On May 15, Hard Rock International (HRI) announced that the final day of operations for the longstanding Mirage Hotel & Casino will be July 17, in preparation for sweeping renovations that will transform the property into the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
The new integrated resort will feature a 700-foot tall guitar-shaped hotel tower, which is a staple of the Hard Rock brand. The company’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. features a 450-foot version.
July 14 will be the final day for hotel occupancy and any room or show reservations beyond that date will be refunded and canceled, the company said.
In addition to the new tower, the renovations will also include a 5,000-seat theater and more than 20 new dining options. The new property is slated to reopen in the spring of 2027.
“We’d like to thank the Las Vegas community and team members for warmly welcoming Hard Rock after enjoying 34 years at The Mirage,” HRI Chairman Jim Allen said in a statement. “We’d also like to thank the Unions, community leaders, local and state government organizations and the Gaming Commission for their support and fair negotiations over the past year. Also, we are grateful to MGM for assisting with our transition.”
Over 3,000 employees are expected to be laid off as a result of the closing, including 140 who had worked there since its opening. HRI said that it expects to pay approximately $80 million in severance packages.
Mirage President Joe Lupo said that the resort will hold employment fairs in the coming months with representatives from other properties. Affected employees will also have the chance to relocate to other HRI properties in Florida, Virginia, Ohio and Indiana.
“Connecting the thousands of talented Mirage team members who provide outstanding service with new employment opportunities is a top priority,” Lupo said in a statement.
Culinary Union 226, which agreed to a new contract at the property last year, said at the time that the deal included provisions for a closure as both sides knew it was imminent. Similar measures were put in place for the Tropicana, which closed in early April.
In a statement following the closure announcement, the union said that laid off employees will receive $2,000 per year of service to the resort, or lesser amounts should they opt to keep their seniority rights.
The “Love” Beatles-themed Cirque du Soleil show will end its 18-year run July 7 and the theater will be demolished in the course of the renovations.
Magician Shin Lim’s last show at the property is believed to be July 14 but is unconfirmed. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Lim is expected to move to the Palazzo Theater later this year.
The iconic Mirage volcano attraction will also be demolished, to make way for the guitar tower. A favorite among locals and tourists alike, a number of online petitions were circulated over the last year in attempts to salvage the structure to no avail.
The Mirage was originally opened in November 1989 by Steve Wynn. It is widely credited as being ahead of its time, ushering in a new era of large-scale, ultra-luxury resorts on the Strip that continues to this day.
Wynn sold the property and the holding company, Mirage Resorts, to MGM for $4.4 billion in 2000. HRI then purchased the operations of the casino from MGM for $1.075 billion in December 2021, making it the first tribal-owned entity to operate a casino on the Strip. The deal closed in December 2022.
The land is owned by the real estate investment trust VICI Properties. At the time of closing, HRI entered into a 25-year, triple-net lease with VICI starting at $90 million per year.
In the statement announcing the lease, VICI said that it “may fund Hard Rock’s planned redevelopment of the Mirage through VICI’s Partner Property Growth Fund,” but no new details have been announced.
