Hard Rock International, Gek Terna Group and the Athens community have celebrated the groundbreaking of the luxury resort and Casino in the heart of the Athens Rivera. The groundbreaking event featured a commemorative shovel celebration at the historical Hellinikon Airport. The ceremony to follow was conducted at the Hellinikon Experience Center and included the Hard Rock International executives, Gek Terna Group executives, Greek government officials, political dignitaries and local community leaders.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Athens will be the first integrated resort in continental Europe. It will serve as an economic driver for entertainment and tourism in Athens. Expected to open in 2027, the resort will be a unique destination, combining an upscale hotel, a world-class gaming floor, a premier meeting and convention space, a state-of-the-art entertainment venue, an internationally renowned food and beverage, a luxurious Rock Spa and Pool Complex, and a high-end retail promenade.
The €1.5 billion construction project is a state-of-the-art facility projected to generate 3,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs that will not only stimulate the local economy of Athens. Still, it will also have an immediate positive impact on Greece’s economy.
“Today is a very special day as we celebrate this momentous occasion to bring our unique brand of world-class entertainment to Athens,” said Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International. “We are grateful to all the political leaders, our partners at Gek Terna and the people of Athens for supporting us and this project.”
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Athens brings a vibrant casino comprised of 180 tables and 1,500 gaming machines and a tower comprising 1,100 guest rooms and 15 dining options. The project includes a 3,000-seat Hard Rock Live theatre with standing room for 4,000 guests and the Rock Spa and Body Rock Fitness.
Inspired by Athens’s rich legacy and culture and the beautiful Mediterranean landscape, this one-of-a-kind destination expands upon Hard Rock’s growing presence in Europe. Hard Rock and Gek Terna Group’s commitment to this project represents the shared vision with the Greek government and Lamda Development to transform the historical Hellinikon Airport into a world-class redevelopment further to enhance the city and Greece’s tourism industry.
George Peristeris, Chairman and CEO of Gek Terna Group, stated: “We are delighted that in cooperation with a world leader in this sector, Hard Rock International, we are realising an investment much higher than its already significant nominal value, offering Greece a development project that will be a reference point for our country’s tourism product internationally, will offer employment to thousands of people and yield significant revenues to the national budget. A project with high domestic added value, as all our investments have always intended.” George Peristeris continued: “The Integrated Resort Complex in Hellinikon is no longer a promise, a vision, or a plan. It is a project already being built, proving that we implement our commitments in practice.”
About Hard Rock
Hard Rock International (HRI) is a globally recognised company with venues in over 70 countries spanning 300 locations, including owned/licensed or managed Hotels, Casinos, Rock Shops, Live Performance Venues and Cafes. HRI also launched a joint venture named Hard Rock Digital in 2020, an online sportsbook, retail sportsbook and internet gaming platform. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world’s largest and most valuable collection of authentic music memorabilia, more than 87,000 pieces, which are displayed at its locations around the globe. In 2023, Hard Rock Hotels was honoured by J.D. Power’s North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study as the number one Upper Upscale Hotels brand in Outstanding Guest Satisfaction for the fourth time over the last five years.
