The Mirage volcano erupts on the night of the casino’s reopening, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020.
Friday, Dec. 16, 2022 | 2:41 p.m.
Hard Rock International will do away with the Mirage volcano once construction begins to renovate and rebrand the property, the company’s CEO said.
“While we’re very respectful of the legacy of the volcano, we recognize that that is part of the Mirage of the past,” Hard Rock CEO Jim Allen during a Nevada Gaming Commission meeting today.
“We will not be continuing to operate the volcano once we commence construction,” he said.
Allen made his comments during a special meeting to consider approval of the $1.075 billion purchase of Mirage operations from MGM Resorts International.
Commissioners voted to OK the deal, which is expected to close as soon as Monday.
In place of the volcano, Hard Rock, owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, plans to build a 700-foot-tall,guitar-shaped hotel tower.
Allen said Hard Rock has not yet received the entitlements required from Clark County regulators to build the tower.
The tribe operates the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla., which features a 450-foot Guitar Hotel.
Hard Rock plans to operate the Mirage as is for at least 18 months after the deal closes.
“There’s no intention at this time to close the building,” Allen said. “A year-and-a-half from now would probably be the time when we would evaluate what makes the most sense. The last thing we want is for 3,500 employees to have uncertainty.”
He said the state of the economy at that time could play into whatever decisions are made.
Drawings of the project, which will include a complete “gutting” of the resort, are expected to be finished as soon as July or August, Allen said.
Construction is likely to take about 30 months, he said.
The new Hard Rock resort will have about 3,700 rooms, Allen said.. It will not include any of the animal attractions the Mirage was known for over the years, he said.
The Mirage, built by casino mogul Steve Wynn for nearly $700 million, opened in late 1989. It was the first of the megaresorts that would come to dominate the Strip in the years that followed.
