Hard Rock gets go ahead for Tarragona casino complex

After months of delays, the Catalan authorities have ultimately given the go-ahead for Hard Rock Entertainment World to build its planned casino and leisure complex on Catalonia’s southern coast in Vila-Seca and Salou. The casino’s commercial name will be 'Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tarragona, España,' announced by the Catalan government gazette on Friday. The company and the authorities will present the project to the public in the next few weeks.

Originally, the Catalan authorities were ready to issue the licenses in September but postponed it so as to have more time to study the project’s technical requirements, say government sources. While it is still unknown when the complex will open, according to the agreement with the authorities, Hard Rock must apply for the license to open the complex three months before the three-year deadline for the building work to be completed runs out.

The Hard Rock Entertainment World complex will include two hotels with over a thousand rooms, a large shopping area, food and beverage and entertainment facilities, and a casino. It is reported that the firm is planning to invest two billion euros into the ambitious project, making it one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Hard Rock already runs a number of casinos in the US and operates more than 170 cafés around the world.