Construction on schedule for future Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ottawa

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, C.O.O., Jon Lucas (centre), provides a tour of the construction progress of its new Ottawa location, to community members including Mayor Mark Sutcliffe (left) and councilor George Darouze (right). Ottawa, On.. Nov. 29, 2023. (Tyler Fleming / CTV News).

Construction is on track for the national capital region's newest major tourism and entertainment destination, the future Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa.

The casino's roof is installed, the multiple connecting structures have been linked, and the hotel is well on its way to be completed. Walking through this development frames the enormous size of the future Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa.

On Wednesday, Hard Rock International Chief Operations Officer Jon Lucas invited community leaders on a tour of the new facility's construction site, which included and up-front look at some of the amenities, such as the concert hall, casino gaming floor, and the location of the many restaurants the site will boast.

"It's not just a casino; it's not just table games and slots. You know, we're a hospitality company and we're about providing entertainment experiences and great service and great food and beverage and night life," says Lucas. "There's going to be lots to do here for the community and for Ottawa in general and we're excited to expand and bring Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Ottawa to life."

Once completed, which is expected to be May 2025, the facility will have a 150-room hotel, along with an expanded casino with 1,600 slot machines, 40 live action table games, sportsbook, high-limit gaming and a baccarat room.

The site will offer more than 10 restaurants, bars and lounges, including the iconic Hard Rock Café and Council Oak Steakhouse.

The live theatre venue will have 1,800 seats and include standing room for 2,200.

"You can really start to see the potential now for what this is going to mean for this part of the city," says Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who was on the tour. "If you live in this area of the city, it means jobs and it means a place you can go to visit but I think it's going to bring people from all over the region because there is going to be world class entertainment here. It's a great addition to the city's entertainment tourism and economic activity."

Hard Rock International is one of the most globally recognized companies, with venues in more than 70 countries and 290 locations that include hotels, casinos, shops and live venues.

The $350-million construction project is one of the largest private investment developments currently in Ottawa and is expected to create close to 1,900 direct and indirect construction and ongoing employment opportunities.

"You're going to have so many venues to attract and bring people from everywhere in the city of Ottawa to come here and I'm happy to see the Ottawa money is going to be spent in Ottawa and not going to the other side of the river," says Coun. George Darouze. "For the community, it's welcoming news from employment perspective. We're also happy from a transportation perspective and also the community is going to grow."

Also touring the site, Ottawa Senators president Cyril Leeder. The hockey franchise and Hard Rock are long-time partners.

"They're [Hard Rock] bringing a huge facility here to the Rideau Carleton site and you've seen already at the Canadian Tire Centre the Hard Rock's got a lounge there they've also got a stage," says Leeder. "They're talking about expanding that partnership with us and likely we'll be doing the same thing a lot of our fans and our customers are their customers people that like sports and entertainment."

Once the project is complete, the existing Rideau Carleton Casino and Raceway, which remains open throughout construction, will undergo a renovation as well.