A new Hard Rock Hotel is to open in New York as part of a joint venture agreement between the Spanish hotel chain Sol Meliá and the Rank group, owner of the Hard Rock brand.

Following the Hard Rock Chicago joint venture site – which opened in January this year – the Hard Rock Hotel New York is Sol Meliá’s second move into the American hospitality market.

Further Hard Rock Hotel expansion plans have been confirmed for other US cities and key European capitals.

Vice president of hotels and casinos at Hard Rock Cafe International, Trevor Horwell, said: “Bringing Hard Rock Hotel to New York and Times Square further establishes the brand as a force in the hotel industry.

“We plan to improve the quality of the hotel to bring it to the standards that guests expect from us.”

The new Hard Rock Hotel New York will be situated on Times Square. Formerly an Ian Schrager hotel, it will undergo a multi-million dollar refurbishment in early 2005 before reopening.