The giant guitar taking shape on the Las Vegas Strip is getting its neck. More than two years after The Mirage closed for good, Hard Rock’s rebuild of the 70-acre site is moving into its final stretch, with the company aiming to open Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and the Guitar Hotel Las Vegas in late 2027.
Key Takeaways
- The Mirage closed July 17, 2024, and construction on the Hard Rock conversion began right after.
- The 42-story guitar-shaped hotel body topped out on May 1, 2026; steel for the 118-foot neck is now going up.
- Hard Rock is targeting a fourth-quarter 2027 opening, according to a recent construction update.
- Plans call for a 174,000-square-foot casino and roughly 600 to 675 suites inside the guitar tower.
Where construction stands
According to a construction update from Casino.org, the exterior of the guitar body is complete, and about a third of the steelwork for the 118-foot neck was in place. The famous Mirage volcano and its lagoon were removed in 2025, along with the old front entrance. The former Mirage Y-shaped tower has been gutted for a top-to-bottom renovation, and its signature gold-tinted windows are being swapped for blue glass.
PENTA Building Group is leading construction of the Guitar Hotel, while M.J. Dean Construction is the general contractor for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, the update said.
What is planned
Besides the 174,000-square-foot casino floor, the plans include two entertainment venues, about 200,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, dozens of restaurants, bars and lounges, and a redesigned pool complex. The guitar tower itself is expected to hold roughly 600 to 675 suites.
Hard Rock is owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which already runs the original Guitar Hotel in Hollywood, Florida. Hard Rock bought The Mirage’s operations from MGM Resorts International in 2022 for about $1.1 billion. The company has not released an official project budget, but Hard Rock Chairman Jim Allen suggested in 2023 that it could cost $4 billion to $5 billion, The Nevada Independent reported. Allen said earlier this year that the project was on schedule.
What it means for locals and visitors
For now, the site between Caesars Palace and Treasure Island remains a construction zone, so expect fencing and work crews along that stretch of the Strip. Once it opens, the Guitar Hotel will be one of the most recognizable buildings on the Boulevard and will bring a big new casino, convention space and new life back to the center Strip. If you were a fan of the Mirage volcano show, it is gone for good. This is business news only, not investment advice.
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Sources
- Casino.org: Hard Rock Las Vegas Construction Update
- The Nevada Independent: The latest on Hard Rock’s Guitar Hotel tower
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