"We arrived at the Seminole Hard Rock and Casino about 2 hours ahead of check in. We were greeted promptly by the valet who brought our bags to inside while another whisked our car off. At the front desk we asked for and were given a room upgrade for $30. This was a great deal for both as the hotel was basically empty and no rooms would be compromised while we got a better room in the guitar as opposed to one of the older towers for a fraction of the cost if we booked the Guitar Tower direct. We were led to our room immediately even though it was still well before 4PM. Our room was spacious enough and very clean. We were on the 14th floor with a good pool view and the Miami skyline in the background. We were quite happy with the room and the check in process. Now the downside. This is a hotel AND casino. People do not travel here in order to go other places; they gamble, dine, gamble, drink and gamble. Seminole Hard Rock falls flat on its face here. First, drinks are not comped on the floor. Rather one pays a premium price, above airport prices for ordinary drinks. Second, presumably due to COVID several restaurants were closed or open select days. The restaurants opened were mostly high end that could better afford to be open, but not necessarily user friendly for an ordinary customer. We wound up having a mediocre chef salad at the Hard Rock Cafe, one of the most notorious tourist traps in the world. Service there was good. Salad, not so much. Again, high drink prices prevailed even when dining. As for gambling, the machines were tight, very tight. I heard no bells or whistles anywhere in casino. We expected to lose, one almost always does, but not as quickly as we did. We can easily sit for an afternoon and evening in Gulfport or Vegas for what we spent in a few hours at Hard Rock. After returning to our room we thought we'd order a late snack through room service. Good luck with that! Extremely limited menu and again, ridiculous prices. So, vending machine it is! Nope, none available on the floor. I know Seminole Hard Rock wants to be a world class resort, but until they start to loosen up and give something back it will be a tourist joint or special occasion destination only. We will not return for quite a while. We have the Hard Rock at Immokale and Tampa which do not require a stay over and the restaurants are, or were, just fine. More importantly, once the junkets begin again to Biloxi or Gulfport we will go there. Last, Vegas looks better and better every time I think of Hard Rock. What we spend on a flight we'll more than make up in other ways."
