Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Billy Joel tickets for January 27, 2023, at the Hard Rock actually went on sale today if one is a Citibank Visa card member, which I am. I'm also a verified Ticketmaster account holder of over ten years. I got through, but...

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is advertising that "pre-sale social media" tickets go on sale October 27 with the passowrd "PIANO" and to the "general public" on October 28.

I followed the directions & logged in for 9:45AM today. When ticket sales went live, over 3000 people were in queue to buy tickets. The theater holds about 7000. There wasn't a password, you had to enter the first six digits of your Citibank Visa. Within minutes, tickets were gobbled up and IMMEDIATELY re-listed at ridiculous prices. A few examples: the 300's aka highest balcony, had a face value with fee of about $254 per ticket. They were bought & immediately re-listed as official re-seller seats through Ticketmaster anywhere from $500-$750 per ticket depending on section proximity, meaning center, as opposed to far left or right and then how high the row was. Front orchestra seats that had a face value with the fee of about $550, were gobbled up and immediately re-listed for $1500-$2000 and more per ticket. Again, depending if the seats were center orchestra, off to the sides & what the row was.

South Florida has what I refer to as a "financial circle of influence". There's so much money here & the new HR LIVE theater is a beautiful venue and acoustically dynamic, that top performers like Billy Joel, The Stones, Elton John, etc. will never be attended by the average fan. The venue isn't made to accommodate them.

I've seen Billy Joel at least seven times, along with Elton John once. That was an AMAZING three hour show! I also saw Elton at Caesars Palace five times; three times for the Red Piano show and twice for the Million Dollar Piano show. That theater is similar to the Hard Rock's, but only holds about 4000. I also saw Rod Stewart, Cher, Bette Midler & of course Celine Dion (3 times). The theater at Caesars Palace was originally built for Celine. It's another great venue not meant for the average fan. It is where Adele will finally be performing. Some of her re-sale tickets are as high as $25,000 per tkt!!!

Grammy Award winning rock band Greta Van Fleet played HR yesterday & the casino was giving away tkts to fill the theater. Online they were selling for $5 each. The Hard Rock is offering free tickets to select players for Demi Lovato this Sunday. I was offered a comp pair & I'm a Unity ICON tier with just over 28,000 points. I find it all to be crazy, but it seems like what I always say...People have money for what they want to have money for.

Friday night, just not the night to come here. Rough crowd and a lot of cigar and cigarette smoke. Compound that with what looks like a lot of people gambling who shouldn't be gambling.

The United States is in its highest state of inflation in over forty years, gas is averaging $4.15 gallon, Broward County, where the casino is located, has an avg home price of $370K as of March 2022 according to the NRA and the list goes on about the things people are complaining about the prices of...yet the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood is posting record profits and still trying to corner the market on sports betting in the State of Florida, meaning they want a monopoly on it...and the masses are coming in droves to hand their money over...America.

I still come here, but stick to my early weekday morning schedule when I feel like stopping by.

I've been going to the Hard Rock location in Tampa ever since they re-opened last year. Their center bar in the middle of the casino with video poker has been open the entire time, including the video poker outside by the pool.

They put up plexiglass barriers between the poker machines and created three designated places where people could walk up and get a drink.

Why don't you reopen the central video poker bar? It also wouldn't be a bad idea to put a bank of them outside by both pool areas.

I checked in this past Thursday, as I had a complimentary room available. I was on the 22nd floor of The Guitar Hotel. Check in was super easy and pleasant. The room was great. New is nice and The Guitar is about one year old.

The bathroom, water closet and shower are well planned out with all white marble tile. The shower has a regular shower head, a hand held wand massager and a huge rainshower head, along with a bench to sit on to enjoy yourself. The shower can easily hold four people There was also a double sink vanity with sliding soji screens on each side that you could slide open to view the bedroom!
The king-size bed was a dream to sleep on and came with four pillows. Absolutely heaven.
During my stay I had a drink at The Oculus Bar and dined at Council Oak, which I wrote a separate review for. It too was excellent.
I've been coming here over 15 years and it just keeps getting better. My only complaint is that I'm an Elite player with almost 45,000 points. It only takes 15,000 to become an Elite. So I'm one almost three times over and feel they need to change their players club benefits. Like maybe Elite and Elite Plus, give additional perks, including free cocktails.
One thing life has taught me is the only thing we can count on is constant change.

