Seminole Hard Rock Casino Tampa Expansion
As the facility management team settles into the new space, Suffolk debriefs on the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa’s completion.
June 18, 2020
As the renovation and expansion at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa winds down following substantial completion, the operations team prepares to manage the additional 200,000 square feet of space. The expansion centered around a new, 15 story tower that houses another 564 guest rooms, as well as a private gaming parlor on the top floor, and a new 120 seat bar and grill next to the lavish new outdoor pool.
“The schedule on this project has been very accelerated compared to other projects I’ve worked on,” shared Diego Avila, the Suffolk Project Manager overseeing the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa renovation and expansion project. “As we found opportunities to benefit the guest experience, such as completely finishing and turning over popular zones in the hotel before the rest is completed, we did it. It was great for the client, but it ultimately meant gathering all the documents and permits necessary to open these rooms as construction was continuing in other rooms.” Avila shared that he and his team needed to be as versatile as possible to manage closeout and build processes simultaneously, “and Pype Closeout is what helps us do that.”
“We started with Pype Closeout in early 2019, and we’re still using it today,” Avila said. “The build phase took priority as this was an occupied renovation, but now that the construction is complete and the building is fully re-occupied, the client is turning their attention to final turnover and documentation.” When asked how many documents they had left to collect, Avila quickly answered “45, which is not a lot given how many we’ve collected already.” The quick access to information and confidence in that data, Avila added, “is something else that our clients really like about Pype Closeout. We’re able to see on the dashboard and in the reports all of the information we need about our closeout progress and easily pass that on to the owners. Anytime they ask ‘how close are we to being done?’ I can quickly give them a concrete number.”
Seminole Hard Rock Casino Tampa: Recent expansion - See 2,581 traveler reviews, 373 candid photos, and great deals for Tampa, FL, at Tripadvisor. 'Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa is already one of the largest and most profitable casinos in the United States,' said Jim Allen, Hard Rock International Chairman and CEO of Seminole.
“During the height of the closeout process,” Avila continued, “we had three or four meetings a week with the design team and the owners, and we had to send a report of our progress before each meeting. Taking into account the additional random emails, phone calls, and texts from other curious design team members, it was incredibly helpful to always have that number on hand.”
Not only has compiling closeout status reports gotten easier for Avila, but so has tracking the status of each closeout requirement. “Traditionally in our industry, teams would maintain closeout checklists manually,” he said. “Sending various reports and documents through email was no longer efficient.” Avila also noted that the size and scale of the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa project made the closeout process even more critical. “For Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, we have eight projects open in Pype Closeout to track different zones separately, and we can share these projects with our clients through simple hyperlinks.”
As Avila and his team approached final delivery, he emphasized the importance of the turnover package. “We want to leave them with a turnover package that allows them to feel secure and confident managing and operating the hotel. When we give them that confidence, they know we’re a true long-term partner.” Avila is a firm believer that the condition of the turnover package has an incredible impact as the final handshake between contractor and client, and “Pype helps us ensure that final handshake is a positive experience for everyone.”
Seminole Tribe details expansion in Tampa
The Seminole Tribe of Florida is investing $2.4 billion in its signature Florida casinos, with the latest announcement a $700 million expansion of Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.
At the same time, the tribe and two partners just completed a $300 million makeover of the former Trump Taj Majal in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The ventures show the economic clout of the tribe and its Hard Rock International brand, which has venues in 75 countries, including 181 cafes, 25 hotels and 11 casinos. Hard Rock recently moved its headquarters from Orlando to a location near the Seminole tribal headquarters in Hollywood.
The 2007 acquisition of Hard Rock has made the Seminole Tribe’s operations standout among tribes in general, says Alan P. Meister, author of the annual Indian Gaming Industry Report. Its far-flung operations contrast with the relatively few tribes that have multiple gaming venues.
Meister says it’s unique, different and special for the tribe to be able to invest the massive amounts of capital necessary to continue growing the Hard Rock brand.
The investments affirm the savvy nature of the tribe’s business operations.
The Tampa expansion will reinforce Hard Rock Tampa’s position as one of America’s largest casinos, with 5,000 slot machines, almost 200 gaming tables and 200,000 square feet of entertainment and gaming.
The Tampa property had nearly $1 billion in gaming revenue for the fiscal year ending in June 30, 2016, based on an analysis of state documents obtained by Nick Sortal, a gaming writer for TBBW sister magazine Tribal Business Journal and the Miami Herald.
The Tampa project will have a major impact on job creation: 2,000 construction jobs will be added during the two-year building project, and approximately 1,000 more part-time and full-time jobs will be created when it opens. The property already has 3,500 employees.
“Major expansion of the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa is further evidence of the Seminole Tribe’s commitment to the people of Florida that it will continue to increase the economic impact of its Seminole Gaming facilities,” said Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming and chairman of Hard Rock International.
One question is what sort of commitment the state will make with the tribe.
In April, Gov. Rick Scott announced the state had an agreement to share revenue from the tribe’s gaming operations through 2019. However, the state still needs to negotiate a new gaming compact with the tribe, which says exclusivity provisions in the previous compact have been violated. The question is what Florida’s Legislature will come up amid lobbying from other gaming interests and opponents.
The Tampa resort, which has an AAA Four Diamond rating, will get a new 15-story hotel tower with an additional 564 hotel rooms and suites. The top floor of the hotel tower will have a private gaming parlor for VIPs.
The hotel will add three lavish outdoor swimming pools with a 120-seat restaurant and bar. A new 25,000-square-foot spa and salon also will open on the second level of the hotel tower and will offer poolside services.
A 200-seat Italian restaurant will join the resort’s existing fine-dining restaurants, the Council Oak Steaks & Seafood and The Rez Grill.
The property also will upgrade its music and entertainment programming with a 30,000-square-foot Seminole Hard Rock Event Center, located on the second level of the casino complex. The center includes a 17,000-square-foot ballroom.
Six additional retail shops will join the existing two retail outlets, more than tripling the casino complex’s current shopping options.
Last October, the Seminole officials gave details of a $1.5 billion expansion at the Hollywood resort. It includes a 450-foot, guitar-shaped hotel that nearly triples room space, and a new 7,000-seat concert hall that officials hope will attract events such as awards shows.
The new $100 million hall will replace the previous 5,500-seat Hard Rock Live. The work is expected to be completed in summer 2019.
Sortal’s analysis indicates the Hard Rock Hollywood had $579 million in gaming revenue for the year ending June 30, 2016.
The resort will have a 10-acre pool complex with villas surrounded by water and waterfalls. “Chickeecabanas” will dot the banks of the lagoon-style resort pool, which will also include beach club dining, canoes and paddleboats.
When completed, the hotel will have about 1,300 rooms, 3,500 slot machines, 200 table games and 60,000 square feet of new retail and restaurant space.
The Taj Mahal was scheduled to reopen June 28 as the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City.
The tribe and two business partners paid $50 million for a property that cost $1.1 billion when it opened in 1990.
Seminole Hard Rock Casino Tampa Expansion News
Seminole Hard Rock Casino Tampa Expansion Plans
The hotel, which is on 17 acres of oceanfront, has 1,972 rooms. The 119,657-square-foot casino has 2,144 new slot machines and 120 new table games. Amenities include 20 restaurants and bars. ♦