Hard Rock Casino Tejon is going vertical.
Not even a year after the casino’s initial phase opened between Interstate 5 and Highway 99 in Mettler, construction is planned to begin next month on an ambitious second phase that will include an 11-story, 400-room hotel.
Also planned for the casino’s second phase is a convention center and events venue previously reported to contain 2,800 seats, along with new food and beverage options, resort amenities and expanded gaming.
To kick off the facility’s extension, Davie, Fla.-based Hard Rock International, working in partnership with the local Tejon Indian Tribe, has scheduled an October groundbreaking expected to attract elected officials, community leaders, project partners and news reporters.
The plan to proceed with the casino’s second phase was first reported Saturday by independent information service 500Nations.com.
Word that the casino is expanding so soon after its opening appears to signal the roughly 150,000-square-foot casino has met or exceeded financial performance expectations.
Two years ago, Hard Rock said phase two would open in summer 2027. But in October the company told The Californian it had no firm opening date for the start of the second phase.
Representatives of Hard Rock declined Wednesday to comment on news of the groundbreaking. The Tejon Indian Tribe did not respond to a request for comment.
No figures demonstrating the casino’s performance have been made available publicly, but visitors say the casino seems to doing well, with crowds of visitors enjoying themselves around the clock.
The organization has engaged with the local community, donating to charitable causes and sponsoring blood drives and motorsports. The casino serves as title sponsor for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon Concert Series at the Budweiser Pavilion at this year’s Kern County Fair, which it also helps support as a general sponsor.
There’s little question Hard Rock has the financial wherewithal to move forward with construction. The company boasts investment-grade ratings from S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings.
Located about a half an hour’s drive from downtown Bakersfield, the casino has 2,100 slot machines, more than 60 table games and a variety of dining options.
https://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/articles/hard-rock-casino-tejon-green-035900099.html