The Las Vegas Strip often has long goodbyes.
Performers, for example, may get added attention when they announce a final date for a residency. That sometimes leads to an increase in ticket sales so great, that the final date keeps getting pushed back.
In other cases, like what’s happening at Casino Royale, a small property located in between numerous Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International (MGM) resort casinos, you know the end is coming just not when. Best Western, which owns the small casino and hotel has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to build a 699-foot resort casino tower on the site.
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That’s not a final approval. Clark County still has to approve a building plan, but it’s a step that comes with a deadline as the FAA’s approval requires that construction on the tower must begin by Jan. 21, 2025.
And, while Casino Royale may not be a spot that people feel overly emotional about, its extended goodbye with an unclear end date has become common. That’s not the case for Tropicana, the second-oldest casino on the Strip, which operated for months without a closing date as it was unclear when construction would begin on the Oakland Athletics’ baseball stadium slated for the property.
Tropicana now has a final date, April 2, but another iconic Strip feature which has closed twice, but has just reopened, does not.
Hard Rock International plans to build a Guitar Hotel on the site of the Mirage Volcano.
Image source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Mirage Volcano reopens after closure
When Hard Rock International (HRI) took over operations of Mirage from MGM in December 2022, the days were numbered for the iconic Mirage Volcano. While the attraction has been a significant draw, the new owner has plans to use the site where it sits to build a version of its signature Guitar Hotel.
It has been known since early last year that HRI planned to get rid of the free attraction, but the company has not shared when it will close. The Volcano has actually been closed twice over the past few months. It was shut down during the Formula 1 race in November and many expected it may not reopen.
It did and, when the Mirage Volcano closed again during the Super Bowl for a Paramount Global (PARA) transformation, people thought that too could be the end. The Volcano, however, reopens on March 1 and HRI continues to be cagey about its construction plans.
Here’s what’s happening at Mirage
HRI has kept its construction plans very close to the vest because it has not closed the main Mirage tower while it more or less fully remodels it. If the company shared detailed plans, visitors may opt to not book the hotel and that could be disastrous to the company’s cash flow.
An under-construction Mirage might not be any Las Vegas Strip visitor’s first choice, but Las Vegas has had multiple events that make every hotel room valuable. The F1 race, CES, New Year’s Eve, and the upcoming March Madness all push the Strip to capacity which allows Mirage to charge high rates despite the property being under construction.
Mirage will be undergoing a massive overhaul that includes over 45,000 square feet of pool area, as well as the removal of the now-closed Siegfried & Roy Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat.
“They also will add 70,000 square feet to the existing live theater, 6,500 square feet of retail, and 60,000 square feet of ballroom space. Lastly, the design plans call for a 111,000-square-foot, low-rise expansion along the south side of the property,” the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
The new Guitar Hotel will be the signature building on the property, but it may also be the final piece completed. HRI has said it plans to operate the Mirage Volcano until it begins construction on the Guitar Hotel and has not shared any sort of timeline.
HRI can continue using the Mirage name until Dec. 2025 under its sale agreement with MGM.
