In what can be described as a pivotal moment for Las Vegas, the sparkling, effervescent Mirage hotel-casino, famously known as an emblem of a city that throbs to the beats of luxury and entertainment, is set to close its doors this summer. As a standard-bearer of Sin City’s transformation into an ultra-luxury resort destination, the closure of the Mirage signals the end of an influential epoch.
Primed for a definitive physical and thematic transition, the closure scheduled for July 17 will pave the way for significant renovations and construction on the sprawling 80-acre expanse. The vision is to reopen it in 2027 as the Hard Rock Las Vegas, a name that vibrates with its eponymous edgy grandeur. The rebranded property is set to feature a hotel tower cosmically conceived in the shape of a guitar, projected to skyrocket almost 700 feet above the energetic core of the Strip.
“Upon reflecting on the 34-year tenure of the Mirage within the embrace of the Las Vegas community and our dedicated team members, we express gratitude as Hard Rock gears up for the next chapter,” voiced a nostalgic and anticipatory Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International, who revealed this transformative news on Wednesday.
Interestingly, this marks the second occasion this year that a Strip casino bids farewell. The Tropicana Las Vegas concluded its 67-year reign in April, vacating the stage for a forthcoming $1.5 billion baseball stadium, the prospective abode of the Oakland A’s, relocating to relish Nevada’s warmth.
Positioned arrestingly on the Strip, the Mirage was a brainchild of former casino mogul Steve Wynn. When it first opened its doors in 1989 under the alluring Polynesian theme, it was hailed as the first-ever mega resort on the Strip. Consequently, it triggered a construction surge on the famed boulevard, lasting throughout the 1990s.
Adored for its mesmerizing volcano fountain, one of the earliest sidewalk attractions, the Mirage remained front and center on the Strip, even as the Venetian’s canals surfaced and the Bellagio’s dancing fountains added to its allure. It unified admirers across the globe, offering unforgettable spectacles of Siegfried and Roy taming white tigers, or a captivating Cirque du Soleil performance serenaded by a Beatles soundtrack.
Simultaneously, the Beatles-themed show, which remarkably managed to reunite Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr on several occasions during its 18-year stint, is scheduled bid adieu in July.
With this transformation, comes the melancholy announcement from the Hard Rock International that over 3,000 employees will face layoffs. The company expects to allocate approximately $80 million in severance.
In the face of this daunting news, the Culinary Workers Union, representing around 1,700 employees from the Mirage since its inception, assured employees of a contractual stipulation from last year. This contract safeguards laid-off workers with a $2,000 remuneration for each year of service, along with the promise of employment and maintenance of their seniority upon the hotel’s reopening.
The Mirage made headlines in 2022 when it became the pioneer Strip property to be commandeered by a Native American tribe. Hard Rock International, owned by Florida’s Seminole Tribe, purchased the property from MGM Resorts in a cash transaction worth around $1.1 billion.
At the time of purchase, Hard Rock announced that the Mirage would remain operational under the existing brand until renovation plans were finalized. Consequently, the Mirage has ceased accepting bookings beyond July 14, and all reservations post that date will be accordingly canceled and refunded as the hotel prepares to transform its decades-old legacy.
