The sale of MGM Resorts’ The Mirage to Hard Rock International will close before the year’s end, and customers and visitors may not immediately notice.
Only a few things will change at the Nevada casino and resort; however, the biggest change will affect MGM Rewards customers.
For Las Vegas customers and visitors, here’s what’s changing and not changing.
What to expect after The Mirage sale
Once Hard Rock takes over, MGM Resorts will no longer have a say in the property’s future.
For example, MGM Resorts said, “There are no current plans to change the volcano show.” However, all signs point to the closure of the volcano in front of the iconic casino (pictured above). Hard Rock has repeatedly mentioned plans to replace the volcano with a guitar-shaped hotel tower.
In a letter to employees, Hard Rock president Joe Lupo said the following staples would remain in operation next year:
- Beatles LOVE
- Heritage Steakhouse
- California Pizza Kitchen
In addition to building a guitar-shaped hotel tower in front of the property, there will be a new music venue at The Mirage. According to Bloomberg, Hard Rock will spend as much as $1.5 billion in renovations.
The current operator is preparing MGM customers as The Mirage changes ownership. In an email to MGM Rewards members, the company shared the following:
“We thank you for your continued loyalty and wish to inform you that due to a pending sale to Hard Rock International, The Mirage soon may no longer be owned and operated by MGM Resorts International. The sale is expected to occur by December 31, 2022. On the date of the turnover, you should generally expect business as usual as Hard Rock expects to continue to operate as The Mirage following the closing.”
The name remains the same for now
The property will remain open as The Mirage because Hard Rock has a three-year lease on the name. The company will likely keep the name until the property has an entirely different identity.
Mirage hotel reservations
Any hotel reservations at The Mirage will still be honored after the sale, which includes hotel rooms that were booked with MGM Rewards comps. While reservations will remain on the MGM app, guests will not be able to use it after the sale closes. This means no digital key, check-in or check-out through the app after Hard Rock takes over.
Anyone who has concerns about their hotel reservations after the sale closes can call The Mirage at 1-800-777-6533. Be sure to call before the sale is final, as MGM Resorts will no longer have access.
Future guests can cancel a reservation prior to the deal being completed and receive a refund on deposits. However, once the deal closes, the responsibility for cancellations will be with Hard Rock. MGM may be able to relocate guests to other properties on the Vegas Strip.
MGM operates hotels at the following casinos in Las Vegas:
- Aria
- Bellagio
- Excalibur
- Luxor
- Mandalay Bay
- MGM Grand
- New York-New York
- Park MGM
Although MGM operates The Cosmopolitan, the hotel is not yet part of the MGM Rewards system.
MGM parking
MGM’s parking policy will remain in effect until The Mirage sale closes. Hard Rock will likely change this after it takes over operations.
BetMGM Sportsbook
There’s one carveout in the turnover: BetMGM will continue to operate the sportsbook at the Mirage after the sale. So, sports bettors in Las Vegas can still use the BetMGM app and continue to earn BetMGM points and benefits for their bets.
Mirage loyalty rewards become Unity rewards
Once the deal closes, The Mirage will no longer be part of the MGM loyalty program. Similarly, after the sale closes, MGM Rewards members will not be able to use their benefits at The Mirage.
The rewards program for The Mirage/Hard Rock will eventually become Unity by Hard Rock rewards. The new rewards program links all Hard Rock hotels, casinos and cafes.
Unity by Hard Rock has four tier levels with an individual set of benefits:
- Star: Everyone
- Legend: 4,000–14,999 tier credits
- Icon: 15,000+ tier credits
- X: Invite-only
Additionally, casinos have their additional perks through the rewards program. When Unity comes to Las Vegas, it’s likely to have parking and resort fee benefits for higher-tier members in Vegas. More information should become available after the sale closes.
Guests at The Mirage should soon be able to earn and use rewards at 10 Hard Rock casinos in the US and Caribbean. The company also operates three US hotels without casinos and five more in Mexico. Altogether, there are 150 participating locations.
The transition could take some time to connect with properties outside of Nevada. For reference, it will take some time before the new rewards program at Tropicana is connected to the other Bally’s Corp. casinos around the country.
MGM Resorts sold The Mirage to Hard Rock International on Dec. 13, 2021, for $1.075 billion.
