Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa – A Complete Experience!

By: Jolie G. Padilla

Recently, Latin Times Magazine had the pleasure and honor of being invited, along with other local Hispanic Journalists to do an in-depth review of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.  We were super excited to be able to take our mini Aussie puppy since the Hard Rock Tampa is a Pet Friendly Hotel! The Experience was beyond our expectations, and I hope you each have the opportunity to visit them soon!

DAY 1: From the moment we arrived, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa delivered a truly unexpected yet luxurious experience. The rooms were not only beautifully furnished, but also incredibly comfortable – the perfect blend of elegance and relaxation, the thing that impressed me the most about the rooms was the bathroom – it was huge, a separate toilet area with a huge sliding door made of smocked glass -and a huge walk in shower, complete with a built in bench and a handheld shower sprayer.  Our room was located within the East Tower -which is the newest wing of the Hotel, I later found out that the West Tower was also recently completely remodeled as well.  (NEXT TIME, WE WILL CHECK IT OUT!)

After settling into the room, the first thing we wanted to do was head down to check out the beautiful casino areas -I say areas because the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa is one of the largest and most successful casinos in the world offering award-winning gaming, hospitality, and entertainment, and its right here in our backyard, if you are in the Tampa Bay area, and of course driving distance for other Florida cities.  The casino features over 5,200 SLOT MACHINES, and I can tell you, we tried many of them, our favorite being the 1 cent slots, what can I say? – I’m not big into slots, but my mom and friends were, and they had a great time checking them out and hearing the sounds of big winners hitting the jackpots!  For me, I always enjoyed Poker -I wasn’t ready to play yet, but I did enjoy checking out the table games, I love Blackjack – while I waited for my friends that were heading to Hard Rock to help me celebrate my birthday –

When one of my friends arrived, we headed to the second floor, to check out the vip event -since we were early, we decided to check out a small ice cream shop -or so we thought it was an ice cream shop, but it turned out to be an “Liquor Infused Ice Cream Bar” called Aubi & Ramsa – the choices? Liquor Infused ¼ Pints to full pints of flavors like “the Coco Loco”; The “White Russian” the Agave Dulce de Leche -and much more, but since we were heading to an event we decided to share a VERY CREATIVE MIMOSA – Champaign with Passion Fruit Ice Cream – the best description for that is WOW -loved it -

The VIP event we had been invited to was on the second floor across from Aubi & Ramsa at “La Canita” a great little spot with a small stage, a limited amount of booths and tables – on stage was a great little Latin Band playing some great Salsa, and the room was jammed packed with some of Tampa Bays most well-known Hispanic leaders, it felt like a reunion– I enjoyed seeing many old friends, and watching a young couple dance and perform salsa so beautifully - we also enjoyed the delicious hors devours and great conversation, after spending an hour there we headed out to look for my family -we were meeting at the Hard Rock Café -

DAY 2:  Breakfast consisted of a Guava Cheese Croissant and a café con leche at the Constant Grind, a small “walk-thru” or as they describe it a “grab and go!  This quick stop Delite had the most delicious and visually appealing pastries and a great café con leche so it was our go to AM stop. 

I had to eat light because I had a 10AM appointment with the Rock Spa & Salon where the Hard Rock treated us to an amazing Swedish Massage -when we arrived at the Spa, we were introduced to the Manager of the Pool & Spa Operations, Angela Hayes, a beautiful Cubana, who arranged for us to receive a tour of the amazing Spa which is actually 26,000 square-foot spa with 13 treatment rooms, including a Rhythm & Motion room, Hammam Ritual room, two couples suites plus a full salon and co-ed aqua lounge, this amazing Spa, I am sure MANY people do not even realize it is even there!  I enjoyed 80 Minutes of pure bliss and relaxation which consisted of a full body massage that left me feeling light and renewed! 

Later that same day -we had the pleasure of enjoying a tour of the event center areas –

As an event planner, I really enjoyed this portion of our trip because I had no idea that there was such a large event/conference center.  The Seminole Hard Rock Tampa continues to elevate its music and entertainment with the Hard Rock Event Center. This 1,500-seat venue is on the second floor of the casino complex. The event center has everything you’re looking for to host some of the nation's hottest entertainers and must-see concerts as well as conventions, trade  shows, private events, large-scale poker tournaments and many more.

The difference between this event/conference center and others was the fact that this venue had a way to include a flow into a beautiful outdoor area complete with a stage outside, pools. 

The Pool area was also something that impressed me –

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa offers guests the modern pool experience. Make a splash at the contemporary and luxurious pool facility, featuring 3 diverse pools. Not just any poolside, the pool area at Seminole Hard Rock Tampa includes two DJ booths for weekend pool parties and the Pool Bar & Grill to satisfy any craving. With over 500 loungers and daybeds, sip your day away poolside with our signature

GETTING TO KNOW THE SEMINOLE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO TEAM!

Anaclaudia Solorzano:  While enjoying the pool, I had the pleasure of interviewing Anaclaudia Solorzano, the Director of Latin Marketing, and she was able to share about many of exciting initiatives the Hard Rock has within the Hispanic community, often supporting many events and programs to help the community! 

