The Mirage Hotel & Casino

Really going to miss it I will miss this place. Great food and the beetles love show was my favorite on the strip. The volcano show outside was always fun to watch and the staff was always friendly with a great vibe. Great memories that will live forever. Thank you for everything

Closing its doors as The Mirage So I’m afraid that this review won’t help anyone in the further because I stayed at this hotel on the very last few nights that it was open. It is being changed into a Hard Rock Guitar hotel, which I’m told will take three years to build. Overall, my stay was okay. The casino had some money to give away before the doors closed and you couldn’t get anywhere near any of the a lot machines!

Great final stay We stayed at the Mirage the final weekend it was open. I was a bit worried about what the service and experience would be like given everything was about to shut down. But having stayed there many times since the 90's, I looked forward to going back to the amazing Mirage. Apart from the lobby aquarium being gone and a bunch of slots being shut down (and nonplayers hogging the ones that were open), it was a really great final Mirage experience. The room decor was awesome and was much fresher than any number of other Vegas properties that are still open... Most importantly kudos to the staff. Almost every single person we interacted with in the final days - from the front desk to housekeeping, casino, food service, pool, etc - were at the top of their games. Friendly, professional, and upbeat despite the circumstances. Thank you and good luck, we will miss the Mirage.

MODERNIZED VEGAS There are three hotels and casinos at Vegas that impacted The Strip: 1) Flamingo created Vegas 2) Caesars Palace made Vegas 3) The Mirage modernized Vegas. I've stayed at Caesars Palace and Flamingo and both times I was comped at those places. I always wanted to stay at The Mirage when it was part of the MGM Rewards. In December 2022 Hard Rock's purchase of The Mirage was finalized. Then last year in July I gambled at The Mirage when it was no longer part of the MGM Rewards, but Unity Rewards. While at The Mirage I enrolled in the Unity Rewards. I expected The Mirage would operate as usual going through a steady, transitional phase to become Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. This past May news was announced that The Mirage would be closing in mid-July. As a Unity Rewards member I was receiving promotions for The Mirage. One promotion was $76 per night as the regular price was $88. Then a couple of weeks later I got a promotion for $67 per night. Around mid-June I received a promotion of 15% off per night without resort fees. I was really thinking about going. Then as a Southwest Rapid Rewards member I got a notification that I get 25% off airfare if I use my points to purchase the flight. With that offer using my Southwest Rapid Rewards points I found a round-trip flight from Oakland to Las Vegas for $11.20. I stayed at The Mirage from Sunday June 30 through Tuesday July 2. I came that week because it was a short work week as my office would be closed on July 4 and July 5. On Sunday June 30 I arrived at The Mirage just past 9:30 AM. Since a room was ready I paid the $40 for early check-in. During my 3-night stay at The Mirage I wanted to do everything here from swimming, gambling, and dining. Maybe I was trying to create my own experience like "Vegas Vacation" the movie. I soaked up The Mirage experience. I swam twice at The Mirage Pool. Gambled on Sunday playing the Wheel of Fortune slot machine as there was "5x Points Multiplier" for Unity Rewards member that day. On Monday night I witnessed the Volcano Show in front of the hotel lobby. For breakfast I ate at Pantry, Snacks, and Paradise Cafe while for dinner I ate at Osteria Costa, Heritage Steakhouse, and OTORO Robata Grill & Sushi. On my last night I saw The Beatles LOVE. The demise of The Mirage could be the success it had with resorts copying its playbook. The lifeline for hotels on The Strip is the casino. The casino at The Mirage wasn't lively and felt dead. There are times when I went to Vegas in the past and would like through the casino at The Mirage and had that same feeling. That's unfortunate because in the 1990s The Mirage WAS the casino on The Strip. The hotel casino was not only featured in "Vegas Vacation", but also depicted in "Ocean's Eleven" as one three big casinos with Bellagio and MGM Grand. I've heard stories that in the early 1990s there would be a six-month reservation in advance if you wanted to stay here. The Mirage was targeted as a family-oriented hotel. Currently the hotels around The Mirage are catered towards young adults or older adults without children. I think The Mirage with its current format would've continued if it was at the north end or south end of The Strip. Throughout the years The Mirage was not only outdated, but also surpassed. That is the reason for my rating. Given that I enjoyed my three-night stay at The Mirage prior to its closing. As someone from Northern California I missed the opportunity to stay at Caesars Tahoe before it closed. Staying at The Mirage was like history. The significance of The Mirage is justified. If you look at YouTube clips of Vegas in the late 1980s and early 1990s The Strip looked like downtown Reno. I stayed at the Boardwalk Hotel and Casino at The Strip in December 2005. That area is now the CityCenter. Ever since 2005 I stayed at a lot of casino hotels at The Strip. I can know cross off The Mirage from that bucket list.

Going to miss the mirage During check in the line was pretty long but it moved fast. When i got to the room it wasn’t the room i booked for. I went to the front desk and spoke to Brittany. She was so polite, professional and helpful. She went out of her way for a small inconvenience. The mini bar in the rooms were pretty tricky. My kids moved the items and i did see a sign that said we would be charged. I went back down to the front desk because i was freaking out about paying for those items. I spoke to Brittany again and she had no problem removing the charges for me. I’m going to miss the mirage. Overall my stay was good and i enjoyed it.