HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO SIOUX CITY TURNS ONE, LOOKS BACK ON FIRST YEAR’S MILESTONES
This month, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City is celebrating its one-year anniversary. Since last year’s grand opening ceremony, when community leaders smashed guitars rather than the more traditional ribbon cutting, the entertainment destination has already made its mark on the tri-state region.
In the last year, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City, the $126 million project that restored the historic Battery Building, has welcomed more than two million visitors to its facility, held more than 200 shows, and paid out more than $13.3 million in jackpots. Team members have served upwards of 322,000 buffets, sold more than 5,600 collectors pins, and issued more than 85,000 event tickets to customers in 47 states and counting.
“This first year was such an incredible, rewarding whirlwind,” said Todd Moyer, General Manager at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City. “I’m proud of our team members for making it possible, and humbled by the ongoing support of community members and patrons. We’re looking forward to rocking even harder in the years to come.”
The destination continues to have a significant economic impact on the region. During the first year, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City created jobs by growing its team to 562 members. It grew the Sioux City gaming market revenue from $48 million in fiscal year 2014 to over $70 million in the 11 months of operation as Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. That number is expected to increase by several million once monthly totals come in to close the year. The facility has not only attracted out-of-town visitors to the area, but also boosted business for many establishments downtown.
“Hard Rock has made quite the impression on Sioux City,” said Bob Scott, Mayor of Sioux City. “They’ve helped improve the downtown area, have done an excellent job drawing in visitors, and have proven to be an important and valuable player in the community.”
Strong revenues have allowed Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City to amplify philanthropic activity in Woodbury County, as well. As part of the agreement between Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City and Missouri River Historical Development (MRHD), the casino has contributed more than $2.9 million to the non-profit to disseminate via grant awards for community improvement projects.
“Our partnership with Hard Rock has been very positive,” said Mark Monson, President of Missouri River Historical Development. “Many Woodbury County nonprofits were in desperate need of support to implement critical community projects, and now we’re able to give them what they need to make things happen. In the past 12 months we will have granted over $2,000,000 to Woodbury County nonprofits. MRHD is looking forward to many more years of working together with Hard Rock to ensure these projects continue.”
Community efforts did not stop with MRHD, either. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City has become the largest new contributor to the United Way, with team members pledging more than $28,000 thus far. Eight scholarships have been awarded to students at local colleges and the Sioux City Conservatory of Music. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City has also sponsored a number of community events including the 25th Annual Saturday in the Park Festival starring Aretha Franklin, Alabama concert and Color Me Rad benefiting the Boys Club of Sioux City, 2015 RAGBRAI kickoff, local Farmer’s Market, and Friday’s on the Promenade Concert Series.
Proving itself as a new destination for high-quality performances, Anthem and Battery Park have hosted exciting performances from huge names and rock legends in the music industry. Clint Black, Elvis Costello, REO Speedwagon, SLASH, 3 Doors Down, Colbie Callait, and many others have wowed crowds in the past year, with many more exciting performances already lining up for the months to come.
In an impressively short amount of time, Hard Rock Hotel Sioux City also recently received one of the most known and respected trademarks in the global travel industry: the Four Diamond Rating by AAA. Hard Rock Hotel Sioux City is now the fourth hotel in Iowa to receive this distinction and the only property located in the tri-state region, with no Four Diamond hotels in South Dakota and two in Nebraska. Only 5.4 percent of more than 28,000 hotels approved by AAA make this list.