Hard Rock’s Guitar Hotel Takes Shape on Ashes of Mirage Volcano Over Las Vegas Strip

The shape of the bottom of an electric guitar is now clearly recognizable as construction of the future Hard Rock’s Guitar Hotel rises above the Las Vegas Strip.

This week, workers could be seen installing window panes on the structure, which is steadily climbing toward its planned 660-foot height from a foundation poured where the Mirage’s legendary volcano once fake-erupted.

The giant guitar strikes a defiant chord of optimism against the economic strife afflicting neighboring properties.

Yet the Seminole Tribe of Florida reportedly pumped an additional 7% into the $4.3 billion overhaul, to amp up entertainment features including expanded pools and a revamped casino floor.

The site, which the tribe acquired for $1.075 billion in late 2022, has been a hive of activity since the Mirage’s emotional farewell on July 17, 2024. Demolition crews razed the volcano lagoon within hours, paving the way for Penta Building Group to lay foundations by early 2025.

Recent tweaks — including the scrapping of a southern pedestrian bridge to Harrah’s — have sparked whispers of cost-cutting.

However, a Hard Rock spokesperson dismissed the chatter in June, calling the adjustments “strategic refinements” to enhance guest flow. (A northern bridge to the Venetian remains in the cards.)