LAS VEGAS (NEWSnet/AP) — The Mirage is about to vanish from Las Vegas Strip.

Gambling ends and doors close Wednesday at the iconic tropical island-themed hotel-casino that opened in 1989.

Guest rooms already are empty. The Beatles-themed Cirque du Soleil show “Love” ended its 18-year run earlier this month.

When gamblers are gone, only memories will remain of former casino mogul Steve Wynn’s hotel hotel that revolutionized the casino resort industry.

New operators Hard Rock International and Florida-based Seminole Gaming plan to add 600 rooms to an existing 3,044 in a guitar-shaped hotel. 

“The Mirage was a transcendent property, changing the landscape of Las Vegas," said Joe Lupo, president of The Mirage who will stay aboard at the new resort. "We are confident that Hard Rock Las Vegas will do the same in 2027.”

At ceremonies Wednesday, some of the 127 employees who have worked at The Mirage since it opened planned to mark its end with Lupo; Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming; and Alan Feldman, a longtime MGM Resorts casino executive who is now a fellow at the gambling institute at UNLV. Feldman was Wynn's first publicist at the new resort.

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