After two accidents in one month at the site of a future Hard Rock hotel in New Orleans, the company's leader is clarifying its role in the construction.
"We were not the owner or the developer of the site itself," Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming, told Cheddar Monday. "It was one of our licensees. But certainly we were excited about creating a new Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans."
Three workers were killed when parts of the upper floors collapsed October 12. On Sunday, the attempted demolition of two cranes on site left one dangling over a city street.
"Our prayers are with the families of the victims and also all the businesses surrounding the site itself, because the ripple effect here has been much more than most people realize," Allen said.
He added Hard Rock has been in the New Orleans market for decades, with its restaurant on famed Bourbon Street, and the company will work with the city and developers to "navigate through this rather challenging time."
Meanwhile, the brand is preparing to open the world's first guitar-shaped hotel in Florida Thursday: the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, a $1.5 billion project.
Part of the new resort is the $125 million Hard Rock Live entertainment venue, totaling 225,000 square feet for major performances. Maroon 5 will perform on the new stage Friday.
Other features of the flagship casino resort include entertainment, extensive gaming, a spa, fitness center, and more.
Irrigation might have saved Jackson's hay, but she and her husband rejected the idea about 10 years ago over the cost: as much as $75,000 for a new well and all the equipment. But now — with an extended drought and another U.S. heat wave this week that will broil her land about an hour northwest of Dallas for days in 100-degree-plus temperatures — Jackson said she is “kind of rethinking.”
Children’s advocacy groups including Fairplay and Common Sense Media are asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Google, saying the tech giant serves personalized ads to kids on YouTube despite federal law prohibiting the practice.
U.S. regulators on Wednesday announced a settlement with the company that runs Dollar Tree and Family Dollar aimed at improving worker safety at thousands of the bargain stores across the country.