I came in today, Saturday afternoon around 3PM. The place was active, I made a few dollars and went to use the bathroom by the main escalator, just before one heads up to the parking garage. The men's room was ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING! There are signs that state they disinfect every 30 minutes, which may be good on a slow day. But when it's busy, they need a permanent attendant or two in each and every bathroom to mop by the urinals, toilets and sinks. People don't treat public bathrooms like their home. They piss on the floor and toilet seat. They throw paper towels on the floor, etc. The toilets and urinals need to be constantly cleaned and wiped down.

My recommendation at this point, is to go up to high limit and use those private toilets...BIG DIFFERENCE!!!

I came here on a Wednesday and it was active, but not what it normally is pre Covid-19.

I arrived early, around 12:30PM, but VIP services was able to accommodate me. They checked me in immediately and up to my room I went.

They've implemented superior rules and guidelines since they re-opened. One's temperature is scanned upon entering, masks are handed out if one doesn't have one, there are social distancing signs everywhere and best of all, they have a dedicated team, that is clearly visible, wiping down machines, cleaning all areas and the bathrooms are sanitized every 30 minutes.

A down side is that I'm staying for three nights and housekeeping services aren't provided each day in order to keep everyone as safe as possible. Not a huge deal since I'm traveling alone.

I had lunch at the pool, mahi fish tacos; they were great and last night I had dinner at Council Oak; phenomenal! Highly recommend it.

I'll be back!

I was at the casino about 9AM this morning and they're doing the best they can given the fact Covid-19 is on the rise in Florida, especially South Florida.

They have people greeting you at the entrances, offering masks, and your temperature is automatically taken by the scanner as you walk in. There are people dedicated to maintaining the bathrooms, slot machines and all public areas. The atmosphere gives off a better sense of security than many other businesses that have re-opened. It may be a false sense of security, but nevertheless, they are doing more because they can afford to.

Overall, the casino was clean, but also nearly empty of people.

Here's a great tip if you want to save money at ANY Seminole casino.

If you play the slots at any Seminole property, I can save you from not paying ATM fees or cash advance fees. Simply go to the hotel check in or designated giftcard sales point and purchase a giftcard with your debit card or any credit card in the denomination you anticipate to gamble. There's no fee for buying one. Then take the giftcard to the cashier's cage and buy vouchers for the slot machines. You cannot buy chips. This will save you a lot of money on ATM and cash and advance fees as you don't pay any fees doing it this way!!!

They did a great job remodeling the casino floor...and the new hotel is nice. I have dined at the new Council Oak and it was great.

I also saw the new showroom when I attended Chris D'Elia's show and it's amazing. The layout is similar to that of the stage at Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas.

Smoking is still an issue, along with the food court charging double reward points.

As nice as it is, they still attract a riff raff crowd and low level gambler. If you're here for a few nights with your friends, partner, etc. who are seeing a show, enjoying the pool and other amenities, be prepared for the casino floor and the crowds who are there. As a former resident of Las Vegas, it doesn't compare or compete with Wynn, Encore, Palazzo, Cosmopolitan, etc... Local gamblers in Vegas have their own casinos,

The inside of the casino is okay and has all the slots one could imagine, including video poker. They still don't have approval for live craps or roulette. Then again, blackjack has always been the popular game and over the past decade, people have realized baccarat offers the best odds. So, there are plenty of mini-bac games.

Expect to see a large crowd of people gambling who shouldn't be gambling. It's some what pathetic. Also, a lot of wheelchairs, scooters and walkers.

People smoke everywhere so prepare for it.

There's no competition, so don't expect much in the way of comps unless you're a high elite (15,000 points or more), X-Card or have a credit line with them.

The Blue Plate, their 24 hr "casino coffee shop" is just okay. When it's busy, the service is slow.

