Mirage Las Vegas

Mirage Las Vegas was Steve Wynn's first Las Vegas strip project, opening in 1989 at a cost of $670 million. Steve Wynn's second project, Treasure Island, was initially intended to be a second room tower for the Mirage but ended up being a separate resort. Wynn then went on to construct the Bellagio, Wynn, and Encore. Whereas Mirage was built for $670 million, the Wynn and Encore each cost over $2 billion. The MIrage closed in June 2024 although it's not being demolished. Hard Rock Hotel is scheduled to open in 2027 in the same structure. A big guitar will be in front instead of the volcano.

The Griswold family can be seen checking into the Mirage in the movie National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation. The hotel room scene is also filmed at the Mirage. I once heard Nick Papagiorgio being paged at the Mirage. Papagiorgio was the fake name teenage Rusty Griswold used in the movie to get a fake ID. I'm unsure if the page for Nick Papagiorgio on the loudspeaker was the work of pranksters or if it was a clever marketing gimmick used by the Mirage.

The check in desk and part of the interior of the Mirage as seen in the late 1990s. The check in desk had a large aquarium behind it. People used to have to line up and stand at a counter like this to check in to Las Vegas resorts, whereas now it's more common to see self service kiosks.