Hard Rock Café opens in St George's Bay, as hotel plans August launch
St George's Bay outlet 'builds on long-standing partnership' between international brand and db Group
The Hard Rock Café opened in St George’s Bay on Tuesday, with the hotel expected to open in August.
The café is part of the expansive, mixed-use db project within the Hard Rock Hotel which is expected to have 394 rooms, 15 dining and nightlife concepts and a 3,000 square-metre Rock Spa.
The hotel, which is slated as a flagship property for the brand within Europe, Africa and the Middle East, was scheduled to open "in summer" but no date has been set yet even as bookings have already opened. A spokesperson said it is expected to open in August.
In a statement, db Group said the Hard Rock Café in St George’s Bay “builds on a long-standing partnership” between Hard Rock International and the db Group which first brought the brand to Malta in 2000 with an outlet in Bay Street.
Hard Rock opened two further outlets over the years, one at Malta International Airport and another at Valletta waterfront.
The St George’s Bay location, which is open seven days a week, seats over 180 people and features a purpose-built stage for weekly entertainment, a large terrace overlooking the bay and its trademark Rock shop.
The sprawling project on the site of the former Institute for Tourism Studies in Pembroke, has been subject of significant legal and environmental controversy over the years, facing thousands of objections and multiple court battles.
In 2021, the Planning Authority approved plans for a 17-storey tower and an 18-storey tower, alongside a 12-storey hotel. The db Group was given the green light by the PA to add an extra seven floors to the towers last year.
Last week a “small” fire broke out at a shopping outlet under construction within the shopping mall in the development. The area was still under construction and not open to the public.