Hard Rock International partners for Atlanta project

ORLANDO, Florida -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Hard Rock International announced today that it has entered into a management contract with Luckie Street Hotel Partners, which is comprised of local veteran developers, for the development of a destination hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. Hard Rock Hotel Atlanta will be the focal point of a contemporary mixed-use development featuring 270 spacious rooms and 30 luxury residences with a flagship retail and entertainment destination. It will be located in Downtown Atlanta opposite the Georgia Aquarium. The development epitomizes Hard Rock's hotel expansion strategy within premier locations in the U.S. and worldwide.

"Atlanta is a perfect destination for Hard Rock International. The city's international airport, (the busiest in the U.S. with over 78 million passengers), and the State of Georgia support a thriving music industry in addition to several burgeoning cultural and commercial enterprises," said Hamish Dodds, president and CEO, Hard Rock International. "Hard Rock looks forward to bringing a new era to Atlanta through unlimited-luxury with an enticing mix of dining and lounging that is on the cutting edge."

The hotel will keep community stakeholders' energy and momentum moving forward as continued excitement and energy are focused towards downtown Atlanta. Hard Rock Hotel will offer its guests a destination rock star experience encapsulating a spectrum of first class hotel services, cuisine and nightlife with a distinctive rock vibe. The hotel will exude an upscale style and design featuring an inspired collection of premier-class amenities, including a destination spa & fitness center, recording studio with the first ever guest jam rooms (Glory Days Studio) appointed lavishly with cutting-edge technology, signature restaurants and high-profile bars designed and developed to cater to both business and leisure travelers, accommodating groups with state-of-the-art business facilities and meeting space. A hands on music museum and music industry incubator is also being considered with potential partners to further enhance Atlanta's leadership position in the music and entertainment industry. There are many more facets of this destination hotel in planning, which will be unveiled as the team moves further in the development process.

"Atlanta is one of the premier cities in the world for music production with a tremendous amount of economic impact each year for the city. We feel like the music industry is one of Atlanta's most unleveraged assets. Our vision is to create an epicenter of cool culture and music for Atlanta's world class music scene and promote a platform from which to leverage this asset and promote our existing and future talent," says Cole Walker, managing partner of Luckie Street Hotel Partners.

Hard Rock Hotel Atlanta reflects a local vision to create a new style of hospitality experience in Atlanta. The next step in development is to achieve formal financing for the project and to this end Luckie Street is currently discussing the development with selected banks. Under the plan, construction of the new hotel could start in mid-2008, with an approximate opening date of late 2010.

"With the recent acquisition of Hard Rock International," notes Jim Allen, Chairman of Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, "the Seminole Tribe of Florida continues to look for growth opportunities in the hotel and casino sectors. We are proud to be associated with this new development in a vital southeastern US market, and excited about the strategic prospects for Hard Rock moving forward."