"Born in the ’80s, the Mirage helped usher in a new era for Las Vegas, one defined by luxury and mega-resorts. It will close on July 17 of this year. In December of 2022, Hard Rock International took over ownership and operations of the property, with plans to transform the 80-acre Mirage into the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas. It will be the second Strip casino to close this year — joining the Tropicana Las Vegas, which closed in April after 67 years to make room for a $1.5 billion baseball stadium. The closure means more than 3,000 employees will be laid off. “We are planning to host collaborative hiring events with other employers in the Las Vegas community over the coming months,” Joe Lupo, president of the Mirage said in a news release. Hard Rock plans to pay approximately $80 million in severance packages. The Culinary and Bartenders Unions — which have represented about 1,700 hospitality workers since the Mirage’s opening — claim that contract protections secured last year ensure that workers can receive a payment of $2,000 for every year of service and maintain seniority rights when the hotel reopens as the Hard Rock. The Mirage closure means the end of the Cirque du Soleil Beatles-themed show, Love, and the resort’s volcano fountain — which was one of the first attractions on the Las Vegas Strip, predating the Fountains at Bellagio. The resort was also home to Siegfried & Roy and their white tiger show, which became synonymous with Vegas into the early 2000s. The closure means final service for the resort’s restaurants: Heritage Steakhouse, Osteria Costa, Otoro, Diablo’s Cantina, Pantry, Paradise Cafe, California Pizza Kitchen, and the Still." - Janna Karel
