Hard Rock Cafe International Strengthens Position in Hotel and Leisure by Signing Licensing Agreement With Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians

Business Wire, Jan 23, 2003

Business Editors

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 23, 2003

Deal calls for the development of 300-room Hard Rock Hotel and

a Hard Rock Beach Club

Hard Rock Cafe International today reinforced its position in the hotel and leisure sector by entering into a licensing agreement with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

The agreement calls for the Choctaws to develop and operate a 300-room Hard Rock Hotel at the Pearl River Resort in Choctaw, Mississippi. Additionally Hard Rock Cafe International will operate a Hard Rock Beach Club at Pearl River Resort's new nine-acre beach opening this summer.

"Combining the worldwide recognition of the Hard Rock brand with the Choctaw's already successful hotel and gaming operations is an absolute home-run," said Pete Beaudrault, President and CEO of Hard Rock Cafe International.

"Our goal is to continue to make strategic moves to further position The Pearl River Resort as the premiere regional entertainment, lodging and gaming destination in the Southeast, " said Mississippi Band of

Choctaw Indians Chief Phillip Martin. "We feel the partnership between Pearl River Resort and Hard Rock Cafe will prove to be very successful and great entertainment for our guests."

Pearl River Resort is already the home to Silver Star and Golden Moon hotels and casinos boasting over 4,800 slot machines and 140 table games. The twin casinos house approximately 1,100 rooms including suites and luxury suites. The Resort's Dancing Rabbit Golf Club has 36-holes of championship golf and is rated number 35 in Golf Magazine's "Top 100 You Can Play." Summer of 2002 brought Geyser Falls Water Theme Park, a 15 acre, $20 million water park featuring Thunder Lake wave pool, Creaky Leaky Water Factory, Lil' Squirts Hollow, Roundabout Lazy River and 12 major water slides including BackSplash!, the only slide of its kind.

The Hard Rock Beach Club is a new product offering being launched by Orlando-based Hard Rock Cafe International. The Beach Club will immerse guests in a 360 degree indoor/outdoor tropical environment featuring sandy beaches, heated pools, open air porches, live performance stages, dance areas and a full-service restaurant. This unique lifestyle venue will include many familiar Hard Rock menu items and will also feature a number of new additions representative of its tropical surroundings.

The planned Hard Rock Hotel - scheduled to open by 2006 - will build on the success of the Hard Rock Hotel brand joining sister properties currently open in Bali, Las Vegas, Pattaya and Orlando as well as locations currently under construction in Chicago, Tampa and Hollywood (FL).

The Hard Rock Hotel Chicago is scheduled to open in late 2003 and represents the first property to be managed by Hard Rock Cafe International. The locations in Tampa and Hollywood are part of a previously announced licensing agreement with the Seminole Indian Tribe of Florida scheduled to open in Summer 2004.

Hard Rock Cafe, one of the most globally recognized music and entertainment brands, has a network of more than 100 signature cafes in 40 countries and a music memorabilia collection worth in excess of $32 million.

Known for collectible and fashion merchandise, live concerts, Hard Rock Live performance venues, the Hard Rock Vault, the Hard Rock Records music label, hardrock.com, and Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos, Hard Rock Cafe International, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of London-based The Rank Group Plc (Nasdaq: RANKY).