Hard Rock hotel-casino in Las Vegas will soon be undergoing a name change so we decided to take a look back at its history.
Hard Rock hotel-casino had been operated by Brookfield Asset Management before the announcement Friday that Virgin Group was rebranding the hotel. Peter Morton, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, owned and operated the property until 2006.
The property is known for its memorabilia cases over the years, including honoring late Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington in 2017. Some other notable memorabilia cases include Elvis, The Beatles, Elton John, Imagine Dragons, The Killers and David Bowie.
PHOTOS: Hard Rock Hotel and Casino memorabilia
New owner and CEO of Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson, said they will "treasure" the memorabilia with some pieces possibly going into storage.
Here's a timeline of major events in Hard Rock hotel-casino's history.
1995
- The Hard Rock hotel-casino opened that March in Las Vegas, the first of the Hard Rock hotels around the country.
- The same year, music venue The Joint also opened.
- A number of the Hard Rock's restaurants, such as the Pink Taco and Mr. Lucky's, have been around since the beginning.
1998
- Baby's nightclub opened.
2003
- Rehab pool club opened.
2004
- Baby's nightclub closed and Body English opened in its place.
2008
- Live music venue Wasted Space opened.
2009
- Hard Rock's Paradise Tower opened.
- The original Joint closed and the new, expanded Joint opened.
- Vanity nightclub opened New Year's Eve.
2010
- Hard Rock Hotel's All-Suite Tower opened.
- Live music venue Wasted Space closed.
2011
- Hard Rock hotel-casino was the site of the 25th season of MTV's "Real World." Check out photos of the suite.
2012
- Intimate live music venue Vinyl opened.
2015
- Body English closed.
- Center Bar, which was part of the original hotel-casino in 1995, reopened with a new lounge area, expanded cocktail menu and views of the casino floor.
2017
- Magic Mike Live opened at Club Domina. Check out photos of some of the performers.
2018
- Starting as early as January, rumors floated around that Sir Richard Branson was buying Hard Rock hotel-casino before he made the official announcement March 30. The rebranding is set to be complete by late 2019.
