Eruption of the artificial volcano outside The Mirage hotel and casino from a 2013 file photo.
The Mirage—the iconic tropical-themed hotel on the Las Vegas Strip that’s known for its nightly volcano shows and its lucky casino floor—is shutting down on July 17. Rising from its volcanic ashes in spring 2027 will be a 700-foot guitar-shaped Hard Rock hotel.
Hard Rock® Completed the acquisition The Mirage Hotel & Casino and will build a guitar-shaped hotel ... [+]
After the Mirage Vegas shuts down in July to guests, the hotel will be demolished and Hard Rock will spend the next three years building its hotel complex on the Las Vegas Strip.
Steve Wynn’s Golden Nugget Corp. debuted the glitzy $620 million Mirage in 1989 on the Las Vegas Strip.
Outfitted with more than 3,000 rooms, the Mirage Vegas is credited for pioneering the megaresort trend on the strip. Other resorts followed suit with fantastical creations and free shows. The 36-tower Bellagio Hotel and Casino debuted in 1998 and its fountain shows remain a must-do while in Vegas and The Venetian, with its Venice-inspired canals, opened in 1999.
Las Vegas, United States - November 23, 2022: A picture of the Mirage at night.
Wynn sold The Mirage to MGM Resorts in 2000. In Dec. 2022, Hard Rock International completed the acquisition of The Mirage after purchasing it for $1.075 billion.
The Mirage Hotel—known for being a tropical oasis in the desert with lush greenery and the nightly fire-spitting volcano eruptions—played host to Siegfried and Roy’s tiger shows from 1990 to 2003. The show came to an end in 2003 after one of Roy Horn’s tigers mauled him on stage and nearly killed him, however Horn, who died of COVID complications in 2020, claimed he was having a stroke and the tiger was trying to save him.
More recently, The Mirage has been home to The Beatles’ “Love” Cirque du Soleil show.
Last winter, Casino.org crowned The Mirage the “luckiest casino” in Las Vegas. Analysts with the site combed reviews of 15 popular casinos, looking for terms like “lucky,” “luck,” “won,” “winning,” “success,” “jackpot,” and “hand pay” to help determine which casinos likely have the most frequent payouts and happiest gamblers.
The exterior of The Mirage Hotel & Casino is viewed at sunrise on February 10, 2023 in Las Vegas, ... [+]
Hard Rock, in a press release, says it will pay $80 million in severance packages to Mirage employees. The Culinary and Bartenders Union says it bargained on behalf the 1,700 unionized hospitality workers at The Mirage Casino. Workers can opt or a “service recognition bonus” of $2,000 for every year they worked and can return when the hotel reopens in three years.
Over the next three years, the property will be transformed into the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas, providing 2,500 construction jobs. The integrated resort will feature a 700-foot guitar-shaped hotel, which will add to the neon-lit skyline of the famous Las Vegas Strip.
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood in South Florida also has guitar-shaped lodging and music-themed rooms. The guitar hotel in Florida stretches 450 feet into the sky and has floor-to-ceiling glass panes.
The last day of hotel occupancy at the Mirage is July 14, 2024, according to the transition FAQ. Travelers who have room reservations beyond July 14, 2024 will be automatically canceled and refunded. Those who booked through an online travel agency or other third-party will need to contact the agency directly for rebooking or a possible refund.
The Beatles Love by Cirque du Soleil’s last show will be on July 6, 2024.
