Why The Mirage is closing after 34 years

KELLY MCCARTHY
·2 min read
9

The Las Vegas Strip is losing another iconic hotel property, dimming the lights for the last time at The Mirage later this summer.

Hard Rock International, which acquired The Mirage in 2022, announced it will officially cease operations of the hotel on July 17.

PHOTO: The Mirage hotel and casino is seen, Aug. 17, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images)
PHOTO: The Mirage hotel and casino is seen, Aug. 17, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images)

The last day of hotel occupancy will be July 14, the company stated on its website.

Why The Mirage is closing in Las Vegas

The property, which opened in 1989, helped usher in a transformative era, making way for future luxury and megaresorts in the desert destination.

PHOTO: Guests pass through the atrium at The Mirage, March 22, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Las Vegas Review-journal/TNS via Getty Images)
PHOTO: Guests pass through the atrium at The Mirage, March 22, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Las Vegas Review-journal/TNS via Getty Images)

The Mirage was quickly followed by Excalibur, Luxor, and the MGM Grand, all of which opened within the next four years.

This closure will clear the way for HRI to begin construction and transformation into the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas.

"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 company stated about the new musical instrument-inspired tower that's slated to open in 2027.

PHOTO: People watch the Volcano show at the Mirage hotel-casino along the Las Vegas Strip, May 13, 2022, in Las Vegas. (John Locher/AP, FILE)
PHOTO: People watch the Volcano show at the Mirage hotel-casino along the Las Vegas Strip, May 13, 2022, in Las Vegas. (John Locher/AP, FILE)

"We’d like to thank the Las Vegas community and team members for warmly welcoming Hard Rock after enjoying 34 years at The Mirage," Jim Allen, chairman of HRI, said in a statement Wednesday.

Las Vegas closes iconic properties for new era

This marks the second hotel and casino closure on the Strip after The Tropicana Las Vegas shuttered in April, just shy of its 67th anniversary.

The closure of the old-school Sin City landmark was set to make way for a potential $1.5 billion Major League Baseball stadium deal with Oakland A's owner John Fisher, a move that has been criticized by sports experts and fans. And according to ESPN, the team has agreed to a temporary move to Sacramento and share a Triple-A ballpark in the interim "in case the team's planned ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip is not completed in time for the 2028 season."

The Tropicana site built in the 1950s is set to be demolished by implosion in late 2024, according to ABC News Las Vegas affiliate KTNV.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.

Why The Mirage is closing after 34 years originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com