Global Update
Marco Roca wants 100 Hard Rock hotels by 2020 .
Hard rock is rolling
by Jeff Weinstein , editor in chief
Marco Roca , executive vice president and chief development officer at Hard Rock International , is on a roll as the group picks up the pace on development and aims to reach 100 hotels managed or franchised by 2020 .
The Orlando , Florida-based group recently announced projects in Atlanta , an EB5 new-build that will open in 2018 and when announced the company ’ s first managed hotel , as well as a project in Hartford , Connecticut , also a new-build scheduled to open in fall 2018 . It most recently announced the repositioning of a short-lived 135-room Swissotel in Goa , India , and projects in Cancun , Mexico , as well as a ski resort deal outside Dallas .
In December , the brand , which globally still represents America ’ s rock ‘ n ’ roll culture , had 22 hotels open and some 20 signed management or franchise deals ( only two with a gaming component ), worldwide . Roca says another 20-plus deals are in process and in total about 130 deals are in various stages of development , which makes for a massive development story and allows Roca to better boast a goal of 100 hotels within four or five years . “ You will see Shenzhen ( China ) and Dubai opening as managed deals sometime next year ,” Roca says . “ Behind that we have a large number of deals via Cancun , Abu Dhabi , Brazil and other major markets that we will announce very soon .”
Looking farther afield , Roca adds that targets include London , New York , Madrid , Berlin and Los Angeles , and even more markets with a strong music component , such as New Orleans and Nashville .
What has traditionally been a new-build , one-of-a-kind concept is moving more toward a mix of new-builds , conversions and adaptable reuse projects . “ I think more opportunities for conversions will come as people are feeling more comfortable with the brand ,” Roca adds .
Of course , with any pipeline , there is “ breakage ,” but Roca is confident deal depletion will remain below 20 % for Hard Rock . “ Honestly , there ’ s a lot to be concerned about with the economy as a whole ,” Roca says . “ So many people speak about how much longer this development cycle is going to last , and that is a bit perturbing . There are also more players in the lifestyle segment , so frankly just getting the word out quicker is one of our goals . We were pretty silent for a while and just going out and getting the voice of Hard Rock , singing our song and letting developers know that we ’ re an available brand to consider , is part of our challenge .” On the programming side , Hard Rock continues to follow its musical roots , which Roca says keeps the brand relevant . The sound track at the hotel stays current and there are high-tech amenities for millennials , aficionados and artists . Hard Rock is also following the rooftop bar craze , which includes plans for a bar on the 101st floor of the project under development in Dubai . “ Everything we ’ ve done , which was long before people started talking about lifestyle brands , ever since our very first Hard Rock , has been about lifestyle ,” he adds .
That being said , Roca adds , “ We ’ re also being very careful that it ’ s just an authentic experience . We don ’ t want it to be a scripted by saying here ’ s a little guitar icon and you need to press that to get anything to happen in the hotel . We ’ re not there .”
Looking ahead , the move toward smaller and limited-service hotels is not lost on Roca . While he isn ’ t ready to talk about plans in another segment , he does admit it is part of the discussion . “ At this point certainly there ’ s a very good space for it and it would make sense ,” he says . But it ’ s all about what can you do in a lifetime .”
18 HOTELS January / February 2016 www . hotelsmag . com