While people in Ontario have gotten to experience a small taste of the Hard Rock name through its themed restaurants in Niagara Falls and Toronto, the international hospitality brand has just brought a whole new experience to locals through its first-ever Hard Rock Hotel on Canadian soil.
And, the attraction has actually opened a little earlier than the public may have expected.
As edgy as corporate can get, Hard Rock Hotels are known for their unique riff on glamorous accommodation. Each location is chock-full of one-of-a-kind music memorabilia, is home to robust live concert programming, and has “signature music amenities” that include in-room record players and guitar rentals.
To complement an existing portfolio that ranges from all-inclusive resorts in beachy locales to hotels and casinos in major cities across the globe, Hard Rock currently has multiple new complexes on the go, including two here in Ontario: the Hard Rock Hotel London and Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ottawa.
The latter of the two was at one point on track to make its debut first this spring, but it’s the London location that has already started accepting guests across its 164 rooms at 100 Kellogg Lane. Originally, the hotel was taking reservations for a potential June 2025 opening, with prices starting at $395 per night.
The facility offers an indoor/outdoor pool (with underwater sound system), valet parking, a gift shop with Hard Rock-branded merch you can’t get elsewhere in the country, and three bar and restaurant offerings, most prominent among them being the 1913 Speakeasy and its menu full of nods to the property’s past as a former Kellogg’s cereal plant.
As an additional homage to the Great White North and Canada’s only UNESCO City of Music, the Hard Rock Hotel London team has also curated its collection on display to include artefacts from Canuck stars like Shania Twain and Gord Downie.
“As a Londoner, I couldn’t be more proud and excited to see our city officially become home to Canada’s First Hard Rock Hotel,” the site’s general manager said in a press release announcing the opening last week.
“With the addition of this hotel, London is strengthening its role as an international hub for music and culture. Our local team of over 100 employees is ready to welcome visitors from Southwestern Ontario and across the globe.”
For fans elsewhere in the province, the Hard Rock Hotel Ottawa — which is taking over the Rideau Carleton Casino & Raceway at 4837 Albion Road South — also looks to be nearing completion, having hosted a hiring fair earlier in April that saw ample turnout for more than 600 positions.
Hard Rock is also reaffirming its presence in downtown Toronto after shuttering its landmark restaurant at 278 Yonge Street in 2017. A new iteration is currently under construction in the Tenor Building on the other side of Yonge Dundas Square, though its launch is now TBD after initially being slated for sometime in 2024.
Hard Rock Hotel London
Where: 100 Kellogg Ln. #1, London, Ont.
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