The Mirage closed its doors for good on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. The iconic casino will remain closed until 2027 when Hard Rock International (HRI) creates an entirely new property using the bones of one of the most important casinos in Las Vegas history.

I took one last stroll through the property last week, and it reminded me how much the casino meant, personally, and how much it meant to the Vegas that I would come to know and love.  

Now, let’s look forward to what the new Hard Rock will offer Las Vegas visitors when it opens in a few years. While the new Hard Rock will occupy much of the same footprint on Las Vegas Boulevard, the Hard Rock is promising something entirely new, using the foundation acquired from The Mirage. 

Plans Underway for Property Overhaul

HRI Chairman and CEO Jim Allen shared initial plans for the new Las Vegas casino hotel with the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) in a meeting in Dec. 2022.

The outline for the property has evolved and will continue to do so until the project is complete. In 2022, the initial schedule called for 26-30 months of construction. This timeframe appears to be intact with the Hard Rock opening slated for 2027.

Changes will begin outside on the Vegas Strip where one of the most popular free attractions will be removed. It’s wild to think that visitors to the Hard Rock in 21 years will never know what visitors saw outside of The Mirage before walking inside.

The bulk of the work to create the new Hard Rock will take place inside the main casino and hotel. Inside and outside of The Mirage will be gutted and redesigned. Even the popular pool complex will be reinvented.

Some Las Vegas casino makeovers can feel like putting lipstick on a pig. Hard Rock’s plans appear to be much more grand.

Hard Rock's Second ‘Guitar Hotel’ 

The most visible change to the property will occur before walking into the current casino and hotel layout. Say goodbye to The Mirage lagoon and volcano on the Vegas Strip.

When Hard Rock completes the makeover there will be a new way to enter the property. Visitors will no longer think about the Volcano.

The entrance to the Hard Rock will be drastically different from The Mirage. The new main Vegas Strip entrance will be through a small 48,000 square-foot casino with a dozen table games and 200 slot machines.

This small frontage on the Vegas Strip will also include 96,000 square feet for dining and retail. Plans also call for an infinity-edge rooftop pool above the casino.

The entrance might sound less than spectacular - and it probably will be. However, the 660-foot-tall Guitar Hotel Tower above this small casino certainly catch the eyes of most visitors on the Vegas Strip. While new to Las Vegas, the Hard Rock already has a guitar hotel in Florida.

The tower will dwarf the 475-foot-tall Venetian across the street. It won’t be as tall as the 735-foot-tall Fontainebleau north on the Vegas Strip.

The Guitar Hotel Tower should be a little more than 100 feet taller than the current hotel according to Clark County records. Allen says Hard Rock will have a platform for visitors to take selfies in front of the new hotel tower.

The all-suite hotel tower will have 660 rooms. Standard rooms will be located inside the main casino. This hotel tower at the Hard Rock will have its own infinity rooftop pool deck with a view of the Vegas Strip.

There will also be a music museum on the Vegas Strip between the Hard Rock and Treasure Island. In 2020, HRI purchased the Hard Rock Las Vegas name and memorabilia from the previous unaffiliated casino operator.

Entering Hard Rock will be entirely different. The “Rhumbar” entrance near Caesars Palace will be updated. Additionally, The Mirage’s porte cochère will also see a major change since it will be in between the main hotel and the Guitar Hotel.

Visitors will have to walk through the new casino to reach the property many of us know today as The Mirage.

Massive Changes Across the Footprint

The Vegas Strip frontage of The Mirage that so many have come to love over the years will look drastically different. Guests can expect the same inside of the casino. Allen says the property will be gutted from top to bottom.

Brand New Hotel Rooms

During the NGCB meeting, Allen said anyone driving down the Vegas Strip would be able to see through the existing three-wing hotel tower. The 3,000+ hotel rooms will not be renovated. They'll be gutted inside and out to the windows. 

Demolishing the rooms will leave a shell without bathrooms or anything else. The Hard Rock hotel rooms will be entirely brand new.

