Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Review (Hollywood, Florida)

Aerial View of Hard Rock Casino and Hotel in Hollywood, Florida

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL was created through a partnership between the Seminole Indian Tribe of Florida and Hard Rock International Corporation in 2003. The 80-acre resort between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale boasts a massive 130,000 square foot casino, a 5-acre tropical pool with swim-up bars, lazy river, plus relaxing authentic poolside cabanas. The resort offers a Hard Rock Cafe, a European-style spa and fitness center, shopping, fine-dining, and Seminole Paradise.

As soon as you arrive at Seminole Hard Rock, the first thing you'll notice is the traffic and the swarming casino visitors. The entrance to the Casino can be quite chaotic for 1st time visitors. There are no clear directions on where to park or whether valet is available. Most people end up finding a spot in the new parking garage and haul their luggage to the hotel. Parking is an ongoing problem at the Seminole Hard Rock. The parking garage fills up rather quickly in the evening with casino visitors, and there is no reserved guest parking. It is not uncommon to park far off-site and have to shuttle in to the casino.

The problems started as soon as I arrived at the front desk to check-in. First, the King Bedroom I had reserved 3 months in advance was not available. The manager's response was that the Hard Rock cannot guarantee room type ever, and I would be forced to take the double-bed. My co-worker Larry Rutherford, who booked later and checked-in just after me, did receive a King Bedroom. Additionally, some of the rooms come with balcony's and some do not. Most people do not realize this until after they've gotten up to the suite. Be sure to request a balcony, the room price is exactly the same. The room was more than adequate, however, most "views" are of the roof of adjacent buildings or the turnpike.

Casino games are limited to a variety of "bingo-style" slot games. Because only Class II gaming is allowed, guests play against each other, not the casino. So while there are 40 poker tables, there's no blackjack or roulette, and the 2,150 slot machines are electronically competing against each other. There is no sports-betting either. With only 40 Texas Hold 'Em tables, I was never able to find an empty seat. As you can probably imagine, with no real slot machines and no Vegas-style table games, the poker scene here on any given night is quite intense. It's really the only game to play. As far as gambling is concerned, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino receives a very poor grade.

The on-site restaurants and shops are very nice-looking, but service is usually unfriendly and very slow. Most servers didn't even acknowledge us except to ask for our order. The food was average – you're probably better off spending an hour and drive somewhere off-site for dinner (but then you'd have to come back and deal with parking). If you're going to eat anywhere for dinner at the Hotel, we recommend trying the seafood restaurant.

Exercise and weight-training facilities at the Hard Rock are quite adequate, but the entrance to the gym is just off the main lobby, so you'll have to give up any ideas of avoiding your friends and colleagues when you're in workout attire. One of the best parts of the entire trip was the beautiful, heated pool. The temperate of the water was perfectly regulated at about 80 degrees. Be sure to enjoy this because you're quite a distance from the beach. The Hotel is approximately 40 minutes from Ft. Lauderdale beach and its not an easy drive. You'll have to take east-bound side-streets like Griffin Road before cutting over to A1A. That said, you probably will not be heading to the beach. Each day, we spent at least a few hours hanging by the pool, enjoying the South Florida sun and poolside bar.

The cost of the trip was very steep, considering all of the issues we encountered. 5 nights cost me almost $2000 for room and a few meals. The service and amenities were equivalent to a 2.5 star resort.

Reviewed by Susan Torres of CasinoGamblingWeb.com, the best gambling website online.

Hard Rock Seminole Casino
1 Seminole Way
Hollywood, Florida 33314
Main Number:
954-327-7625
Reservations Number:
800-937-0010