Although still only half complete, the Hard Rock’s Guitar Hotel tower already dominates views of the Las Vegas Strip, eclipsing LED signs and igniting a “billboard war” as neighboring casinos scramble to outshine the building with their own lights.
Hard Rock Guitar Hotel Continues to Grow Rapidly
Hard Rock’s 660-foot Guitar Hotel is set to diminish the visual punch of all the neon signs around it, which are synonymous with the Las Vegas skyline. Construction began after the Mirage closed in July 2024, and the full resort is slated to open in 2027. A couple of months ago, we reported that the massive guitar is already taking shape, and now, it has reached a height of 28 stories, with 42 being planned.
However, the unorthodox building is already eclipsing its neighbors, both in height and soon in the sheer number of lights it has to proudly display its company’s branding. Crazy lighting and eye-catching signs have always been important for standing out in Las Vegas, so it’s no wonder Hard Rock’s competitors have responded to the challenge with their own highly visual pieces
For example, in 2022 (the same year Hard Rock International confirmed plans to replace the Mirage volcano with the Guitar Hotel), Caesars Entertainment approved a 17,000-square-foot, three-sided LED pylon standing 180 feet tall for the Bally’s-to-Horseshoe rebrand. According to reporting by Vital Vegas, the new display, which went live in 2023, became the Strip’s second-largest digital resort billboard after Resorts World.
It seems, however, that this was not enough for Caesars, as the company followed with a smaller pylon at Caesars Palace, which is 85 feet tall overall, with an LED display covering 6,000 square feet. Under construction since late 2025, it’s slated to debut in mid-2026, also through Branded Cities.
Will This Be Enough to Rival the Guitar Hotel?
For roughly a decade, the Strip’s LED landscape existed in a kind of digital equilibrium. Major resort billboards fell within a similar size range. They competed with each other on a relatively equal footing, as none of them truly dominated the others.
However, the Guitar Hotel, once complete, will completely obliterate the current competition. If we compare the casino to Hard Rock’s similar guitar-shaped building in Florida, which features light beams capable of projecting over 20,000 feet into the sky, then the Las Vegas venue will also be something to behold.