The Mirage, the iconic Las Vegas hotel and casino that ushered in the age of mega-casinos, will be closing for renovations starting this July. When the hotel re-opens in 2027, it will re-emerge as the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel, complete with a 700-foot guitar as its calling card.
When the Mirage first opened back in 1989, it changed the way Vegas casinos, and ultimately casinos across the world, presented themselves. Visitors to the Las Vegas Strip were wowed by the massive casino’s fully operating volcano which was visible from the street. Over the years, the Mirage became just as well-known for hosting iconic Vegas acts such as Siegfried and Roy, and Cirque de Solei.
Since 2022, the Mirage has been the only Vegas casino run by a tribal gaming interest, the Seminole Tribe of Florida (who also own Hard Rock International). Re-branding as a Hard Rock Property has always been the plan, though the company spent the last couple years developing the transition plan. That plan was complicated by the necessity of creating severance for the Mirage’s roughly 3,000 employees, who will be out of work for three years.
According to a report in the Las Vegas Sun, workers will have the option to choose a $2,000 bonus for every year of service they’ve had with the company, along with six months of severance; or they can choose a smaller amount of cash while retaining seniority and 36 months of recall rights.
Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International told reporters that his company will be completely gutting the Mirage to create an entirely new experience at the hotel. That means that if you want to take one more look at the iconic volcano, you’d better get to Vegas before July 17.