Anaclaudia has been with Seminole Hard Rock for 3 Years, and in that time she has climbed the latter to her current position as the Director of Latin Marketing.  Prior to her current position she had extensive history in radio and television broadcasting and now uses her previous experience daily in her position with Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.  Her duties include assisting with Latin market strategy development and implementation, execution of various campaigns to attract new business and continue to drive segment growth, as well as dedicated support and execution of Latin marketing tactics for Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood and Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa. 

Manuel Medina, Latin Marketing Manager at Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, prior to the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, Manuel was with HEARST Television: MOR-TV, THIS TV and ESTRELLA TV, he was the events & promotions manager there for over 9 years.  Since Manny started with the Hard Rock Tampa, he has dramatically increased the Hard Rock Tampa’s footprint with the local Hispanic community, sponsoring and participating in many local events including become the Title sponsor for the annual Taste of Latino Festival which is held in Historic Ybor City in Celebration of Hispanic Heritage month.   

Group Dinner

Council Oak Steaks & Seafood

Steakhouse, Seafood

I have to highly recommend the Council Oak Steaks & Seafood - unique, upscale and absolutely delicious -when we first walked in the first thing you see is an impressive display of the various steaks that are served in the restaurant - a work of art if all i could think of when we were served -from the presentation of the Lobster Bisque soup, which was not only delicious to the eyes, but also to the palette -my main course was the Bone-In Ribeye Steak -which was cooked to perfection and was simply mouthwatering. 

Council Oak Steaks & Seafood offers the sophisticated, classic-American steakhouse fare our guests know featuring U.S.D.A. prime steaks, fresh seafood, specialty dishes showcasing an open-kitchen, in-house butcher shop and dry-aging room outfitted with pink Himalayan salt walls, multi-level seating, and wine rooms highlighting the restaurant’s award-winning selection of more than 400 labels. The menu offers U.S.D.A. prime cuts of beef, a signature raw bar and local seafood selections, and more. With the open-kitchen, guests can catch all of the action as their meals are prepared by Council Oak’s chefs. The perfect complement, Council Oak’s lounge, offers dining with well-known and approachable liquors, alongside an exclusive list of high-end spirits.

We were also able to check out another great place that evening, we enjoyed a late-night snack which we received a bonus of great Latin music and dancing on the night we attended!  

Day 3:  On Saturday, I decided to try out the Jubao Palace Noodle Bar where we enjoyed a quick meal of authentic Asian cuisine! The restaurant features an open kitchen which gives guests a unique, up-close dining experience as we sat around the wrap around food counter.

After that quick lunch, I headed toward the team meeting point, that day we were scheduled to touch and learn how to play the table games.  I think I enjoyed that days’ activities the most because our team was given an in-depth training/education tour of the entire Gaming Tables -we were each given fake chips to gamble with and educated first on the craps table – I will be the first to admit, for years I had seen people surround the craps table often yelling as they threw the dice against the wall of the tables – now finally I had some understanding of not only Craps but also Roulette and even a little more in-depth understanding of Blackjack and a little bit of Baccarat. 

HIGH LIMIT TABLE GAMES

The icing on this cake was the private tour we were given the tour of what celebrities experience when they visit the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa.  We were taken to a private and luxurious High Limit Table Games room. Tucked away in the casino located near the East Hotel Tower and Cipresso, the High Limit Table Games room offers Blackjack, Midi Baccarat and other favorites. You'll find liberal rules, higher table limits and a sophisticated ambience perfect for high-stakes fun in an intimate and refined space. You'll also enjoy exclusive amenities with personal cashier, bar and complimentary beverage service.

HIGHER LIMIT TABLE GAMES AND PRIVATE EVENT AREA

As if the “Regular High Limit Table Games” wasn’t enough- we were then led to a private entrance to an elevator area where ONLY THE HIGHEST OF THE HIGH ROLLERS were allowed to enter – in this area there was private Gold Suites where VIPs stayed and also private gaming areas -the minimum needed to play in this area was $250,000+ - in this area we could also the private helicopter landing pad -which VIP’s could land! 

Things you can enjoy about the Hard Rock Tampa without checking in:

-        Casino: Table Games or Slots

-        Great Restaurants!

-        Late Night Entertainment

-        Concerts

-        Spa; Day Passes Available

-        Pools: Day Passes Available

-        Shopping

-        Special Events

Our Most Sincere Thanks to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino!

All in all, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa exceeded our expectations, offering luxury, fun, and unforgettable dining experiences.  We can't wait to return!

IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW:

In case you haven’t noticed, we have a great resort right here in Tampa Bay, but even beyond the Bay, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has various locations that you can enjoy! 

The great thing about the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino family is the work they do for the various communities throughout Florida – in specific, I have seen and witnessed with my own eyes the great work they do in working with statewide non-profits, and also the great work they are doing with the Hispanic communities in Florida. 

From supporting the initiatives and real life challenges that non-profits have, the Hard Rock has been helping by providing financial grants and donations but also committing to many Hispanic cultural celebrations by becoming major sponsors for many popular annual events.