- Virgin Hotels Las Vegas has announced an opening date of January 15, 2021 .
- The new Virgin Hotels Las Vegas location is on the site of the former Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Property.
- The Virgin Hotels Las Vegas casino will be run by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment with Betfred USA operating the sportsbook.
Among the many changes that Virgin Hotels will be making to the site of the former Hard Rock Hotel & Casino–and site of the soon to open Virgin Hotels Las Vegas–is to update the property’s rock music iconography. The massive collection of music memorabilia was purchased by Hard Rock Hotel International earlier this year. They also bought the rights to all hotel and casino related trademarks of the former property which in theory at least would allow a new Hard Rock gaming property to set up shop in Las Vegas.
One of the most significant things that Hard Rock Hotel International purchased was a simple name: The Joint. That was the moniker of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s long running live music venue. The venue itself is still there and will become an integral part of the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas product mix as soon as social events such as live music are viable again. It will, however, operate under another name.
The Joint was an iconic music venue in Las Vegas and has hosted too many top flight acts to even start to count. I don’t even think I can count all the bands I’ve personally seen there. You’ll see photos and memorabilia from shows I’ve seen at the venue strewn throughout the article. The good news is that the venue itself is in great shape and still considered one of the best places in Las Vegas for live music. Right now the ‘working title’ of the venue is ‘the former joint’. AEG Las Vegas Senior Vice President Bobby Reynolds (AEG manages ‘the former joint’) is working with the new ownership of the property to come up with a name:
“This is a conversation we are having with the property, they have a say and we have a say. The name needs to mean something. We also want a sponsor to come in and have a say in it, for revenue.”
The venue is in the process of a $7 million remodeling job which will include a new VIP section and a second level bar. The basic configuration will remain the same. Reynolds says it will have a ‘new look’:
“The venue has great foundation, but like any structure, it needs some love, so we’re spending capital on paint, seats, furniture and a new look. That’s the beauty of putting money into an existing building.”
The Joint originally opened in 1995 when the Hard Rock Hotel opened with a capacity of roughly 2,000. In 2009, it was closed (turned into gaming space more specifically) and a larger venue built on a similar floor plan was opened in what used to be parking space along Paradise Road. The new venue had a 4,000 seat capacity. Las Vegas locals The Killers played the opening night of the remodeled venue.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see The Joint name used for The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, a property best known for its guitar shaped hotel tower.
