Say 'Farewell' To The Mirage In Las Vegas: 11 Last Photos

This week, The Mirage will officially lock its doors and start the property's transformation into the Hard Rock and the Guitar Hotel.

The Mirage in Las Vegas is closing Wednesday after operating on The Strip for nearly 34 years.

July 17 is the official closing date for the hotel, according to the hotel’s website. The last day of hotel occupancy was July 14.

Why Is The Mirage Closing?

After being a mainstay on the Las Vegas Strip, the iconic hotel is closing due to construction and massive renovations. The Mirage will turn into the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas, the Mirage’s website states.

“The property will be reimagined and developed into a new integrated resort featuring a nearly 700 ft. guitar-shaped hotel prominently in the center of the famous Las Vegas Strip,” the website says.

The Guitar Hotel marks a future major rebrand in the Vegas Strip skyline. There is a guitar-shaped hotel in Florida called the Guitar Hotel at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood.

The closing of the hotel will mean that the sea of workers will also be affected. According to KTNV (Channel 13), over 3,000 workers will have to find new jobs and gigs during the hotel’s closure. However, the Nevada’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation has organized resources and training for displaced employees.

Along with that, the Culinary and Bartenders Unions, “have a strong union contract, ensuring that workers are protected, even as the property closes its doors entirely for 3 years from July 2024 – May 2027.”

History Of The Mirage

The blossoming of The Mirage is a testament to the start of the resort boom in Las Vegas, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The “Oasis in the Desert,” changed the entire hospitality industry when the property opened in 1989, and the resort’s birth represented a new way to fund major casino projects.

Steve Wynn started to chip away at The Mirage in the mid-1980s, and it became one of the first casinos to be funded with junk bonds.

“Wynn’s ability to secure more than $600 million in financing for the project when ‘Las Vegas mostly had $200 million casinos at that time,’”’ is nothing short of ‘extraordinary.'” The Review-Journal reported.

Wynn ended up purchasing the name “Mirage” from two motels, Premier Vegas reports. The hotel took a couple years to construct, and the first weekend of the hotel’s operation saw over 700,000 guests.

When The Mirage first opened, it glittered with innovation and a tropical oasis design that absorbed players from around the world. It gleamed with opulence, offering attractions like the Secret Garden and the Dolphin Habitat as new entertainment options in Las Vegas.

Although it was one of the most expensive casinos to build, it changed the Vegas playing scene forever. The property also changed entertainment, creating futuristic-like productions that wowed audiences like the plethora of magic show, concerts and beautiful Cirque du Soleil shows. .

Vegas Premier also reported that The Mirage created amenities for back-of-house staff to give customers an even better experience. Additional elevators were put for staff that helped streamline duties, room service orders and more. It became an efficent property that catered and sparkled with luxory.

Steve Wynn even gave a homage to “Lady Mirage,” to various media outlets. It’s a beautiful and bittersweet ending to an integral part of the Vegas skyline. The closing of the resort signifies a change to the ever-evolving pace of Las Vegas.

Las Vegas waits for no one and no concept. The Mirage is ending, but the Hard Rock is coming. And as they say in Vegas, the show must go on.