Hard Rock Hotel Hartford will be the next big attraction as part of Downtown North development in the capital city, right next to Dunkin Donuts Park, becoming the entertainment giant's first hotel in New England.
Hard Rock International and developer Centerplan Companies announced Monday that a Hard Rock 170-room hotel and cafe will be built in Downtown Hartford that's slated to open in fall of 2018. It's meant to serve as a sort of anchor attraction alongside the new baseball park that will become the home of the newly branded Hartford Yard Goats Double AA minor league baseball team. The new hotel will go in at the intersection of Main and Trumbull streets.
The hotel is expected to be a major regional attraction as the hotel will be the first location in New England. Hard Rock's brand produces over 28,000 live music events every year and Hard Rock Hotel Hartford will carry on that legacy with live performances year-round.
A Hard Rock Cafe is part of the plans as one of the first restaurants in the brand to open in this part of New England.
“We’re excited to bring the Hard Rock brand to New England in a city as welcoming as Hartford,” Marco Roca, executive vice president of global hotel development at Hard Rock International, said in a statement. “We look forward to being a part of Hartford’s Downtown North evolution as one of the most exciting new neighborhoods in the region.”
The hotel will include amenities like a rooftop pool and lounge with views of Downtown North and Hartford skylines and the State Capitol dome, according to a news release about the project.The hotel will also include a Hard Rock Cafe, Body Rock gym, Rock Spa and Rock Shop.
"We’re very excited about this opportunity as it brings so much to an already great city,” Jason Rudnick, president of Centerplan Companies, said in a statement. “The glowing iconic guitar of the Hard Rock brand lighting up downtown Hartford will be a symbol to all residents and visitors that Connecticut’s Capital City is a primary destination.”
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Project officials say that "in true Hard Rock style" hotel guests will also be able to enjoy "amenities steeped in music," including The Sound of Your Stay music program giving guests the opportunity to use a Fender guitar for "impromptu in-room jam sessions."
There was previously a lot of talk about a hotel being part of the downtown project. The Hard Rock hotel is intended to help spur growth in the capital city.
“The collaboration with Hard Rock International is a transformative moment for the redevelopment of Downtown North and speaks to the strength and viability of the Hartford market,” stated Robert Landino, CEO of Centerplan Companies – developers of the Downtown North project. “The involvement of a world-class company like Hard Rock International is resounding evidence of the ability of Downtown North’s redevelopment to attract and sustain long-term growth.”
It's unknown at this time how many jobs Hard Rock Hartford will bring to the capital city and when it will open.
More information will be provided when it becomes available.
