HOLLYWOOD, Florida — Hard Rock Casino Rockford in northern Illinois recently announced plans for a major expansion project that will add a hotel with 200 to 225 guest rooms, a 15,000-square-foot convention center, a fitness facility and new food and beverage offerings. Construction is expected to begin this year.

“We’re doubling down on Rockford,” Geno Iafrate, president of Hard Rock Casino Rockford, said in a news release. “This hotel and convention center cements our commitment to this community and its growing needs. Our belief is that this region is a destination that can compete at the highest level. We’re not going anywhere; instead, we’re defining and building what’s next in expanding our role as the premier entertainment destination in the region.”

The 175,000-square-foot casino, located just off the I-90 State Street exit in Rockford, opened in August 2024. Funding for the project will come from the city of Rockford’s bonding authority, which approved in May selling $103 million in bonds, and Hard Rock will be solely responsible for repayment, according to the release.

A groundbreaking is expected to happen in 2026, with the opening scheduled for late 2027.

“Hard Rock Rockford has been an outstanding partner to our community,” Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said in the release. “Strengthening that partnership and expanding its impact requires continued growth of the Hard Rock campus. We are proud to build on this relationship in a way that helps retain visitors and drives sustained growth in shared revenue.”

The Rockford hotel and convention center will be Illinois’ only Hard Rock Hotel. Like the casino’s rock-’n’-roll decor, the hotel will display items from local and global musical talents, including guitars from the collection of Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen, who is a Rockford native.

“This project will drive visitation, create jobs and create untapped revenue opportunities for the area,” Iafrate said, adding that the new hotel and convention center is step one in a multiphase expansion with additional details to be released soon.

For more information, visit casino.hardrock.com/rockford.