Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group, had wanted to enter the Las Vegas casino industry for more than 20 years.

[3] In January 2018, majority owner Brookfield Asset Management was in discussions to sell the Hard Rock to a group of buyers, including Virgin Hotels, Bosworth Hospitality, and investment firm Juniper Capital Partners.

[4] The three companies had partnered together a year earlier to begin looking for an existing casino resort property in Las Vegas.

[8][9] The resort would retain the Hard Rock name until the completion of renovations, which would be done in phases, allowing the property to remain partially open.

[7] The newly renovated resort would compete against newer hotels such as Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Delano, and NoMad.

[5] The two had previously wanted to purchase the unfinished Fontainebleau resort in Las Vegas, and they approached Brookfield as a possible equity partner in early 2017.

[12][13] The majority owner was Laborers' International Union of North America's Central and Eastern Canada Pension Fund, which contributed more than $100 million to the purchase of the Hard Rock.

[14] Base Entertainment had been building a stage facility on the property to host The Voice: Neon Dreams, a live concert show.

During the first year of ownership, Bosworth and the other owners observed how the Hard Rock operated, which helped them in their renovation plans.

In April 2019, it was announced that the renovation project would now begin in February 2020,[19][20] with a grand opening celebration at the end of the year.

The design team included Klai Juba Wald Architecture + Interiors, Rockwell Group, and Studio Collective.

[19][22] It was announced in August 2019 that the Hard Rock would close entirely for about eight months beginning in early February 2020, to allow for the renovations to take place.

"[23][24] A former Hard Rock Cafe building, located on-site, was demolished in November 2019, to make room for valet parking and ride-sharing vehicles.

[28] In September 2020, Bosworth announced a new opening date of January 15, 2021, as the owners wanted to ensure that pandemic conditions and restrictions continued to improve.

[37][38][39] After COVID-19 restrictions were eased, the resort held a grand opening weekend celebration from June 10-13, 2021,[40][41] marking the completion of nearly all facilities.

[42][43] Attendees at the grand opening included Branson, Nevada governor Steve Sisolak, and singer Christina Aguilera, who performed in the property's renovated theater.

[38] To attract guests, the property opened without resort fees and paid parking, both of which had become common in Las Vegas.

[49] Bosworth had sought to retain the Hard Rock's 1,850 employees after its closure, through a program that would give them a paycheck bonus if they returned for the opening of Virgin Hotels.

By that time, all casino resorts on the nearby Strip had been unionized and had labor contracts, leaving Virgin as the only outlier in the Las Vegas Valley.

[59][60][61] On November 15, 2024, 700 workers at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas began a strike for more workplace protections and higher wages.

[16] The Joint, a former Hard Rock music venue,[92][93][94] was renovated into The Theater at Virgin Hotels,[92] which opened slightly later than the resort, due to the pandemic,[95] launching in September 2021,[96] with Gary Clark Jr. and Lady A headlining.

The venue also featured Porter Robinson, Violent Femmes and Machine Gun Kelly, and hosted its first artist residency, that December, by Journey.

[100][101][102] The resort's five-acre pool area is surrounded by several restaurants and an event lawn to host live concerts.

[35][37] Like other Virgin hotels, the Las Vegas property includes the Commons Club,[111][112] an upscale restaurant and lounge area built at the resort's main entrance.

[1][113] The Commons Club measures 8,500 sq ft (790 m2) and includes The Bar and The Shag Room, two lounges located adjacent to one another.

[111][114] The resort also includes a Thai restaurant named Night + Market,[115][116] and the Funny Library Coffee Shop.

[134] Virgin Hotels Las Vegas retained the Nobu restaurant, which previously operated inside the resort when it was the Hard Rock,[135] and was then awarded a Michelin star.