By Merilee Kern, ‘The Luxe List’ Executive Editor
As of May 2014 ten years will have passed since the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino opened up in Hollywood, Florida. Now with a 96% year-round occupancy rate, an AAA Four-Diamond rating, and an array of accolades, this destination is at the top of its game. Located in the Seminole Tribe territory, the hotel has held true to the tribe’s vision of creating a landmark destination with international appeal that also has a positive economic and social impact on the South Florida community at large. Amid its success, this Hard Rock property—which boasts no less than 700 original pieces of original memorabilia—continues to add new features and enhance those existing, like ramping up its VIP program to ensure participating guests are treated like rock-and-roll royalty.
While the Hard Rock brand boasts 180 different types of venues in 55 countries, this particular Hard Rock is a flagship location—the one-and-only property that has all of the elements for an utterly complete Hard Rock experience. That means it’s the lone Hard Rock that offers hotel accommodations, a casino, a Hard Rock Live theater for entertainment, a Hard Rock Café for bites and beverages, a Rock Shop and retail shopping district, tropical pool oasis, convention center with ballrooms, Rock Spa for pampering, and one of South Florida’s most exhilarating nightlife districts. The convivial confusion here is not what you should do, but rather what you should do first. And, for VIP high rollers, the options for amping up these and other available experiences are seemingly endless.
To sustain the resort’s standards of excellence, they are continually looking for other unique ways to elevate the on-site experience for VIPs and are turning to culinary solutions to achieve this. Towards this end, the property has added specialized wine-pairing dinners at its signature Council Oak Steak & Seafood restaurant. The restaurant’s wine-tasting room, available by reservation only, has doubled in size and now boasts an additional 64 bins plus a custom Dakota Jackson table and chairs that seats six guests. Council Oak Steaks & Seafood Restaurant presently offers over 300 wines from more than 13 countries; up 150 labels from last year. While selections are available to meet several tastes and budgets, the restaurant is proud to offer Magnum bottles and high-end wines that include several first growth wines from the Bordeaux region of France priced from $1,500 to $4,500 a bottle.
Another exciting amenity for VIPs is “The Dinner Series” at the resort’s Chef’s Table, an exclusive private dining experience where one of the talented Hard Rock Chefs designs and prepares a three-course menu “live” in the resort’s custom-built display kitchen that features a Molteni stove hand made in France. The Chef’s Table dinner is a unique experience that offers guests a more intimate setting, and can seat up to 45 guests. The private space also offers video feed and Wi-Fi, customer leather banquettes, chandelier and granite/marble counter tops, and two individual wine cabinets with separate temperature settings.
The overarching VIP strategy is the cornerstone of Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s steadfast focus on increasing customer loyalty. The hotel is making great strides to satiate gastronomically-inclined guests in a variety of tasty ways.
About The Luxe List
“The Luxe List” Executive Editor Merilee Kern scours the luxury marketplace for exemplary travel experiences, extraordinary events, and notable products and services. Submissions are accepted at www.LuxeListReviews.com. Follow her on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/LuxeListEditor and Facebook here: www.Facebook.com/TheLuxeList.
Some or all of the accommodations(s), experience(s), item(s) and/or service(s) detailed above were provided at no cost to accommodate this review, but all opinions expressed are entirely those of Merilee Kern and have not been influenced in any way.
