Las Vegas says goodbye to the historic Mirage casino

The hotel and casino, which opened its doors in 1989, will close on July 17 of this year to make way for a new Hard Rock International Hotel.

Vista del histórico casino The Mirage que, tras 34 años en Las Vegas, cerrara sus puertas el 17 de julio de 2024. — (Cordon Press)

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Rosana Rábago Sainz

17 de mayo, 2024

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Las Vegas is saying goodbye to another historic casino: The Mirage. A little more than a month after the city said goodbye to the Tropicana, another of the renowned hotel-casinos is closing its doors to make way for a new Hard Rock establishment.

Developed by former casino magnate Steve Wynn and opened in 1989, The Mirage will thus close its doors on July 17 after 34 years in the city. Thanks to this establishment and others like it, Las Vegas managed to become a luxury tourist destination in the 1990s.

In fact, it was in this hotel where Siegfried and Roy held their iconic shows with white tigers and where Cirque du Soleil starred in one of its most famous acts with a Beatles soundtrack.

What will The Mirage become?

Until now. According to NBC News, the 32-hectare casino will be demolished to build a Hard Rock Las Vegas, which will have a guitar-shaped hotel tower nearly 700 feet high and which will open its doors in 2027.

Hard Rock International President Jim Allen announced the closure of the hotel and the future opening of a new building for the company: "We’d like to thank the Las Vegas community and team members for warmly welcoming Hard Rock after enjoying 34 years at The Mirage," he said.

The new building will bring with it the farewell to one of the most representative elements of The Mirage: its volcanic fountain. This casino was the first to opt for this decorative piece that was later imitated by other hotels such as the Bellagio, which was inspired by Venetian canals to differentiate itself from the Mirage Volcano.

3,000 people will lose their jobs with the casino closure

The closure will lead to the layoff of the 3,000 employees who work at The Mirage. However, Hard Rock International assured that it will allocate $80 million to compensate workers who lose their jobs.

This information was confirmed by the Culinary Union. This organization, which represents about 1,700 Mirage employees since it opened, stated that laid-off workers will receive $2,000 for each year of service. In addition, the agreement reached by the Union and Hard Rock International will also give them the option to return to work when the new establishment opens its doors as well as maintain their seniority:

Late last year, the Culinary Union negotiated for and won redevelopment and closure language to ensure workers have the option to choose either a service recognition bonus of $2,000 for every year of service, plus 6 months of pension and health benefits or a lesser amount while maintaining seniority rights for the duration of the property’s closure and 36-months of recall rights.

The establishment will cancel guests' reservations scheduled for after July 14 and refund the full amount paid. Casino chips will also need to be redeemed before that date although, in that case, CNN says, they will also be redeemable at the Treasure Island casino for another 120 days after The Mirage closes.