Hard Rock Hotel San Diego to Open in Renowned Gaslamp Quarter

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) April 26, 2007

This fall, San Diego will officially rock as Hard Rock Hotel San Diego opens its doors to offer guests the ultimate rock star experience: luxurious style and substance with a unique rock vibe. Hard Rock Hotel San Diego will open at the entrance to the city’s renowned Gaslamp Quarter; boasting an upscale, contemporary design, signature restaurants, sophisticated nightlife, exceptional customer service and, of course, the distinctive thread running through all Hard Rock properties -- rock ‘n’ roll.

The 12-story, 315,000-square-foot property will feature 420 suites, including 17 Rock Star Suites, a stunning lobby lounge and rooftop pool bar created by Rande Gerber, Nobu restaurant by celebrated chef Nobu Matsuhisa, a fourth floor urban garden overlooking the Gaslamp Quarter, 40,000 square feet of unique indoor/outdoor meeting space, a retro coffee shop and a luxurious spa.

“What really stood out for me about Hard Rock Hotel San Diego was the city itself, the Hard Rock brand and the opportunity to work with what is destined to be the hottest hotel in the country,” said General Manager Robert Todak. “Every guest will receive true rock-star treatment and services when staying at the property.”

Hard Rock Hotel San Diego will cater to both business and leisure travelers, with contemporary styled suites packed with amenities designed to surpass every expectation. Breaking with the standards of conventional design, the suites feature stunning cantilevered furniture, halo-illuminated beds that create a sense of floating, 300-thread count cotton linens, state-of-the-art lighting, green-room inspired refreshment centers and sensually-styled bathrooms with ceiling-mounted rain showers. Technology pulses through the rooms with integrated video and sound systems, including a home-theatre entertainment center with 42” LCD high-definition televisions with jack pack that connects a variety of electronic devices, WiFi Internet access and a laptop safe.

“We are thrilled to bring Hard Rock Hotel to San Diego,” says Trevor Horwell, Vice President of Hard Rock Hotels. “This property will deliver our guests cutting-edge design, high-octane nightlife and luxury services and amenities against the backdrop of one of the world’s most exciting cities.”

Guests opting for an ultra-VIP experience can choose to stay in one of 17 custom-designed Rock Star Suites that take the chic urban loft idea to a new level -- matte leather couches, vibrantly colored fur pillows, dark ebony floors and hand-woven custom rugs. Each suite will be unique; one suite planned for the top floor of the hotel will feature a fire pit and deck seating for 20, while another boasts 270-degree views of the San Diego Bay and an outdoor hot tub.

One extraordinary Rock Star Suite will be designed by the Grammy® Award-winning Black Eyed Peas. The band -- will.i.am, Fergie, apl.de.ap and Taboo – will collaborate on the design for the suite, which will reflect each member’s individual style and unique personality. In designing the Black Eyed Peas Suite, the group will hand select everything from the furniture to the bed linens. It will also reflect the band members’ personal touches, such as a video greeting from will.i.am for guests staying in the suite, where he’ll suggest everything from his favorite haunts in the historic Gaslamp Quarter to choice tunes stashed in his personal music collection.

Hard Rock Hotel San Diego takes relaxation to a new level with a world-class spa and fitness center. Guests will have the option of customizing their pampering routines with treatments, such as the Champagne Cocktail Body Soak, Amped-Up Sugar Scrub or 4-Diamond Body Detox from the Rock Spa menu. Additionally, the hotel’s personalized concierge service will reflect the brand’s core mantra -- Love All, Serve All -- providing unique, extraordinary service 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week.

Hard Rock Hotel San Diego’s bar venues will embody rock ‘n’ roll attitude and impulsive energy day and night with a chic lobby lounge and rooftop pool bar designed by Rande Gerber. Created in conjunction with design daredevil Michael Czysz, both venues are destined to become San Diego’s hallmark hotspots where sophistication and sensuality merge to create an electrifying atmosphere in the city’s hippest location. In typical Rande Gerber fashion, the two are sure to attract the city’s fashionistas and movers and shakers with a seductive combination of all-out glamour and scintillating ambience.    