Council Oak Steakhouse is very good, but expensive. Bol, their Asian/Chinese restaurant is small, with good service and value. The best place is Kuro, their sushi restaurant. It's very expensive and the wait staff and bartenders are great.

The Seminoles are now building a new casino on the property, an absolute monstrosity, and it's going to be in the shape of a guitar. It's expected to open in the Fall of 2018. I'm sure it will be beautiful, gorgeous, and over the top with exclusive designer shopping and restaurants. However, it's not Las Vegas and yes, people will come to see it, check it out and drop a few dollars. But in the long run, the property is located on State Road 7 in Hollywood, FL, not a nice area. It's about 4 miles from the beach, 10 miles to downtown Ft Lauderdale and about 25 miles from South Beach.

The Seminoles will have to give away the rooms as it does now and it goes to show you how many billions of dollars the public are gambling and losing. Not just to the Seminoles, but to all casinos.

"The only way to win in a casino is to own one", Steve Wynn, billionaire casino magnate.

We came here for a concert and then stayed for a bit to play the slots!We found that it is best to
park in the Winners Way parking lot as it is the closer to the main casino . A short walk to the machines and to the theater. My one gripe is that it was difficult to find someone to ask any questions to. (We wanted to get coffee after the show and there was no one to ask where to get it- we ultimately got it when we left and went to McDonald's across the street. Enjoyed the concert (Kool and the Gang), had dinner in one of the restaurants and then played the slots for a short time after (and I even won! I have self control so
I walked away after I won some money!)Make sure you bring a jacket with you as parts of the place are very cold. To me it's fun to come here for an evening out!

I stayed here a year ago-
and there was a big difference. Now it is masks optional and mo temperature check! We parked our car in the Winners Way parking (complimentary) and walked through to the hotel. We went up to our room in The Oasis- we wanted to stay here. The room was beautiful and quite large! We were happy to be here as I was celebrating an early birthday with friends! I brought happy birthday decor for the room! lol The room was beautiful with a table and chairs, a refrigerator, a bureau, the bathroom was beautiful and the shower was fabulous. You need to show your key card to go up to the room. The light kept flashing in the bathroom (b/w the sink and the shower)- we called twice to fix it- so think they ever did. Also, needed a tea bag- they said they were sending it and then after 20 minutes we called again. and they said no they weren't. You also bear the music from the nightclub late at night- so that wasn't great. I love the way the rooms are decorated- very upscale. No cleaning of the room h less you stay 4 nights or more (we even called) and they do still have the Covid seal when you first open the door! The lobby of the hotel is exquisite and I am swags love seeing if- the waterfall, the colors, and the different lights! There is nothing like it! There is a guitar light show every night at 7:00 and 7:30 pm which is worth watching ( walk out to the far pool to get a great view). It really It really is a fun place to get away to - and I enjoy coming here when I can!

I enjoyed our stay in the Guitar Hotel very much.My husband dropped me off at the front while he parked in the Winners Garage. When I walked in, my temperature was taken with a thermal scanner and I waited for my husband. The hotel is really incredibly fun -with bright glass and because it's October pink Guitars! When you walk to your room, you pass a lot sitting space in the halls , As you go to the elevator, you must show your key card and they scan it. We went up in the elevator (Max 8 people but I wouldn't go in with that many people) and went to the room. I loved the room overlooking the guitar pool! The deluxe king bed (room) was very comfortable and very modern feel all around. if you want new towels or anything, you need to press 'the rapid response' on your phone and it takes approx 15-20 mins for someone to come up to the room. They brought us new towels in a plastic bag - they are following Covid rules everywhere. The room has a seal so you know they have cleaned it throughly. I did enjoy the guitar pool as it is heated and has speakers underwater! You truly feel like you are in a resort! I also enjoyed the light show where the Guitar lights up (it only takes 10 minutes)and it is all different colors and different music! We walked around the hotel and kept our masks on - so did everyone else. They have the "Covid " people looking out for people who are not complying with the rules. I was told that the casino spent $500 million to put in HVAC system and all. We spent some time playing slots though those are not as much fun as they used to be - you just touch the digital button and the slots are 'in business.' I wish there was move live music around however. It was fun for a night! You really feel like you are away!