Jewish tourists who want to visit the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood will be able to stay at a Kosher hotel directly across the street starting in late 2023, and they may have another kosher option near the tribal resort by late 2024.
The 100-room Dolce by Wyndham Hollywood will feature a “Sabbath elevator” that automatically stops on every floor, manual room keys, a rooftop Kosher restaurant and bar, G7 Rooftop, among other features designed to appeal to observant Jewish guests.
Sharon Sharaby, one of the developers of the Dolce by Wyndham Hollywood project, said some Florida hotels provide kosher services during Jewish holidays, but his will be the only one to cater to observant Jewish people year-round. “Nobody does it 365 days a year,” he said.
Sharaby said his kosher accommodations will appeal to Jewish travelers who love casinos more than beaches. “There are people who look at casinos like the ocean: They want to wake up in front of a casino,” he said.
Under construction since June, the grand opening of the seven-story Dolce by Wyndham Hollywood is scheduled for October of 2023, said Sharaby, who is developing the hotel with his partner Guy Levintin through their Hollywood-based company, BSD Capital LLC.
At about the time the Wyndham-flagged kosher hotel opens at 5510 State Road 7 in Hollywood, BSD Capital expects to break ground on another one at a site two blocks north at 5300 State Road 7 as part of a mixed-use development with 64 condominium units.
Bearing the upscale Wyndham Grand brand, the second kosher hotel will have 200 rooms and would allow owners of the 64 condos to offer their units for short-term rentals through Wyndham’s reservation system.
The Wyndham Grand will be part of a mixed-use development with 50,000 square feet of office space, 26,000 of retail space, 13,000 square feet of event space, and two restaurants. The mixed-use project is pending city approval. It could be completed by 2024, Sharaby said.
Located directly across State Road 7 from the Dolce by Wyndham Hollywood site and two blocks south of the site of the Wyndham Grand project, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is the primary off-site amenity, not a competitor, Sharaby said.
The Seminole Hard Rock has 194,000 square feet of gaming space, more than 150,000 square feet of meeting space, and a 7,000-seat theater that draws top entertainers like Dave Chappelle, Eric Clapton, Kevin James and Alicia Keys. “The Hard Rock right now is $500 to $600 a night. That’s a basic, standard room,” he said. “We’re going to be around $250 a night.”