Hard Rock International, on Wednesday (15 May), announced it would close The Mirage Hotel & Casino for renovations by 17 July. HRI announced that it would develop a new resort with a 700ft-tall version of Hard Rock Hotel’s guitar-shaped tower.
Hotel occupancy is limited until 14th July. No date has yet been set for the destruction of The Mirage’s famous volcano. According to 2News Nevada, while HRI shuts down The Mirage for the rebranding project, the hotel’s tower will stay open.
All hotel and show bookings made after 14 July are automatically cancelled and refunded.
The Mirage was Steve Wynn’s first major project in Las Vegas. It opened its doors on November 29, 1989. In its current configuration the complex has 3 044 guest rooms and covers 65 acres. Wynn is not involved with The Mirage anymore since 2000 when he sold Mirage Resorts (now MGM Grand) to MGM Grand. He then formed Wynn Resorts, which was founded in 2002. HRI acquired the property in 2020. The complex, owned by Florida’s Seminole Tribe, is the first to be operated on the Strip by a tribal group.
HRI had previously stated that the renovation would begin in some form of 2024. Hard Rock Hotel’s tower will be nearly 1,44 million square feet. On 37 floors, the new tower is expected to have 600 rooms. Existing Mirage Hotel tower is 31 stories high.
The evolution of a strip
HRI CEO Jim Allen stated via release that “we’d like thank Las Vegas and its team members for welcoming Hard Rock back after spending 34 years in the Mirage.” We’d like to also thank local, state and federal government organizations, unions and community leaders for their fair and supportive negotiations.
HRI, which purchased the property in Las Vegas in 2022 has been involved with Las Vegas ever since. It became the presenting sponsor of Formula 1’s November 2023 event last year. It had a grandstand with 3,000 seats in front of its hotel. It also held educational and hospitality events for fans.
The latest development in the Strip’s ever-changing landscape will be to shut down The Mirage. On 29 September 2023, the Sphere will open a block away from the Strip. Resorts World and the Fontainebleau opened their doors in December last year, while Resorts World was opened by 2021.
The Tropicana, at the opposite end of Las Vegas Strip, closed its doors last month. Plans are in place to tear it down, perhaps as early as October. A professional baseball stadium and Bally’s Casino Resort are being planned on the site. Bally’s is not expected to complete its project until 2028. The ballpark should be finished by then.
