Another longtime hotel is closing on the Las Vegas Strip.
Two months after the famed Tropicana resort shut its doors for good, the Mirage announced it would be ceasing operations on July 17. The Sin City landmark, which originally opened in the ’80s, will undergo a three-year-long transformation and reemerge as the new guitar-shaped Hard Rock Las Vegas.
“After 34 amazing years, The Mirage Hotel & Casino will be ceasing operations on July 17, 2024,” the resort said in a statement shared on social media. “Over the next two months we will bid farewell to this iconic and historic property and then we will commence an incredible transformation. We look forward to the beginning of an exciting journey into a new era as Hard Rock Las Vegas will ignite the Strip with entertainment, innovation, and world-class hospitality.”
More than 3,000 employees will be laid off when The Mirage closes this summer, according to CNN. The tropical-themed hotel-casino added that Hard Rock will pay roughly $80 million in severance packages for union and non-union employees and will give workers the option of returning when the resort reopens in 2027. When it comes to guests, any bookings currently scheduled beyond July 14 will be canceled and travelers will be issued a refund. If you’ve got any casino chips lying around, well, you’ll have to use those up by then, too.
The Mirage’s three-decade-long reign began when casino mogul Steve Wynn opened the resort on November 22, 1989—complete with a fire-spewing volcano fountain that erupts nightly with choreographed music and flames. At the time, it was the only hotel on the Strip to have any sort of sidewalk attraction, with mega-resorts like the Venetian and the Bellagio later installing their own elaborate displays.
In 2000, MGM Resorts acquired the Mirage. However, the hospitality company later sold the property to Hard Rock International in a $1.1 billion cash deal. The hotel’s new operator revealed its plans for the changeover, which include gutting the existing resort and expanding the casino floor, convention space, and theater, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
“We’d like to thank the Las Vegas community and team members for warmly welcoming Hard Rock after enjoying 34 years at The Mirage,” said Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International, 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.”
