By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Hard Rock Casino Rockford has announced its grand opening date, but the entertainment and hospitality company isn’t ready yet to commit to when it will start the second phase of its project.
The next phase of the casino’s development will bring a hotel tower to the northeast side of the building, taking over some of the roughly 1,700 parking spaces that fill the lot now. The casino won’t determine when to begin that work until after the grand opening on Aug. 29.
“The answer is as soon as possible we want a hotel on site,” said Geno Iafrate, president of Hard Rock Casino Rockford. “We’re really hopeful for a great grand opening and phenomenal results from this facility, and then maybe a little bit of relief in the financial markets and we’ll get that ball rolling as soon as possible.”
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The hotel will have 200 to 250 rooms, but it hasn’t been designed yet, Iafrate said. That means we won’t learn more specifics such as the number of stories and its overall look until a later date.
Hard Rock had initially hoped to build the hotel in conjunction with the casino, but that proved too challenging in the post-pandemic construction market.
“Post-pandemic, supply-chain cost increases, financial markets made financing the hotel as part of this overall project pretty difficult,” Iafrate said.
Meanwhile, the casino is preparing to develop a 24-acre site with ownership ties to its chief investor across the street. That plot is just east of Lyford Road in Cherry Valley.
The casino’s first step will be to add more than 300 parking spaces in the area. The village of Cherry Valley board of trustees meets Tuesday to consider that request.
“It’s really great for concert nights,” Iafrate said of the additional parking. “You think about a Saturday night where the casino’s full and there’s another 1,600, 1,700, up to 2,000 people in the Hard Rock Live venue. I think we’re going to need extra parking.”
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The casino hasn’t determined what it may develop on its Lyford Road site, but it said the goal is to add something complementary to the casino and entertainment venue.
“We’re looking to do things across the street in the future that enhance the overall entertainment destination with the casino being the centerpiece of that,” Iafrate said. “It’s a little early in the process to know exactly what we’re going to put over there or when we’re going to put something over there, but the first step of that is parking.”
The future casino features nearly 1,300 slot machines, 50 live table games including a poker room, a sportsbook, six restaurants and a Rock Shop with Hard Rock merchandise and other gifts.
The development includes Hard Rock Live, a 23,000-square-foot entertainment venue that can accommodate up to 2,000 guests for concerts and other performances.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas