Dubai Hard Rock Cafe lands world's largest guitar

When Hard Rock Café reopens at Dubai Festival City in October this year it will be its largest outlet outside North America and will include a 118-foot guitar, which is set to be the largest in the world, the US-based hospitality company confirmed on Monday.

Hard Rock Cafe Dubai previously spent eleven years located on Sheikh Zayed Road and closed in March 2009. However, Hard Rock International announced on Monday that the rock-‘n’-roll themed restaurant will reopen at Dubai Festival City in October this year.

Hard Rock International also confirmed that it is planning to follow up the opening of the new café with the launch of themed Hard Rock hotels in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in 2013.

The new 26,400-square-foot themed cafe will have seating for 300 guests, Hard Rock’s traditional rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia and a Hard Rock Shop, which will be the largest rock memorabilia retail store in the world.

The October opening will mark the biggest Hard Rock Café outside North America and the restaurant’s crowning glory will be a 118-foot guitar, which is anticipated to be the largest in the world and will be submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records for approval.

“We cannot wait to return to Dubai,” said Oliver Munday, vice president of franchise operations and development at Hard Rock International. “This market is famous for being a global commerce capital with a vibrant entertainment scene. Our investment in the UAE is indicative of our commitment to making Hard Rock Cafe an integral part of the continuing evolution of Dubai.”

“I am very proud to add Hard Rock Cafe as an integral part of the mall’s offerings,” added Tom Miles, director of shopping centres at Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate, owners of Dubai Festival City.

Hard Rock International was founded in London in 1971 and has its headquarters in Orlando, Florida. It has a total of 168 venues in 52 countries, including 133 cafes and fourteen hotels