You can see it from the interstate and from planes landing at the airport: a 450-foot glass tower shaped like an electric guitar, lit up at night with a light show that runs down its strings. The Guitar Hotel opened in 2019 as the centrepiece of the Seminole Tribe of Florida's $1.5 billion expansion of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, a few miles inland from the beach. Staying here is less about the ocean and more about the resort itself: a 13.5-acre pool and lagoon complex styled after Bora Bora, with overwater cabanas and butler service, a casino floor of roughly 195,000 square feet, Hard Rock Live, a 7,000-capacity theatre that books headline concerts and comedy, the Rock Spa, and a dining roster that runs from Council Oak Steaks and Seafood, Kuro's Japanese menu and the Abiaka Wood Fire Grill to the Hard Rock Cafe and a food court. Rooms in the guitar tower are modern, with floor-to-ceiling windows and views toward the ocean or the Everglades, while the seven-storey Oasis Tower adds swim-up suites on the lagoon and the original Hard Rock Hotel's 465 music-themed rooms are usually the cheaper way in; the guitar itself holds 638 rooms, and the three towers together hold more than 1,200. The Seminole connection adds depth for curious guests: the tribe also owns the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum and the Hard Rock brand itself. It suits concert trips, couples who want an indoor-outdoor playground, and anyone who enjoys a casino; families and quiet-seekers will be happier at a beach hotel.
The complex works as a self-contained night out. Book a Hard Rock Live show, dine on site, swim by day and watch the guitar's light show from the pool deck after dark, when LED panels pulse in time to music and six beams, standing in for guitar strings, shoot thousands of feet into the sky. The beach at Hollywood is a fifteen-minute drive east for a sand fix.
Booking craft
Request a high floor in the guitar tower for views, and check the Hard Rock Live calendar before choosing dates, since concert weekends sell out rooms. Cabanas are worth reserving on hot weekends. For nightlife, the DAER club and the casino bars run late, and guests with a room key get free entry to the Entice nightclub before midnight. Fine-dining rooms such as Council Oak and Kuro fill up on concert nights, so reserve a table when you book the room.
Practicals
Off the Florida Turnpike and US 441 in Hollywood, about fifteen minutes from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport; parking and resort fees apply, and casino areas are adults-only. The resort holds a AAA Four Diamond rating, and AAA members, military personnel and Florida residents can often find discounted rates. Choose it over a beach hotel when a show is the reason for the trip; choose Margaritaville on the Broadwalk if sand matters more than slots.
Why stay here
- ✓Rooms in the 450-foot guitar tower
- ✓Resort pool complex with cabanas
- ✓Large casino floor
- ✓Hard Rock Live arena
- ✓Full-service spa
- ✓Steakhouse and casual dining
- ✓Nightly guitar light show
- ✓Fifteen minutes to the airport
Good questions
Is the Guitar Hotel on the beach?+
No. It is inland in Hollywood, about fifteen minutes from the sand; the resort's pool complex is the main outdoor draw. Plan on a car or rideshare for beach days; Hollywood Beach and its Broadwalk are the nearest sand, about fifteen minutes east.
Can I see a concert there?+
Yes. Hard Rock Live, on site, books headline concerts and comedy. Check the calendar before choosing dates. The theatre holds about 7,000, and big-name weekends push room rates sharply higher, so book early or choose a quieter weeknight.
Who owns it?+
The Seminole Tribe of Florida, which also owns the Hard Rock brand, bought in 2007, and the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum on its Big Cypress Reservation.
