A Hard Rock Cafe opened in September 1990, on the southeast corner of the property that would eventually include the Hard Rock resort.
The café featured an 82-foot-tall Gibson Les Paul guitar sign.
The Hard Rock hotel-casino was announced on June 5, 1991, as the first such project in the company's history.
It would be built beside the restaurant.
Company co-founder Peter Morton said, "We did a lot of marketing studies.
Everything gave us an extremely strong indication that there are a lot of 30-year-olds in America who go to Bruce Springsteen concerts and like to gamble."
Groundbreaking was scheduled for later that year, with a planned opening in late 1992 or early 1993.
The casino would be developed and managed by Harrah's Casino Hotels, the gaming subsidiary of Promus Companies.
Plans to build the project with Harrah's were later abandoned.

In September 1993, Hard Rock announced a partnership with the Lake Tahoe-based Harvey's Hotel & Casino.
They formed a new corporation and planned to begin construction of the Hard Rock hotel-casino later that year for an opening in December 1994.
Harvey's (also spelled "Harveys") had previously made an attempt to purchase the Bally's resort in Reno, Nevada, in 1992.
Harveys' banker had also been working separately on the original Hard Rock deal between Morton and Harrah's.
When the latter deal also did not work out, the banker brought Morton and Harveys together to partner on the Hard Rock project.
Harveys arranged the project's financing through a consortium of six banks led by First Interstate Bank of Nevada.
Morton was a majority shareholder in the project, with a 60 percent interest.
Harvey's held the remaining 40 percent and also managed the property, including the casino, with a contract that was to last until March 1998.
The property for the eventual resort was co-owned by Paul Lowden of Santa Fe Gaming, and the land was sold to the Hard Rock developers in 1994.
A groundbreaking ceremony took place on February 23, 1994.
Attendees included Nevada governor Bob Miller and singers B.B. King, Eddie Van Halen, Chris Isaak, and Robin Wilson.
The opening was on track for December 1994.
The Hard Rock was built at 4455 Paradise Road, at a cost of $90 million.

The Hard Rock Hotel ultimately opened on the night of March 10, 1995, with a grand opening event attended by various celebrities.
The resort included a 28,000 sq ft (2,600 m²) casino and an 11-story hotel with 339 rooms.
The Hard Rock was small compared to megaresorts located on the nearby Las Vegas Strip.
Morton disliked the emerging trend of megaresorts in Las Vegas and described the Hard Rock as a smaller alternative.
Approximately 12,500 people applied for jobs at the new resort, and 950 were selected to staff it.
The resort intended to target the Generation X demographic.
It was the world's first rock and roll-themed hotel, and the grand opening included performances by Al Green, Sheryl Crow, and the Eagles.
The Joint was the Hard Rock's 1,200-seat concert venue, which held rock concerts.
Aside from the guitar sign at the nearby cafe, the resort had its own giant guitar located atop the porte-cochère.
It was the world's largest Fender Stratocaster guitar.
Danny Way later performed a skateboarding stunt in which he dropped onto a ramp from a platform positioned near the top of the guitar sign.

The property had environmentally friendly features, including low-flow toilets, biodegradable cleaning products used by housekeepers, laundry and pool water recycled for irrigation, automatic shut-off valves on each of the public faucets, recycle bins located throughout the resort, and the donation of leftover food to charities.
In addition, the earnings from certain slot machines were donated to environmental organizations such as Conservation International and Rainforest Foundation.
T-shirts featuring the Hard Rock logo were sold at the resort and proved to be popular.
In its first year of operation, the Hard Rock earned more revenue from the T-shirts than its hotel rooms.

A planned 350-room expansion was on hold as of October 1996, du
A Hard Rock Cafe opened in September 1990, on the southeast corner of the property that would eventually include the Hard Rock resort. The café featured an 82-foot-tall Gibson Les Paul guitar sign. The Hard Rock hotel-casino was announced on June 5, 1991, as the first such project in the company's history. It would be built beside the restaurant. Company co-founder Peter Morton said, "We did a lot of marketing studies. Everything gave us an extremely strong indication that there are a lot of 30-year-olds in America who go to Bruce Springsteen concerts and like to gamble." Groundbreaking was scheduled for later that year, with a planned opening in late 1992 or early 1993. The casino would be developed and managed by Harrah's Casino Hotels, the gaming subsidiary of Promus Companies. Plans to build the project with Harrah's were later abandoned.
In September 1993, Hard Rock announced a partnership with the Lake Tahoe-based Harvey's Hotel & Casino. They formed a new corporation and planned to begin construction of the Hard Rock hotel-casino later that year for an opening in December 1994. Harvey's (also spelled "Harveys") had previously made an attempt to purchase the Bally's resort in Reno, Nevada, in 1992. Harveys' banker had also been working separately on the original Hard Rock deal between Morton and Harrah's. When the latter deal also did not work out, the banker brought Morton and Harveys together to partner on the Hard Rock project. Harveys arranged the project's financing through a consortium of six banks led by First Interstate Bank of Nevada. Morton was a majority shareholder in the project, with a 60 percent interest. Harvey's held the remaining 40 percent and also managed the property, including the casino, with a contract that was to last until March 1998. The property for the eventual resort was co-owned by Paul Lowden of Santa Fe Gaming, and the land was sold to the Hard Rock developers in 1994. A groundbreaking ceremony took place on February 23, 1994. Attendees included Nevada governor Bob Miller and singers B.B. King, Eddie Van Halen, Chris Isaak, and Robin Wilson. The opening was on track for December 1994. The Hard Rock was built at 4455 Paradise Road, at a cost of $90 million.
The Hard Rock Hotel ultimately opened on the night of March 10, 1995, with a grand opening event attended by various celebrities. The resort included a 28,000 sq ft (2,600 m²) casino and an 11-story hotel with 339 rooms. The Hard Rock was small compared to megaresorts located on the nearby Las Vegas Strip. Morton disliked the emerging trend of megaresorts in Las Vegas and described the Hard Rock as a smaller alternative. Approximately 12,500 people applied for jobs at the new resort, and 950 were selected to staff it. The resort intended to target the Generation X demographic. It was the world's first rock and roll-themed hotel, and the grand opening included performances by Al Green, Sheryl Crow, and the Eagles. The Joint was the Hard Rock's 1,200-seat concert venue, which held rock concerts. Aside from the guitar sign at the nearby cafe, the resort had its own giant guitar located atop the porte-cochère. It was the world's largest Fender Stratocaster guitar. Danny Way later performed a skateboarding stunt in which he dropped onto a ramp from a platform positioned near the top of the guitar sign.
The property had environmentally friendly features, including low-flow toilets, biodegradable cleaning products used by housekeepers, laundry and pool water recycled for irrigation, automatic shut-off valves on each of the public faucets, recycle bins located throughout the resort, and the donation of leftover food to charities. In addition, the earnings from certain slot machines were donated to environmental organizations such as Conservation International and Rainforest Foundation. T-shirts featuring the Hard Rock logo were sold at the resort and proved to be popular. In its first year of operation, the Hard Rock earned more revenue from the T-shirts than its hotel rooms.
A planned 350-room expansion was on hold as of October 1996, du
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas)