Hard Rock International is slowly making changes at its newest casino in Las Vegas – The Mirage. While the eyeballs are focused on the future of the property, Hard Rock is already making changes to the casino floor.
Major construction on the property, including the recently approved guitar hotel tower, likely won’t start until 2024 or 2025 at the earliest. The initial plans for the iconic casino have a 26-30 month timeline.
The company is also switching up who Hard Rock is marketing The Mirage to. The previous owner, MGM Resorts was mostly focused on the tourist market. For the first time in a while, Hard Rock is marketing The Mirage as a Vegas Strip destination for locals in addition to tourists.
Changes to The Mirage casino floor
Joe Lupo, President of The Mirage and future Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas is starting to reveal plans for the transformation of the casino. The gaming floor should already look different to those familiar with The Mirage.
Hard Rock will eventually expand the casino floor. The gaming space will increase from 94,000 to square feet 174,000 square feet.
The new gaming floor will eventually have about 2,000 slot machines. That’s more than twice the 864 that occupied the space when Hard Rock took over The Mirage.
Cravings Buffet has been closed since the Covid-19 pandemic. Until recently, the closed eatery has been visible to guests. Hard Rock added a wall with slot machines to cover up the closed buffet.
There’s no word if Hard Rock will reopen the buffet. It appears unlikely as there’s a trend of food halls replacing buffets. Most recently, Aria opened Proper Food Hall.
In addition to the wall of slot machines in front of the former buffet, The Mirage has additional slot machines towards the front of the property.
Slots aren’t the only changes to the casino floor. There are new live dealer and electronic table game pits throughout the property. Live dealer table games near the Love Theater have been swapped out for electronic versions of traditional casino games.
Meanwhile, there’s a new six-table live dealer gaming pit at the BetMGM Sportsbook. There’s also a new baccarat lounge with a smattering of slot machines.
The property is still very much The Mirage recent guests will remember. Enjoy it before Hard Rock begins the total overhaul of the property.
Updates to the casino’s Rewards Program
As mentioned at PlayNevada, the first major change at The Mirage was switching MGM Rewards to Hard Rock’s Unity Rewards platform. This allows players to earn points and comps for The Mirage and other Hard Rock properties around the country.
A tier match promotion to upgrade to a benefit level similar to other Las Vegas programs is still available at the time of this writing.
While the rewards program change may not be easily noticeable, the recent changes to the casino floor will be visible to most visitors.
Hard Rock Las Vegas casino focuses on locals
The Vegas Strip is the epicenter of tourism in Las Vegas. According to the Las Vegas Convention And Visitors Authority, 69% of visitors to Las Vegas stayed at a hotel on the Vegas Strip last year. Many never leave the area since there’s so much to do on the Vegas Strip when visiting for a couple of days.
Most Vegas Strip operators, like The Mirage’s previous owner, market their properties to these visitors. Hard Rock is switching this plan by adding incentives for all Nevada residents (not just Las Vegas locals) to visit The Mirage.
The Mirage’s Local Rewards For U includes a rewards program upgrade along with show and spa discounts.
New Nevada residents now start at the second level of the Unity Rewards program. Unlike the entry “Star” level, “Legend” members will receive complimentary self-parking at The Mirage.
The current self-parking fees are $15 for up to four hours and $18 for more than four hours.
New Unity members will also receive $25 in free play to gamble at The Mirage.
Nevada residents can receive 20% off tickets to see The Beatles LOVE by Cirque Du Soleil and Shin Lim: Limitless. Ticket buyers simply need to show Nevada ID when purchasing tickets.
Additionally, Nevada residents get 20% off spa and salon services from Monday – Thursday. Groups can receive an additional discount. Guests can buy two services and get a third for 50% off.
Unfortunately, The Mirage Nevada promotions don’t include any restaurants beyond new Happy Hour deals. Guests can walk across the Vegas Strip to get great locals-only discounts at a variety of bars and restaurants at The Venetian.
The Mirage Zone at Las Vegas Grand Prix
Hard Rock International recently announced a partnership with F1 for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Mirage Zone in front of the casino will seat up to 3,000 fans for the F1 race taking place in November.
This grandstand will have a view of cars exiting Turn 12 and completely taking Turn 13 on the circuit. Emily Prazer, Chief Commercial Officer of Las Vegas Grand Prix, Inc. said in a press release:
“Like Formula 1, the Hard Rock brand is globally recognized with fans visiting from around the world. Our event’s high intensity and energy are a great match for the excitement associated with the Hard Rock, and we look forward to providing fans with another opportunity to watch the race from an exciting vantage point on the Las Vegas Strip.”
3-day tickets for The Mirage Zone are $2,200. Each ticket includes food and non-alcoholic beverages. These are among the least expensive tickets for the race. F1 says they’ll look to increase the number of inexpensive general admission tickets for the race next year.
