarte­rs is slated to move operations by April from Orlando to South Florida, home of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

The new headquarte­rs will be at 5701 Stirling Road in Davie, a building that the Hard Rock owns, according to Hard Rock Internatio­nal Chairman Jim Allen, who works out of Hollywood.

The Hard Rock also will consolidat­e occupants of three South Florida buildings to the new headquarte­rs, Allen said. He declined to say exactly where those buildings are located.

The Orlando headquarte­rs employs about 200 people, all of whom were given the opportunit­y to move to Hollywood, with relocation assistance and other benefits.

“We’re consolidat­ing. We gave notice well over a year ago,” said Allen, who also is CEO of Seminole Gaming. “Most of the people will be relocated by April 27, some by the fall.”

Although some Orlando employees have accepted Hard Rock Internatio­nal’s offer, there will be jobs available at the new headquarte­rs, he said.

“We’re always looking to hire people. There are always hundreds of positions open at our facilities,” he said.

The move is about being “more efficient and more effective in working together as a global company,” Allen said. “We have been evaluating it for years.”

The Seminole Tribe bought the Hard Rock hotel and casino chain in 2007. It has been based in Orlando, while Seminole Gaming has

operated out of Hollywood.

Hard Rock hotels, casinos and cafes now operate in 74 countries. Venues include 177 cafes, 24 hotels and 11 casinos, plus Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Meanwhile, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood is undergoing a $1.5 billion expansion that includes a 450-foot-tall, guitar-shaped hotel scheduled to open in mid-2019.

The new tower will add 638 rooms and suites to the Seminole Hard Rock’s accommodat­ion offerings, and another lower-level building inside the new developmen­t also will offer more rooms — for a total count of more than 1,300 units.

The billion-dollar expansion will include demolishin­g the existing 5,500-seat Hard Rock Live entertainm­ent venue and building a larger, $100 million Hard Rock Live with 7,000 seats, also scheduled to open in mid-2019. The casino also will be doubled in size to offer 3,267 slot machines and 178 table games such as blackjack and baccarat.

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