Behind The Brand with Giorgio Borlenghi & the Hard Rock Hotel, Casino & Residences San Juan

Giorgio Borlenghi has been building landmark projects since 1978, when he founded The Interfin Companies in Houston and commissioned César Pelli to design what would become the Four Leaf Towers. Nearly five decades later, his focus has shifted entirely — Interfin is now concentrating its development activity in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where it is partnering with Hard Rock International, Misla Hospitality, and Stonecrest Investment Management on an $850 million hotel, casino, and branded residence project slated to open in 2029. The 186 Hard Rock Residences will mark the brand’s first branded residence offering in the United States.

Branded Living: You’ve spent most of your career building in Houston. What drew you to Puerto Rico?

Giorgio Borlenghi: There were projects here that really captured our attention. We have one already under construction in Hato Rey, where we’re transforming an older office building on the Golden Mile into a 168-key Marriott Autograph Collection hotel with 32 branded condominiums on top. And now we’re working very hard finishing up all the necessary requirements for Hard Rock. We basically stopped doing things in Houston. We’re now concentrating in San Juan.

BL: Hard Rock is known for its rock-and-roll heritage, but Puerto Rico has a very distinct musical identity of its own. How do those two meet in this project?

GB: The focus on the entire property is going to be Puerto Rico music. Hard Rock hotels always have music themes — the memorabilia, the dresses, the jackets, the guitars — but here they want to really make it into a celebration of Puerto Rican music. They’re working very hard already to orchestrate all of that. It’s going to be exciting also for the community, because it deserves it. It’s not just the Bad Bunnys of the world today. They go back many, many years — so many international stars came out of Puerto Rico.

BL: The project sits adjacent to Old San Juan, one of the most architecturally significant historic districts in the Americas. How did that shape your approach to the building’s design?

GB: When I got involved, there was already a preliminary design — an extremely modern building that looked like a spaceship. I said, if you want me involved, this is the first thing that has to change. We need to, with color and with stone, get as close as possible to what is there already. We will not mimic it, but it needs to be more genteel. I come from Milan. Milan has amazing contemporary architecture, but it integrates with what surrounds it. You don’t have things where you say, my God, what is that purple monstrosity? There is a certain element of respect, and that is what I’ve always tried to do. The top floors are mostly glass, of course — it cannot be anything else. But the base of the building, which is quite big, we’ve tried to make more conscientious of everything that’s around it, more respectful.

BL: Tell us about the residences. Who is the Hard Rock Residences buyer in San Juan?

GB: We see a number of different components of the target market. First, there are Puerto Ricans who live in the United States — many millions more than live on the island — who have an interest in having a base and owning something when they come home. We also wanted this project to provide housing for people who still want to live in the area but perhaps in a more contemporary building, because we think there is a genuine need for that. And we see investors who believe in Puerto Rico, because Puerto Rico is really up and coming right now, and this project is unique on the island.

BL: How is the Hard Rock Residences buyer different from someone purchasing at a fashion-branded tower in Miami?

GB: In Miami, you have affluent people coming from all over the world who recognize the brand and want to be associated with it. But in a way, it can become a theme and nothing else. I’ve toured Armani Casa — beautiful environment, everyone dressed in gray, the building is gray. But beside that, what do you get? There’s no hotel. Now they’re building a Dolce & Gabbana tower, and all it is is that the lobby has those fabrics. What does it mean to get those services together? Here, we have a hotel, a casino, a nightclub, six restaurants, a spa that doesn’t yet exist anywhere on the island, and three pools. We are a completely integrated facility. The original concept of branded residences — where you have the hotel and condominiums on top, and you get not just the experience of the brand but the services of the hotel — that’s what we’ve returned to.

BL: You made the decision not to have a separate entrance for residents. Can you talk about that?

GB: Usually when you do a branded residence project on top of a hotel, you have one entry for the hotel and one for the residences. We didn’t do that, because we think the people who are going to be here will want to be part of the energy from the first moment. Yes, if you have a car, you have special parking. But if you arrive by Uber, you come through the lobby. You see the energy. You have the casino on your left, a band playing in the lobby — and then you have a dedicated area where you check in as a resident and go to your elevators. We did not want to create two lifestyles. It’s one concept, one energy, one celebration of the music of your life. And I still stand by it.

BL: What does this project mean for San Juan beyond the building itself?

GB: Our project is going to be one of the first that will allow the entire surrounding area to redevelop and become more beautiful, more proper. The site has been a parking lot for decades — it’s reclaimed land right across from where the cruise ships arrive, and it has been waiting. I also think that Hard Rock as a brand is at a very exciting moment. They just received the license to do the casino in New York City. They’re doing a hotel in Athens. They’re building in Las Vegas. They’re a major international powerhouse that wants to become an integral part of the community, supporting local organizations and institutions. We are really happy to be part of that story. I truly appreciate this place — the history, the architecture, the feeling of Old San Juan. We want this building to honor that, and to be something the city is proud of for a very long time.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino San Juan is expected to create more than 2,500 direct construction jobs and approximately 1,250 permanent positions upon opening. The project breaks ground mid-2026, with the 186 Hard Rock Residences — the brand’s first in the United States — launching formal sales in April 2026. For more information, visit hardrockresidencessanjuan.com.