Date set for closure of Mirage to make way for Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The closure date for The Mirage is set as construction is planned to begin on the 700-foot guitar tower that will mark the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
In a news release, Hard Rock International announced it would shut down The Mirage Hotel & Casino on July 17 in preparation for transforming the resort into Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas. The property transformation will include a nearly 700-foot-tall guitar-shaped hotel tower.
Long-time guests react to announcement of Mirage closure for Hard Rock property
The newly transitioned resort is expected to double the number of jobs available at the property, and the renovation is planned to spawn 2,500 construction jobs, the release said. It added that Hard Rock would pay around $80 million in severance packages for employees who remain during the renovation.
The development followed a Jan. 2022 announcement of the impending rebrand of the resort by Hard Rock International. Along with that news came a change.org petition to “Save The Volcano of The Mirage in Las Vegas” from demolition. To date, that two-year-old petition has nearly 11,000 signatures.
In Dec. 2022, Hard Rock released renderings of the proposed guitar-shaped tower that would reshape the Las Vegas Strip. The images resembled the Seminole Hard Rock in South Florida, which is also shaped like a guitar. The planned addition is expected to boast over 3,600 rooms and 174,000 square feet of casino space. On March 22, 2023, the guitar tower received its final approval.
In April, it was announced that the Beatles and Cirque du Soleil’s collaboration “The Beatles LOVE,” which had performed regularly at The Mirage since 2006, would bow for the last time on July 7.
Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge released a statement on behalf of the union on the closure announcement:
“The Culinary and Bartenders Unions have been the bargaining representative for approximately 1,700 unionized hospitality workers at The Mirage Casino ever since the property was built and opened in November 1989. Culinary Union members at The Mirage 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.
“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.
“Culinary Union contracts include strong language on layoff, recall, seniority, training, and placement so that unionized workers, who choose to retain their recall rights and are recalled within 36-months of layoff, will have access to free job training and seniority right of first-access to available job openings when the property reopens, and placement into other job opportunities as they are available.
“Over the next coming weeks and months, Culinary Union will also host multiple Rapid Response events for The Mirage workers at the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas to connect workers to unemployment, job fairs, union benefits, and other resources.
“Culinary Union will continue to ensure workers are protected and centered in the property’s future.“
Room reservations and performance tickets that exist after July 14 will be canceled and refunded, officials said, adding that the Hard Rock Cafe on the Las Vegas Strip will remain open for business.
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