The phrase "Party like a rock star" conjures images of adult excess, but a new facility at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana enables younger guests to live out their rock 'n' roll fantasies, too.
The 1,790-room, all-inclusive resort recently unveiled its Kidz Bop Experience, and last month, the seven current members of the Kidz Bop Kids helped mark the opening with a four-day celebration at the property, kicking things off with a guitar-smashing session in lieu of a ribbon-cutting.
The dedicated Kidz Bop Experience area includes the Pop Star Lounge, where young guests "will work with a Tour Manager to create a custom band name, learn their favorite Kidz Bop dance moves, put together their red carpet-worthy look, take their A-list photo and perform on the big stage," according to a statement from Hard Rock.
The lounge also includes a Listening Studio loft, which the resort's website calls the "ultimate place to chill and hear the latest Kidz Bop songs."
(Kidz Bop specializes in producing versions of popular songs that otherwise might be too adult for young ears. According to the Kidz Bop website, the company has sold over 17 million albums since launching in 2001.)
Activities will also include songwriting, karaoke and a "Creation Station" where guests can design their own album covers. The Kidz Bop Experience "will also feature a series of fun pool parties, pop-up activities and dynamic events throughout the property as part of the hotel's weekly programming," according to the Hard Rock.
This, of course, is in addition to signature Hard Rock amenities such as the long-standing Sound of Your Stay program, which enables guests young and old to hone their musical chops with complimentary in-room use of a Fender guitar.
In a statement, Sasha Junk, senior vice president of marketing for Kidz Bop, said: "Fans always ask, 'What's it like to be a Kidz Bop Kid?' Now, they can feel like a star for their whole vacation."
"This partnership with Kidz Bop puts our smallest VIPs at the forefront and adds an exciting and elevated dimension to our guests' experience at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana," added Frank Maduro, marketing vice president at AIC Hotel Group, which leads the property's sales and marketing efforts. "It sets the stage for an unmatched family vacation."
Kidz Bop Experience sessions are offered at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the program is designed for ages 4 to 12. (An AIC representative suggested that ages 5 and up might be best suited for the programming, which involves reading and writing.)
Hard Rock International's portfolio comprises 182 cafes, 24 hotels and 11 casinos in 75 countries. In addition to the Punta Cana property, AIC oversees sales and marketing for four Hard Rock all-inclusives in Mexico (Hard Rock Hotel Cancun, Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya and Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos, which is scheduled to open next year).
For more information on the Kidz Bop Experience, visit www.hardrockhotelpunta cana.com/kidz-bop-experience.htm.