Florida's 'gaudy' guitar-shaped hotel divides residents

An artist's impression of the guitar shaped hotel at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Photo / Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

A uniquely zany hotel in the shape of a guitar is dividing locals in Florida.

Part of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino complex in Hollywood – no, not the one in Los Angeles – the under-construction tower rises to an impressive 137 metres. It is expected to open later in 2019.

The new complext will hold 806 rooms, with 638 in the iconic guitar tower, each at least a generous 48 square metres.

As you'd imagine, this "rock star" of a hotel is generating a buzz around the town – but the daring design hasn't struck a chord with everyone, with locals describing it as gaudy and garish. Others love it, for exactly the same reasons.

The hotel is currently under construction. Photo / Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

"It's very iconic and very cool," Hollywood Commissioner Peter Hernandez told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "You can't miss it. Everyone I know says, 'Wow, you can see it from miles away.'"

To add to its visability, the giant guitar will emit 6 powerful beams of light from each side, that will shine directly up into the sky.

It's expected the lights will be visible from as far as Miami Beach and Boca Raton.

"At night, there will be this illusion of a guitar neck that goes to infinity," said Gary Bitner, spokesman for Seminole Tribe of Florida. "It will be quite amazing, kind of like the [light on the] Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas. It's going to be quite dramatic and unique for South Florida. It's really going to be something."

However, not everyone is quite as excited by the new hotel.

Some critics are concerned it will distract drivers on surrounding roads. Photo / Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Commenters on an article about the construction on Miami.com slammed the building as "ugly", blight on our land" and "a monstrosity".

According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, some critics are also concerned that guitar hotel could cause accidents, as commuters stop to look at it while driving on surrounding roads.

One fan of the hotel was excited to see the hotel from the air.

"We have a lot of tourists that fly into Fort Lauderdale," Joel Leshinsky told the Sun Sentinel. "The biggest icon you get to see as you fly over is the garbage dump. To now see a magical guitar is pretty neat. It's better than flying in and seeing a dump."

The hotel will shoot six beams of light into the sky from each side of the building. Photo / Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

In the United States, many casinos are operated by Native American tribes, as their reservations and other tribal lands have tribal sovereignty – meaning states have limited ability to forbid gambling in them.

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is owned and operated by the Seminole people, who originate in Florida. Today, most tribe members live in Oklahoma, but a minority still call Florida home. They compromise three federally recognised tribes: the Seminole Tribe of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida.