- April 30, 2026
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Travis Lunn has never been one for table games or slot machines, he says.
Instead, he’s always been the man running the games, working his way up through the ranks at some of the most recognizable casinos on the Las Vegas strip, from The MGM Grand Resort to Mandalay Bay, The W, Luxor and The Four Seasons.
But after more than 20 years in the Las Vegas market, Lunn, 52, decided it was time to bet big with his career, when he learned the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa was looking for a new president.
The gamble paid off: Lunn got the gig. His first day on the job was Feb. 1.
It’s a far from Vegas. But it's also a change Lunn says feels like hitting the jackpot.
“In the Las Vegas market, a guest might only visit one or two times a year — it’s very transient,” Lunn says. “But what I really enjoy about being in a regional market, and what really interested me in the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, was that we get to build a really strong relationship with the guests that come visit us. We’re a local attraction where, even though people may be traveling hundreds of miles to come stay with us, we also have regulars living in our region who get to know us and form relationships with our staff.”
Lunn's first 100 days at Seminole come during a frenzied time for the gaming industry. To wit: The U.S. commercial gaming industry generated record-breaking revenue for a fourth consecutive year in 2024, driven by strong growth in iGaming and mobile sports betting, according to a 2025 report from the American Gaming Association.
It’s building on relationships, meanwhile, both with staff and with guests, that has kept Lunn’s love affair with casinos and the hospitality industry alive, he says.
A Boston native, Lunn was a teenager when his father’s job at Southwest Gas moved the family to Las Vegas. And it didn’t take long for Lunn to fall in love with the fast paced world of hospitality, working his way up from a front desk agent at a casino on the strip to housekeeping manager, to hotel manager to director of sales. Lunn graduated from the hotel program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, which has since recognized him as a “Mentor of the Year.”
That’s because he never forgot what it was like to be washing dishes in the back of the house, he says.
“The hotel is not going to be successful alone. The casino is not going to be successful alone. It truly takes a team of people coming together,” Lunn says. “I love that we don’t really create a product, we create experiences and we do that through all of our team members working together and getting to know each other. All of our team members are unique and bring something different to the property that really makes us special.”
Learning about those team members — 4,450 in all — was first on Lunn’s to-do list when he came into his new job at the Seminole Hard Rock, he says. Talking to cooks, busboys, front desk pages, card dealers and learning what they think could be done better, Lunn says.
“I believe in a servant leadership style,” Lunn says. “So for me, it’s all about empowering those great leaders on my team, marrying all these complex businesses together and making sure we’re making the right decisions for our guests and our team members.”
For now, Lunn says he’s simply excited to continue building on the momentum already in place at both the Seminole Hard Rock and other locations nationwide. Even he was surprised by the number of events, concerts, giveaways and guest activations the hotel and casino put on each month, he says. And just last year, the Seminole Hard Rock completed $65 million in upgrades to the 22-year-old property.
Changes have come fast and frequently at the Seminole Hard Rock. It wasn’t until 2010 that the state allowed the casino a Class 3 license, ushering in Las Vegas style games and a $700 million expansion in 2019 that brought in 200,000 square feet of space for games and entertainment. That includes 5,200 slot machines and 190 gaming tables.
The crown jewel of the 2019 project was the opening of a 15-story hotel tower that raised the total number of rooms available to 802. Now, the hotel and casino campus spans 38 acres, with 245,000 square feet of gaming space. There are three swimming pools on a 60,000-square-foot pool deck, 14 restaurants, 9 stores, an exclusive spa and the Hard Rock Event Center, where guests can see rock legends like Sting and Rod Stewart in an intimate, 1,400-seat venue.
The Seminole Hard Rock even boasts its own small fleet of helicopters, ferrying guests to and from its sister property in Orlando.
“For me, what makes a great casino is our ability to anticipate the needs of our guests and continue to make something new,” Lunn says. “How do we keep our gaming floor and all of those restaurants fresh? Do we have the latest machines and are we putting them in the right places? It’s talking to team members, talking to guests, and challenging ourselves to always achieve continuous improvement.”
One new addition to the Seminole Hard Rock catalogue happened April 4, when the hotel and casino launched a partnership with The Motor Enclave in Tampa. Some six minutes away from the Seminole Hard Rock, guests will be able to enjoy the Motor Enclave’s private garage featuring more than 3,000 classic cars and driving circuit, which will be renamed the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Speedway, says Gina Araya, vice president of brand reputation for the Hard Rock.
“It’s really an exclusive experience that we’re going to provide to our guests at the Hard Rock where they’ll actually be able to ride in vehicles and drive their own vehicles on the track.” says Araya.
“It’s truly incredible, the bank strength that the Hard Rock and the Seminole Tribe bring to the table, watching this casino grow into one of the premier destinations in the country,” Araya says. “Travis is a very seasoned gaming executive coming from one of the world’s biggest markets, so it just kind of shows you where we are and where we’re going as a brand and how we’ve truly evolved into a heavyweight contender not just nationally, but internationally as an entertainment company.”
For Lunn, though, maintaining and building on that success comes down to a simple lesson his mother instilled in him from an early age: Never forget your roots.
“It means stay humble, and I think that’s really important in this business because it’s exciting and there are always lots of opportunities,” Lunn says. “You have to remember that it’s the people working behind the scenes at all levels of business, the ones taking care of our guests, who truly make the biggest impact."
It's why Lunn says he mentors so many people so often.
"That’s the most important part of my job and honestly the best part — to invest in leadership and look for folks to make an impact," he says. "To see them be successful is so rewarding.”
