Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill is a new addition to the casino.

By Clifton Adcock
World Staff Writer

Photos by Stephen Holman

  If the Foo Fighters’ “Monkey Wrench,” Sublime’s “Badfish,” or even Nirvana’s “Come as You Are” being belted out over the loudspeakers onto the casino floor doesn’t convince people that change is coming to Cherokee Nation Casino and Resort, perhaps the copious amounts of leather, guitars and all things rock and roll will.

  On Monday, the casino officially becomes the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel Tulsa, the capstone of a $155 million expansion of the casino that has brought in the Hard Rock brand as well as new dining and entertainment venues.

  The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa will feature five restaurants, five nightclubs and entertainment venues, a gaming floor of more than 125,000 square feet, 350 luxury hotel rooms and suites, 35,000 square feet of convention space and the Cherokee Hills golf course.

  The property also features a rock-inspired music memorabilia collection valued at more than $2 million.

  From the truck-tailgate benches at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill to the amazing view through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the penthouse McGill’s restaurant on the 19th floor, the new casino is fun, said Cherokee Nation Entertainment CEO Dave Stewart.

  “It’s a new form of entertainment for Tulsa,” Stewart said. “It takes Tulsa’s history of music, it takes the country and western piece of what Oklahoma is all about and it combines it with the casino and the resort to be something that — there is nothing like it. It has a feel about it that is fun.”

  Though there are several new and revamped restaurants, convention space and attractions, the establishment is still centered around the games, Stewart said.

  “We really cater to our gaming customers to make it a good experience where they want to stay longer, where they’re comfortable, they’re in an environment that is their own, then give them the amenities to stay out here for a longer period and eat in a nice restaurant, get a feel for all the memorabilia and game at the same time,” Stewart said.

  Overall, 300 to 400 new employees have been hired, said Cherokee Nation Entertainment spokeswoman Kelli Bruer. And the hotel has expanded from seven stories and 150 rooms to 19 stories and 350 rooms.

  For several months, casino patrons have seen new areas develop, such as 23,000 square feet of new convention space and the Center Bar. Monday’s grand-opening ceremony, which will feature Stewart, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith, and singer Toby Keith, makes the transition from Cherokee Casino and Resort to Hard Rock Casino and Hotel Tulsa complete.

  Keith’s restaurant, which had a soft-opening last week, will be the fifth in the chain to open. Other locations are Oklahoma City, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Mo., and Mesa, Ariz.
“I think it brings our whole Oklahoma uniqueness and flair to Hard Rock,” Bruer said. “It’s been very highly anticipated.”

McGill's has moved to a beautiful 19th-floor location.   Memorabilia from Blink 182 decorates the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

  As the McGills on 19 restaurant opens, the one in the casino will likely close and re-open as a Mexican food restaurant, Bruer said.

  A 2,500-seat event center is also in the works, and is scheduled to be completed by July 2010, Stewart said.

  Cherokee Nation Entertainment, which runs the casino, signed a licensing agreement with Hard Rock Hotel Holdings, LLC last year to use the Hard Rock name. The casino is the first Hard Rock branded establishment of its kind in Oklahoma and the seventh Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in the world. The casino does not include a Hard Rock Cafe as part of its licensing agreement.

  Bruer and Stewart both said the casino staff has worked hard to smooth the transition.
“It’s exciting. It’s kind of hard to imagine it’s all coming together on this last week,” Stewart said. “I’m really pleased to be able to bring this to town.

  “Bringing this to town is something that’s going to last forever. And it fits. Tulsa deserves it.”

Clifton Adcock 581-8462
clifton.adcock@tulsaworld.com

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