In Brief: The Tejon Indian Tribe and Hard Rock International broke ground on a more than $725 million expansion of Hard Rock Casino Tejon in Mettler that is scheduled to add a 406-room hotel and other facilities with an anticipated opening of Summer 2028.
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Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon Rendering. Credit: Hard Rock Casino Tejon.
The Tejon Indian Tribe and Hard Rock International broke ground on a more than $725 million expansion of Hard Rock Casino Tejon in Mettler that is scheduled to add a 406-room hotel and other facilities with an anticipated opening of Summer 2028.
The project will rename the property Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon and add hotel, gaming, dining, meeting, entertainment, pool and spa facilities. Construction began following the groundbreaking ceremony.
The hotel will have 406 rooms, including 119 suites, with king and double-queen accommodations. The project also includes two resort-style pools with cabanas and daybeds, plus a Rock Spa with 13 treatment rooms.
Gaming capacity will increase by 900 slot machines, bringing the property total to 3,000 slots. Dining additions will include Council Oak Steaks & Seafood, two additional outlets in The Marketplace, and a new Center Bar.
The expansion also calls for multi-use convention and event space, three smaller meeting and conference rooms, pre-function space and an outdoor event lawn.
The project is expected to create more than 1,500 construction jobs during development. The hotel and added amenities are also expected to create 350 permanent positions, bringing the property to more than 1,700 permanent positions.
Hard Rock Casino Tejon opened in November 2025. The property is on Tejon Indian tribal land in Mettler, less than 15 miles south of Bakersfield.
The existing casino has 150,000 square feet of gaming space, 2,100 slot machines, more than 60 table games and dining outlets including Hard Rock Cafe, The Marketplace, Deep Cut Steak | Seafood and YouYu.