Las Vegas Mirage to Close in Favor of Hard Rock Hotel

By John Isaac,
Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac is an editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He writes expert articles on card games like blackjack and poker. In addition, he is also well aware of the US gambling laws and the Indian and Dutch gambling markets. You can rely on verified information and insightful details.

• Twitter
• Email

More About John Isaac

Last updated: May 29, 2024

An iconic Las Vegas mainstay is set to close soon as The Mirage slowly transforms into Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas. Hard Rock International bought The Mirage Hotel & Casino in 2021 for nearly $1.1 billion from its former operators, MGM Resorts International.

Construction to Begin Soon

The hotel, known for its white tigers among other attractions, will finally close on July 17. Much construction is planned, including the building of a 700-foot-tall tower of rooms that will appear in the shape of a guitar. The guitar is similar to that of another Hard Rock site, the Seminole Hard Rock based in South Florida.

This new guitar tower for Las Vegas will provide 3,600 rooms for Las Vegas customers. Furthermore, casino offerings will span an impressive 174,000 square feet. This is almost double the square footage of the building’s current casino floor.

The first piece of demolition that has been approved is The Mirage’s “volcano” which appears outside at the base of the building.

The renovated resort is projected to provide twice as many jobs as the original Mirage site did, as 2,500 construction workers are needed. Employees who decide to stay on for the duration of the renovation will also be paid out in severance packages worth a total of $80 million.

Outcry from Fans of The Mirage

The plans to redevelop the site were announced more than two years ago. In this time, many fans of The Mirage spoke out and advocated for its preservation. One petition under the name “Save The Volcano of The Mirage in Las Vegas” collected nearly 11,000 signature.

Another loss in the destruction of The Mirage brand is that of the Cirque du Soleil show, “The Beatles LOVE” which has run continuously for nearly 20 years at the venue. The show will have its final performance on July 7, 2024.

Because many bookings were already in place for after the planned closure date, all of these will be refunded. Meanwhile, the Hard Rock Cafe located on the Strip remains open to visitors.

Union Workers Affected by Closure

Another important component of the changes to The Mirage is how it affects union workers. For example, hospitality workers at The Mirage have a strong union of 1,700 members. These workers should be protected for the duration of time that the property is closed, which is estimated to be between July 2024 to May 2027.

This was confirmed by a statement made by the Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer, Ted Pappageorge, who wrote: “Late last year, the Culinary Union negotiated for and won redevelopment and closure language to ensure workers have the option to choose either a service recognition bonus of $2,000 for every year of service, plus 6 months of pension and health benefits (or a lesser amount while maintaining seniority rights for the duration of the property’s closure), and 36-months of recall rights.” It looks like workers will receive other major benefits and support as well.