When construction is complete the Hard Rock should have around 3,600 hotel rooms and suites.

New Pool Experience

All guests at the Hard Rock will have a new pool experience. This is kind of a big deal as The Mirage had one of the most popular pool complexes in Las Vegas.

Guests have flocked to The Mirage over the years, in part, for its beautiful tropical pool experience. Allen says the pool complex will also be destroyed and rebuilt.

The Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat will also be closed. Don’t be surprised to see something similar to the Hard Rock Hollywood pool complex. 

High Roller Villa Upgrade

Allen says The Mirage’s infamous high roller villas will continue to exist at the property. Like everything else, they will be upgraded to current standards.

Expanded Casino Floor

The casino itself will also be gutted. The construction crew will go all the way down to the concrete and recreate the casino floor.

Hard Rock plans to expand the casino floor from 94,000 square feet to 174,000 square feet.

When work is completed guests should expect a new floor plan at the Hard Rock. Doubling the size of the casino means there will be room for a lot more games.

Initial projections for the Hard Rock casino floor include more than twice the slot machines and table games than inside The Mirage. The number of slot machines at the Hard will increase from 836 to 2,000.

Hard Rock expects the number of table games to increase from 51 to 212. There’s no information about a poker room or sportsbook at this time.

Hard Rock Live

Allen says the company will build a new entertainment venue called Hard Rock Live. Performers shouldn’t be a problem for the venue. HRI is already working with Live Nation and AEG at its other casinos.

During HRI’s presentation to the NGCB, the company said the new venue will have more than 6,000 seats.

Dining at Hard Rock

During the 2022 meeting, Allen said there would be a minimum of 21 restaurants. He didn't mention specific chefs or restaurant brands.

Don’t be surprised if the number of restaurants at Hard Rock is boosted by a large food hall.

A Fleeting Mirage ... Gone But Not Forgotten

The Mirage opened its doors to the public on Nov. 22, 1989. This opening was an important milestone for the future of Las Vegas casinos.

Steve Wynn’s Mirage cost $630 million to build. At the time this was the most money to build a casino resort.

The Mirage ushered in a new era of casinos in Las Vegas. This was more than just a place to gamble and see a show.

The Mirage was the first mega-resort that offered amenities for everyone. It wasn’t only a large casino and hotel but it was a luxury property that was also family-friendly.

Before The Mirage, Las Vegas had casinos that catered to families or high rollers. The Mirage catered to both.

This property became a blueprint that many Las Vegas casinos would follow. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and it will keep The Mirage alive long after its closure.

Groundbreaking Concepts

Steve Wynn was the original owner of The Mirage. He was a visionary at the time with a focus different than all other Las Vegas casino operators.

Wynn never wanted guests to walk more than 300 feet from the elevator to their room. The Mirage led the way for Vegas Strip casinos to use a “Y” format with multiple wings and a large central elevator bank.

The Mirage also offered ultra-luxury accommodations at The Villas for the most posh visitors. These living spaces were inside the same property as families but the two were very separate.

Las Vegas casinos used to have performers in showrooms dotted with VIP’s. The shows were as much for marketing and they were to entertain VIPs and some guests.

The Mirage offered a huge 2,000-seat theater. The main performers were Siegfried and Roy. 

The duo were magicians and entertainers with lions and tigers on stage. Outside of the theater, guests were entertained by the Dolphin Habitat.

These new forms of entertainment were a big step away from showroom performers like the Rat Pack, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley.

Before walking into The Mirage visitors were treated to a lagoon with a volcano that offered free shows nightly. The tropical theme continued into the casino.

Guests would see an aquarium behind the check-in desk and then walk to their hotel rooms through an atrium with a waterfall and live flowers.

These new concepts were just the tip of the iceberg. Even the back-of-house at The Mirage was different than other Las Vegas casinos. There were private elevators so housekeeping and room service didn’t have to interfere with guests trying to get around.

The Mirage may be closed but its fingerprints are all over Las Vegas.

(All renderings: courtesy of Hard Rock International)