"Hard Rock Hotel San Diego is one of our most exciting projects to date," said Rande Gerber, Founder of Midnight Oil Company and After Midnight Company. "The design of the bar and rooftop pool bar will incorporate the energy, passion and originality of San Diego's lifestyle with a rich cutting edge design. As with all of our properties, we will create a unique ambience that will play host to an eclectic crowd and offer an international mix of music, as well as a few surprises. When I look at this city, it feels like Miami did years ago with the vitality and anticipation to take off. It's exciting to be part of a city with such spirit and people who are ready to shake it up a bit."

With a reputation for innovation, quality and creativity, Nobu is the ideal choice as the featured restaurant at Hard Rock Hotel San Diego. Having pioneered nouveau Japanese cuisine across the globe, Nobu Matsuhisa tapped the Hard Rock property to be his seventeenth location. With offerings such as Yellowtail with Jalapeno, Tiradito Nobu Style, Lobster with Wasabi Pepper Sauce and Black Cod with Miso, sushi lovers and A-listers will be vying for reservations at this see-and-be-seen destination. Guests will have the option of dining in the main dining room, in the private dining room, or at the sushi bar.

“Hard Rock Hotel San Diego is a natural next step for Nobu,” said Nobu Matsuhisa. “We’ve been in Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Las Vegas for about eight years and the brand is so strong worldwide. I also live in Los Angeles and I love coming to San Diego, so when I saw the location, I was in. The hotel and the city itself have such a dynamic, fresh energy and is the perfect setting for us to provide exceptional food and service in an atmosphere that is stylish and comfortable.”

Featuring a classic American style with a contemporary twist, Hard Rock Hotel San Diego’s coffee shop will showcase iconic furniture and textures alongside the latest in high tech elements. When night falls, the coffee shop will show its modern flair, with a focus on the circular bar and outdoor patio. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner weekdays and non-stop on weekends, the coffee shop will undoubtedly become San Diego’s favorite breakfast-anytime spot. Signature menu items will include LA sticky buns, burgers, chopped Cobb salad and chicken pot pies to enjoy while dining at the restaurant or to order from the convenient grab-n-go counter.

Enlisting the talents of renowned architect Graham Downes, who is based in San Diego, the interiors of Hard Rock Hotel San Diego will exude an atmosphere that is sensual and unpredictable. Famous for his cutting-edge contemporary design and envelope-pushing creations, Downes’ vision will guarantee visually impressive spaces, utilizing a palette of bold colors and dramatic proportions to create an extraordinary sense of excitement and intrigue. The design team has infused layering and staging elements, especially transparencies, to build a heightened sense of anticipation and discovery throughout the hotel.

Guests will enter the hotel into a dynamic 40-foot lobby featuring custom-designed furniture and fixtures. The use of materials in the lobby and beyond is completely unique and designed to evoke any number of sensations, ultimately creating a new paradigm in hotel experiences. Leading on to a striking lobby bar, this space is ever-changing with a direct connection to the surrounding music and a constant energy that is skillfully orchestrated by the hotel’s Vibe Manager.

The landscaped rooftop pool deck at Hard Rock Hotel San Diego is effortlessly integrated into the hotel’s surroundings, providing a place for guests to relax in an atmosphere that transforms throughout the day. Elevated over the Gaslamp Quarter and adorned with a number of private cabanas, this area can evolve from an urban garden setting in the morning to a relaxing oasis in the afternoon to a vibrant people-watching party scene under the stars, creating a platform for spontaneous experiences at any given moment.

Also ideal for business meetings and events, Hard Rock Hotel San Diego houses 40,000-square feet of unique indoor/outdoor meeting, reception and conference space, which can be separated into individual areas. The hotel also boasts a spectacular 5,000-square-foot entertainment venue for concerts, celebrity DJs, movie premieres, corporate gigs and non/traditional weddings.

Hard Rock Hotel San Diego is located at the entrance to the historic Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego’s dining and entertainment district, across the street from the San Diego Convention Center and one block from PETCO Park. It is also centrally located with easy access to all major attractions including Coronado Island, SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo, and a short two miles from San Diego International Airport.

