It's amazing what a couple hundred million dollars can do for an aging rocker's appearance. No, that's not a Cher joke.

The Hard Rock has undergone a transformation, turning a relatively small niche property into something much larger and much more mainstream. Depending on your tastes, there is both good and bad in that, but for the average Vegas visitor its mostly good.

A 2009 expansion added rooms, a spa, more pools, a nightclub, casino space, restaurants, bars, entertainment facilities, parking, and more but let's talk about what is the same for now.

The main circular casino is pretty much as-is; heavy on the table games and light on the slots with rock and roll memorabilia scattered about and rock and roll music blaring through the sound system. It remains one of the noisiest and most hectic in town, especially on busy Friday and Saturday nights when the young and pretty (and appreciators of them) desend on the place. But it's hard to deny that there is an appealingly manic kind of energy here that is missing from most Vegas casinos these days.

But now the casino has been doubled in size with the addition of 30,000 square-feet of gaming space where the old Joint concert hall used to be. This new area has hundreds of new slots and dozens of new table games plus a couple of bars and restaurant space. It's much more upscale in design terms than the older space, all done in dark woods and metal giving it a lustrous, luxe sheen. If I were to gamble at the Hard Rock, this is the area I would choose.

The original check in desk and Porte Corchere are still in existence but the newly expanded area also features its own new parking garage, valet parking area (complete with an enclosed, climate controlled waiting area - nice touch!), and check-in for the HRH Tower Suites. Done in more of that dark wood offset by glowing, backlit marble and glass, it's decidedly more fancy than anything the older part of the hotel has to offer.

The old Body English nightclub has closed (to be replaced by something else TBD) and a new one, Vanity, has opened in the expansion area. Located on the second floor overlooking the pool area, Vanity is a gorgeous indoor/outdoor space with fireplaces, low-slung seating, a big dance floor, and a spectacular chandelier made up of 20,000 LED crystals that can show graphics, video, and more directly over the heads of the partying masses.

A workout facility and spa are also included in the newer area, all done as sort of a Turkish Bath complete with intricate tile work and lighting. In an effort to perhaps prove that this is not your father's spa, the facility features a room with stripper poles so you can "exercise" your inner thighs, I suppose.

The pool area is also getting a major expansion, with a second sandy-bottomed beach area and a beach club expected to open in spring of 2010.

As mentioned above the old Joint concert hall is gone but there's a new one up and running. Bigger and reportedly better from an acoustic standpoint, the space is basically a big barn that isn't high on comfort unless you get one of the VIP boxes. Everyone else will be sitting on lightly padded folding chairs set up on hard concrete floors.

Finally we get to the rooms. The original hotel tower is still in operation of course but now there are two newer options.

The Paradise Tower is located just off the older of the parking garages that faces Paradise Road. At some point they intend to have a separate check-in for these rooms but for now you have to use the main desk and the schlep around the casino and down the narrow, store and restaurant lined hall to get there. Kind of a pain. But once you do the reward is worth the walk because the rooms here are bigger and nicer than the original Casino Tower rooms. They are done in varying shades of brown, black, and white, which should be cold and sterile but actually comes off warmer than it has any right to. Packed with the all of the latest amenities - cushy beds, plush furniture, built in desks, flat panel televisions, iPod docking stations, wireless Internet, and more. About the only way in which they suffer by comparision to the Casino Tower rooms is that these don't have the nice French doors and balconies. Pity.

Also worth noting is that the Paradise Tower rooms only have a shower - no tub - so if you are looking for a soak, try a different tower.

The HRH Tower perhaps. An all suite facility, the rooms come in two basic packages. King rooms are more of a studio with an entertainment center separating a sleeping and living area. Queen rooms have a formal wall with pocket doors between the two areas. Both have their pluses with the Queen rooms offering more privacy but the King rooms ultimately feel more spacious (even though they really aren't). The decor here is mostly white and black, all very sleek and modern.

Special touches in these rooms include iPod docking stations built into the walls and a touchscreen, programmable jukebox of sorts. Guests can set up their own playlists from a library of thousands of songs or they can tap into the music being played in other parts of the hotel, from the casino to restaurants to the nightclubs. Pretty cool.

Bathrooms here feature a full tub and are much more spacious than those in the Paradise or Casino towers.

Speaking of the Casino Tower, that is still in business of course. The standard rooms here are pretty standard except for the slightly mod decor and furnishings and the aforementioned balconies that are quite nice, at least in theory. Whether you will ever use yours, especially when it's a bazillion degrees outside, is probably doubtful.

Scattered throughout the properties are half a dozen eateries, from steak to sushi, with more on the way in 2010. There a bunch of bars and clubs to keep the party going and if your idea of a good party is shopping, there are a few boutique stores to get you by. You can even get a tattoo if you are so inclined.

The location of the property still leaves a bit to be desired - it is off 'The Strip' by about a mile, which doesn't sound like a lot unless you are planning to walk that distance in 110 degree heat. There are more options nearby these days in terms of dining and shopping so it isn't quite as isolated as it used to be but you're still going to have to cab it to get to The Strip.

Prices these days are less pricey than they used to be or at least seem like they are in comparison. Weekday rates start as low as $89 although $130-$180 is more common and weekends are usually in the $200 and up range. That's expensive, to be sure, but with the expansion there is a lot more that comes with those rates.

The overall affect of the new Hard Rock is much more grown up, although the the young party-all-the-time crowd that seems to flock to this place probably won't care all that much. The good news for everyone else is that hotel now has a lot more to offer, which means that if you can stand to be around the party-all-the-time crowd, you have a new option for your next Vegas visit.

Aging rockers never looked so good.

Related Reviews

back to the top