A guitar-smashing ceremony has marked the start of construction on a 137m-high guitar-shaped hotel in Florida for Hard Rock International, the parent company of the Hard Rock Café chain.
The $1.5bn Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino extension will contain over 600 rooms and a 3,800 sq m spa.
James Allen, Hard Rock International’s chairman, said "It’s not just an exterior façade; the curving of the building will be identical to an authentic guitar."
A new 10-acre complex underneath the guitar will contain swimming pools, restaurants and waterfalls.
In March 2018 the development’s current venue will be replaced by the $100m "Hard Rock Live", a 7,000-seat theatre.
The onsite casino will also be renovated to double its current size.
When complete in 2019, the hotel will be the largest guitar-shaped structure in the world.
The full renovation will be completed in 2020.
- This article was edited on 30 November 2017 to correct the original version, which mistakenly reported that the building is modelled after a particular brand of guitar
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