In so many ways, the Mirage Hotel & Casino changed the game when Steve Wynn opened it in 1989. The overall design, the free attractions and the attention to detail elevated the standard on the Las Vegas Strip forever.
The Mirage "begins the shift of properties from being casino-centric to being amenity-oriented, which gave the customer more reasons to stay on property and explore (and spend)," said Aaron Berger, executive director of the Neon Museum.
"Whatever else may be said about him -- and a lot can be said -- Steve Wynn knows how to build a resort and knew to hire people who knew the details," said Michael Green, chairman of the History Department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He said the resort "triggered the reinvention of Las Vegas."
There are so many reasons to visit the landmark resort before it closes next month to become the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas in 2027. Here are seven:
1. The volcano
"That stamped it as so different from the outset," said Green, who recalled that Wynn said that Las Vegas didn't need a new casino but that it sure could use an attraction. Guests and passersby gather in anticipation several times each night as eruptions rattle the serene the 3-acre South Seas landscape. It was so successful that Treasure Island's pirate show and the Fountains of Bellagio soon followed.
2. The entertainment
To custom-build a theater for a resident act was unique and foreshadowed Cirque du Soleil's success on the Strip. One of the Mirage's theaters housed Siegfried & Roy's production from 1990 to 2003. The theater was reimagined for Cirque's "The Beatles Love" in 2006, which will run through July 7. Another more traditional theater primarily features comedy and the magic of "America's Got Talent" winner Shin Lim (since 2019), who's almost certain to find a new home on the Strip.
3. Aquarium
Siegried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat is no longer open, but continuing to set the tone for hotel guests are a selection of botanicals in the lobby and a 20,000-gallon, saltwater aquarium behind the registration desk. "It was genius to placate waiting guests with this massive installation of color and motion," Berger said. "I picture people pointing out their favorite fish as they pass the time instead of complaining about the wait to check in or out.
4. Interior design
The themed escapism to the tropics -- welcoming, surprising, understated -- was the achievement of designer Roger Thomas. Natural light, higher ceilings, ingenious decor and a sense of scale defining the casino's sections combined to create an unmistakable allure from the outset.
"The original floor plan of the Mirage (almost all of which remains intact) was based on Jay Sarno's Caesars Palace," said Alan Feldman, vice president of public relations for Mirage Resorts at the time of the opening. "The property was set back from the Strip with a visual attraction to draw people in. When you walked in, you were 'greeted' [by the tropical rainforest under a transparent dome]. These drew you into the building, and before you'd even realized it, you were standing in the middle of the casino."
5. Architecture
The Y-shaped tower, creating the shortest equal walk from the elevator core to any room, was not an original concept. But Treasure Island, Monte Carlo (now Park MGM) and Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas copied it the next decade. The hotel's top floors were used for high-roller rooms and penthouse suites, another idea that became more ubiquitous on the Strip.
6. More than a casino
How the resort's many amenities flow and function in one seamless experience was another of Wynn's innovations. "The biggest impact of the Mirage business plan was showing the industry that investment in nongaming amenities (food and beverage, retail, entertainment, meetings and conventions, etc.) could provide a significant return on investment so long as all of these pieces worked together in an integrated manner," said Feldman, now a distinguished fellow in responsible gaming for the International Gaming Institute at UNLV.
7. The service
Unnoticed by guests but still critically important are back-of-house amenities for employees to work at their most efficient best. "The satisfaction of staff was as important as guest satisfaction because if the staff felt well-treated that would convey to the guest," Berger said. "That included the design of employee dining halls and being conscious of how much walking staff had to do back of house."
The Mirage's legacy
Just as the Castaways Hotel and Casino was torn down to accommodate construction of the Mirage, the volcano will be dismantled to build the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's guitar-shaped room tower. While the main structure of the Mirage will continue to stand, anticipated remodeling may make it unrecognizable after the rebrand.
"While the closing of the Mirage will be tinged with sadness, we should celebrate its incredible impact on our city," Feldman said. "It launched a four-decade period of growth and prosperity that has been unmatched in the history of global hospitality."
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The Mirage's transition to the Hard Rock is just the latest example of Las Vegas reinventing itself, all three experts agreed.
"The Mirage itself really didn't need to be rebuilt. We have reason for nostalgia about the older hotels that are gone, but we can reasonably ask whether they were built to compete with modern resorts. The Mirage is a modern resort," said Green, who affirmed it will not be imploded, avoiding the Tropicana's fate.
"This is a good opportunity to remember that Las Vegas has always thrived because of change and competition rather than in spite of it. It was certainly sad to see the Hacienda, Dunes, Desert Inn, Boardwalk and Sands hotels depart. But this was the path to now have Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, Wynn-Encore, City Center and the Venetian-Palazzo, all of which have raised the level of the city and attracted new customers from around the world," Feldman said.
"Las Vegas is always chasing the big idea. The Mirage was the height of hospitality design in 1989. Hard Rock will be a spectacle of the now," Berger said.
CORRECTION: This report was updated on June 6 to correct the spelling of magician and "America's Got Talent" winner Shin Lim.