About Hard Rock International

With 123 high-energy Hard Rock Cafes and eight Hotels/Casinos in 46 countries, Hard Rock International is one of the world’s most globally recognized brands. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world’s greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an award-winning website. In addition to the two flagship Seminole Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood, Fla., Hard Rock Hotels/Casinos are located in Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, Pattaya, and Bali, with San Diego and Biloxi scheduled to open later in 2007. Additional hotel and casino projects have been announced in Palm Springs, Copper Mountain and Macau, scheduled to open in 2009. Hard Rock International, Inc, is owned by Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, Inc. For more information on Hard Rock, visit http://www.hardrock.com.

Luxury inspiration by United

The new Hard Rock Hotel Madrid design concept will be the reference for new urban hotels that the multinational brand is going to develop internationally, oozing sophistication and boasting cutting edge technology. The team of United Designers, with Stephan Crawley at the helm, is in charge of creating the cool, calm and contemporary atmosphere of the Hard Rock Hotel Madrid. Known for their signature eclectic mix of design and bespoke pieces, United plays upon the contrast of the old and new, juxtaposing the historic existing architecture with contemporary design to create a new and exciting vibe for the hotel.

Inspired by elements as diverse as Madrid’s atmosphere, the needs of the international traveller, local culture and the architecture of the building itself, Crawley has opted for a restricted palette and a family of colours and materials so that there is continuity between all the spaces, from the reception area to the roof terrace, as well as the guest rooms and the conference rooms. United’s philosophy is to create a unique atmosphere that embraces even the most insignificant detail, guaranteeing that the resulting space is not only visually impressive but that it includes all the necessary elements to offer an unforgettable experience as well.

Plaza de Santa Ana, 14 28012 Madrid
91 531 45 00
http://www.hardrockhotelmadrid.com

About Midnight Oil Company and After Midnight Company
Rande Gerber is the founder of Midnight Oil Company and along with his brother Scott are the founders and operators of After Midnight Company. The company, an evolution of their trademark brand, The Whiskey, was created to develop innovative nightlife, hotel, restaurant and lifestyle concepts. Rande Gerber founded The Whiskey nearly 15 years ago, and he has since become the most influential nightlife proprietor in the country. His extraordinary success with The Whiskey Bars has established Gerber as the preeminent tastemaker, with an uncanny ability to create chic, seductive bars with modern glamour that reflect the times and national moods. Since then, the Gerbers have expanded there nightlife brand and vision, developing hotel bars with W Hotels and Ian Schrager. The Gerbers were also tapped by Giorgio Armani to redevelop his Armani Cafes nationwide and by Donald Trump to transform Trump Parc on Central Park, now Whiskey Park. The Gerbers’ newest ventures include Cherry, a nightclub opening in April 2006 at the new Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, STONE ROSE Lounge opening in May 2006 at the Sofitel Los Angeles, a partnership with Maxim Magazine to develop Maxim Lounges, and . For additional information, visit http://www.mocbars.com.

About Nobu
Nobu, the world’s most recognized Japanese restaurant known for its innovative new style Japanese cuisine, started as a business partnership in 1994 between chef Nobu Matsuhisa and his partners actor Robert De Niro, producer Meir Teper, and managing partner Richie Notar. With the original restaurant in New York, the Nobu brand is now an empire that spans across the globe, from London to Tokyo, Las Vegas to Malibu, Milan to Miami Beach, Dallas to Paradise Island, The Bahamas. The newest location in Hong Kong is followed by upcoming openings in Waikiki, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Nobu restaurants, all a visual and culinary delight, continue to win unprecedented praise and rave reviews from such publications as the New York Times, the Zagat Surveys, and the Michelin Guide. The restaurants' perennial popularity and devoted following are a tribute to Nobu putting his own spin on traditional Japanese cooking. For additional information, visit http://www.noburestaurants.com.

About Graham Downes Architecture
Graham Downes Architecture, Inc. was founded by international architect Graham Downes in 1994. This progressive architectural design firm is known for providing creative solutions for retail, hospitality, and entertainment projects. The firm has recently focused on designing boutique hotels and mixed-use, urban infill projects. The Graham Downes team consists of a total of 40 designers and support personnel, both at its office headquarters at 1600 National Ave. in Barrio Logan, on the fringe of downtown San Diego, California; and at its Las Vegas office, located at 2121 E. Tropicana Ave., Las Vegas, NV. More information about the firm is available online at http://www.blokhaus.com.

Contacts:
Peyton Robertson, 858.382.4922
J Public Relations

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