disassembled in October 2017. YESCO had built the sign and rented it to Hard Rock International while the restaurant was in operation. The sign was refurbished and put on display at the city's Neon Museum in 2019. In early 2018, construction was underway on a 700-seat venue to host The Voice: Neon Dreams, a live stage show scheduled to open later that year. Base Entertainment was constructing the facility on land adjacent to the café. 2018 sale and Virgin rebranding In March 2018, the Hard Rock was purchased by Virgin Hotels in partnership with a group of investment firms. JC Hospitality became the majority owner of the resort. At the time of the sale, plans were announced to renovate the property and rebrand it as Virgin Hotels Las Vegas by late 2019, later delayed to 2020. Following the purchase, Base Entertainment pulled out of the plans for The Voice: Neon Dreams, leaving the facility only partially built. It was announced in August 2019 that the Hard Rock would close for approximately eight months beginning in early February 2020, to allow for the renovations to take place. Initially, the resort was to remain partially open during renovations, but it was determined that a full closure would be more efficient. As part of the Virgin project, the Hard Rock Cafe was demolished in November 2019, making room for landscaping, additional valet parking, and vehicle for hire companies. The Hard Rock Hotel closed on February 3, 2020. Casino operations began shutting down around 1:00 a.m., and the resort was fully closed at 6:00 p.m. with a brief ceremony in which the entrance doors were chained shut. A four-day celebration, The Last Great Party, was held in the days leading up to the Hard Rock's closure. The celebration included free live music, discounted food and drinks, and a chance for guests to win memorabilia. A Super Bowl LIV party was also held at the resort. The Hard Rock's hotel furniture was sold to the public. Approximately 14,000 people had worked at the Hard Rock over the course of its history. At the time of its closure, the Hard Rock had 1,850 employees, who had the option of returning to their original jobs once the property reopens. By March 2020, the hotel's guitar sign had been disassembled and was in the process of being sold to an interested buyer. Virgin Hotels Las Vegas eventually opened