Mettler, California - The Tejon Indian Tribe and Hard Rock International have started building a more than $725 million expansion that will turn Hard Rock Casino Tejon into Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon, a full-service resort with a 406-room hotel, due to open in summer 2028.
The ceremony on 21 October, which the partners called the start of the casino's next major phase, drew the tribe's leadership, Hard Rock executives, elected officials, local community figures and the companies working on the project. Work on site starts straight after the ceremony.
Alongside the hotel, the project brings more gaming, new restaurants and entertainment, convention and meeting space, resort-style pools and a full-service Rock Spa®.
Development should support upwards of 1,500 construction jobs, and the partners presented the scheme as another boost for employment, visitor numbers and the economy of the Southern San Joaquin Valley and Kern County.
Octavio Escobedo III, Chairman of the Tejon Indian Tribe, said: “Today marks another historic milestone for the Tejon Indian Tribe and the vision we have worked generations to achieve. Hard Rock Casino Tejon has already created jobs, opportunity and economic benefits for our Tribe and the surrounding community. This next investment builds upon that success and brings us closer to our long-term vision of creating a world-class resort destination that will serve our guests, strengthen our regional economy and create opportunities for generations to come.”
The Hard Rock Hotel is the main element of the scheme. Guests will choose between king and double-queen rooms, 119 of which are suites, with the resort-style pools and the Rock Spa next door. Around the hotel, Hard Rock plans a wider set of resort, dining, gaming, meeting and entertainment amenities.
On the gaming floor, 900 extra slot machines will lift the property's total to 3,000. The food and drink additions are a Council Oak Steaks & Seafood restaurant, two more outlets in The Marketplace and a new Center Bar.
Events will use a multi-use convention space with three smaller meeting and conference rooms, a pre-function area and an outdoor event lawn. Both resort-style pools will have cabanas and daybeds, while the Rock Spa will offer 13 treatment rooms.
