Las Vegas Advisor: MGM Resorts sells Mirage hotel for $1B

MGM Resorts International has sold the operations of the Mirage to Hard Rock International, owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, for $1.075 billion. The Mirage name can be used for a maximum of three years while a rebranding to a Hard Rock, including the building of one of its trademark guitar-shaped hotels, is completed.

Hard Rock will pay rent to VICI Properties, which owns the real estate. The sale is expected to close in the second half of next year. When it does, the ­Mirage will be the first ­tribal-owned casino on the Strip and the third in the Las Vegas market, following Mohegan Sun at Virgin Las Vegas and San Manuel at the Palms.

The Mirage was Las ­Vegas’ first megaresort and is credited with flipping the switch on the “new Las Vegas.”

More Strip bridges: Further bolstering the rise of the North Strip, the Las Vegas City Council has given the go-ahead to begin design work for adding pedestrian bridges at Sahara Avenue. Construction isn’t expected to start until 2023. An average of 69,000 vehicles pass through that intersection daily.

Kiss at the Rio: The Rio is expanding its 5-year-old, glow-in-the-dark Kiss by Monster Mini Golf attraction with a museum dedicated to the iconic rock band. The 15,000-square-foot all-Kiss-all-the-time museum is scheduled to open in March and will consist of “three tractor-trailer loads” of memorabilia collected by Kiss frontman Gene Simmons, including costumes, stage props, and gold and platinum albums.

Question: Do you think the awesome Sterling Brunch will ever come back at Bally’s?

Answer: Probably not. The Sterling Brunch was served buffet style and most buffets aren’t returning. But further, it appears that BLT, the restaurant in which the brunch was served, will not reopen. The Sterling Brunch was Las Vegas’ most expensive buffet ever, topping out at a regal $125 before it closed.

For more information about current Las Vegas shows, buffets, coupons, and good deals, go to LasVegasAdvisor.com.