Hard Rock International unveil Spanish resort casino plans

Casino operator Hard Rock International (HRI) has unveiled the first details of its proposed integrated resort project near Barcelona, Spain.

HRI recently found itself the sole remaining bidder for a casino license in Spain’s Catalan region after its former joint venture partner Melco International Development bowed out and a rival bid from Malaysian operator Genting was withdrawn ahead of the June 30 deadline for submissions.

On Monday, HRI revealed the first details of the project it’s calling Hard Rock Entertainment World. The project, which carries an estimated price tag of €2b (counting land costs and infrastructure upgrades), hopes to occupy a maximum of 745k-square-meters in the Vila-seca and Salou (Tarragona) areas that the Catalan government has designated as its Center for Recreation and Tourism (CRT).

The project’s first phase will be known as Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tarragona. The €600m project will include a 500-room “family-oriented” hotel in collaboration with the adjacent PortAventura World theme park. A collaboration with Value Retail will see the rise of a 10k-square-meter retail space encompassing over 75 shops. The property will also host a 6k-square-meter pool and deck, plus a 15k-seat Hard Rock Live performance venue.