WVAS Local

Alabama's first Hard Rock Hotel

WVAS | By Melanie Hogan

Published July 24, 2025 at 7:26 PM EDT

The state of Alabama will soon be getting its first Hard Rock Hotel. A spokesperson for developer Sak Capital Partners confirmed earlier this week that the hotel will be located in downtown Florence on the site of the old Days Inn, which has been vacant for the past 15 years.

Leaders in Lauderdale County say the site was chosen because of its close proximity to Muscle Shoals, which still has a few recording studios operating in the area.

WVAS Local

Melanie Hogan

Melanie began her career as a work study student, working in the areas of news reporting, anchoring and news-gathering. After graduating from Alabama State University, she worked as a production assistant at the local NBC affiliate, WSFA-TV. As a News Director at WVAS-FM, Melanie leads her team to produce award- winning newscasts and talk shows. Her professional achievements includes News Reporter of the Year for a number of years and awards for talk show producer, by the Alabama Broadcasters Association and the Associated Press. She is an active member of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Her goals are to expand the reach of WVAS FM into more homes locally, regionally and nationally.

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