Hard Rock Casino Tampa Reveals $65 Million Refresh
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, Florida's biggest gaming location, announced $65 million in upgrades, featuring major expansions to its slots section.
Several upgrades have already been announced, featuring the reintroduction of the Fresh Harvest Buffet and the launch of a new gaming section that was once the food court, with the latter opening on Thursday. The new gaming section features 350 additional gaming machines with values ranging from one cent to $5, and maximum bets of $100. The comeback of the buffet is deemed important as well.
"The reopening of Fresh Harvest Buffet is a significant milestone for Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, creating 200 new jobs and bringing the total number of team members at the casino resort to an impressive 4,293,” according to a statement. “As one of Tampa Bay’s largest employers, the casino resort continues to play a vital role in the local community.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, numerous casinos throughout the nation closed their buffets and did not reinstate that dining option upon reopening, as operators found more lucrative alternatives for the area. Before COVID-19, buffets often served as loss leaders at various casinos.
Hard Rock Casino Tampa Focusing on Slots in Renovation
Another notable post-pandemic trend has been operators’ greater adoption of gaming machines, which offer higher profit margins and have lower overhead compared to table games managed by humans.
The updated high-end gaming space at Hard Rock Tampa embraces that concept while enhancing other recent features at the casino, such as live craps, roulette, and sports wagering, all introduced just over a year ago.
“Some of the popular games that will be available in the new area include Aristocrat’s Phoenix Link, Lightning Dollar Link and Dragon Link; Light & Wonder’s Huff N’ Even More Puff Hard Hat Edition, Huff ‘N Puff Money Mansion, Journey To Planet Moolah, Coin Trio Royal and Big Hot Flaming Pots; IGT’s Money Mania; and Sega Sammy’s Railroad Riches,” said the operator in the press release. “Dragon Link slot machines have been especially lucky, with 10 jackpots of $1 million or more hit in 2024 alone.”
Hard Rock International, managing the venue of the same name in Tampa, serves as the gaming division of the Seminole Tribe. That organization is the leading casino operator in Florida and one of the largest tribal gaming entities in the United States.
Hard Rock Tampa to Include Non-Smoking Area
With growing worries about the health impacts on guests and employees, there’s been a rising wave of advocacy for additional gaming firms to evaluate the possibility of creating smoke-free casinos. It's a challenging path to navigate since certain operators think it will negatively impact their profits, yet some operators are discovering middle ground.
Hard Rock International announced that over a quarter of the 802 rooms at its Tampa location will be smoke-free and available for booking by the end of this month.
“Among the offerings are newly renovated smoke-free accommodations in the West Tower, where 240 rooms, including Deluxe Rooms, Junior Suites, and the lavish Gold Suite, have been meticulously updated to elevate the guest experience, proudly maintaining Seminole Hard Rock Tampa’s AAA Diamond rating,” said the operator.
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