Luxor Hotel
Encyclopedia
Luxor Las Vegas is a hotel
and casino
located on the Las Vegas Strip
in Paradise, Nevada
. The 30-story hotel, which is operated by MGM Resorts International, features a 120000 sq ft (11,148.4 m²) casino floor that includes over 2,000 slot machines and 87 table games.
In the 2008 to 2009 renovation, it has a new, highly modernized and contemporary design and contains a total of 4,400 rooms, including 442 suites, lining the interior walls of a pyramid
style tower and within twin 22-story ziggurat
towers that were built as later additions.
The hotel is named after the city of Luxor
(ancient Thebes) in Egypt
. Luxor is the second largest hotel in Las Vegas (the largest being the MGM Grand Las Vegas
) and the third largest in the world. As of 2010, the Luxor has a 4 Key rating from the Green Key Eco-Rating Program, which evaluates "sustainable" hotel operations.
Luxor is also connected to the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino through The Shoppes at Mandalay Place, a 310 feet (94.5 m)- long retail sky bridge with retailers such as Urban Outfitters, minus5° Ice Lounge & Lodge and a Nike Golf store.
The Luxor is home to four shows which consist of "Criss Angel - Believe", "Fantasy" (a topless revue
), comedian Carrot Top
, and "Menopause the Musical
". Luxor's most recent live show is "Criss Angel - Believe", a collaboration between illusionist Criss Angel
and Cirque du Soleil
that began in Halloween of 2008. The hotel also hosts “Bodies...The Exhibition,” an educational display on the human body, and “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition”. From 2000 to 2005, the Luxor Theatre was the home of the performance-art show Blue Man Group
, which has since moved to The Venetian.
On August, 31 2007, LAX Nightclub officially opened at a party hosted by Britney Spears. A number of other celebrities, including Christina Aguilera
, have also hosted events at the club. The two-level, 26000 sq ft (2,415.5 m²) venue contains 78 VIP tables and Noir Bar, which according to the Las Vegas Review Journal is an “ultra-elite bar” that is a reservations-only establishment. Additional nightlife destinations within Luxor include CatHouse, Aurora, Liquidity, Flight, High Bar and Play Bar.
Restaurants within the hotel consist of TENDER steak & seafood, T&T, Pyramid Café, MORE The Buffet, Rice and CO and the Backstage Deli. There is also a Food Court on the Atrium level which contains a Quiznos, McDonald’s, Nathan's Famous
, Little Caesars
Pizza, Swensen's
Ice Cream, and Starbucks
Coffee. Since July 21 a new Asian-Fusion restaurant has been opened in the Luxor called "Rice and Company" serving Chinese and Japanese dishes and including a Sushi
Bar.
and interior designer Charles Silverman, the Luxor has received recognition as being among the most recognizable hotels on the strip because of its unique design. The main portion of the hotel is a 365 feet (111.3 m)-high, 30-story pyramid encased in 11 acres of dark bronze glass.
The guest rooms are situated on the outer walls of the pyramid and are reached by riding in "inclinators" that travel along the inner surface of the pyramid at a 39-degree angle. The hotel also features a 29 million cubic feet (820,000 m³) atrium
, which was the largest open atrium in the world when it was built in 1993. The hotel is marked by a 140 feet (42.7 m)-high obelisk
and a 110 feet (33.5 m)-tall re-creation of the Great Sphinx of Giza
.
The tip of the pyramid contains a fixed-position spotlight
that points directly upward and is claimed to be the brightest beam in the world at over 42.3 billion candle power.
. The resort is flanked by the Mandalay Bay
to the south and by the Excalibur
to the north; all three are connected by free express and local trams. All three properties were built by Circus Circus Enterprises, which in 1999 became Mandalay Resort Group
.
A theater and two additional hotel towers totaling 2,000 rooms were added in 1998 for $675 million. When the resort opened, it featured the Nile River Tour which was a river ride that carried guests to different parts of the pyramid and passed by pieces of ancient artwork on a river that encircled the casino. The casino also featured King Tut’s Tomb and Museum, a duplicate of King Tutankhamen’s tomb as found in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, Egypt. In July 2007, owner MGM Resorts International announced plans to thoroughly renovate the Luxor, spending $300 million to remodel 80 percent of Luxor's public areas, removing much of the ancient Egyptian theme and replacing it with more adult-oriented and modern lounges, restaurants and clubs.
On May 7, 2007, a vehicle exploded in a Luxor Hotel parking garage due to a homemade bomb which left one dead. Local authorities believe the victim, a 24-year-old employee at Nathan’s Famous hot dog restaurant in the Luxor food court, was the intended target. The hotel was not evacuated, operations continued uninterrupted and the parking structure as well as the casino were undamaged.
is often viewed as a prime example of 1990s Postmodern architecture
, and appeared on the cover of architecture scholar James Steele's book Architecture Today. Since opening in 1993, the hotel has appeared in numerous films including the 1996 film Mars Attacks
and can be seen in the destroyed Vegas in 2012
.
In The Hangover
, Phil, Stu, Doug, Alan, and Doug celebrate a bachelor party in Las Vegas. The Luxor can be seen in the background of some scenes.
In Up in the Air
, George Clooney's character, Ryan Bingham, is asked to take a picture in front of the Luxor hotel. The hotel has also been featured in the television shows Fear Factor
, Criss Angel Mindfreak
, Great Hotels
, and CSI. A replica of the Luxor, named "The Camel's Toe", appeared in the Las Venturas area of the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
.
The Luxor Lightbeam appears in many (if not all) images of Las Vegas, from films to Computer Games. This is the case even if the Pyramid cannot be seen (such as in Hoyle's Casino by Sierra
)
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
and casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
located on the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
in Paradise, Nevada
Paradise, Nevada
Paradise is an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 223,167 at the 2010 census...
. The 30-story hotel, which is operated by MGM Resorts International, features a 120000 sq ft (11,148.4 m²) casino floor that includes over 2,000 slot machines and 87 table games.
In the 2008 to 2009 renovation, it has a new, highly modernized and contemporary design and contains a total of 4,400 rooms, including 442 suites, lining the interior walls of a pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
style tower and within twin 22-story ziggurat
Ziggurat
Ziggurats were massive structures built in the ancient Mesopotamian valley and western Iranian plateau, having the form of a terraced step pyramid of successively receding stories or levels.Notable ziggurats include the Great Ziggurat of Ur near Nasiriyah, Iraq; the Ziggurat of Aqar Quf near...
towers that were built as later additions.
The hotel is named after the city of Luxor
Luxor
Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 487,896 , with an area of approximately . As the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", as the ruins of the temple...
(ancient Thebes) in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Luxor is the second largest hotel in Las Vegas (the largest being the MGM Grand Las Vegas
MGM Grand Las Vegas
The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the third largest hotel in the world and largest hotel resort complex in the United States in front of The Venetian. The MGM Grand was the largest hotel in the world when it opened in...
) and the third largest in the world. As of 2010, the Luxor has a 4 Key rating from the Green Key Eco-Rating Program, which evaluates "sustainable" hotel operations.
Facilities and attractions
Luxor Las Vegas includes 20000 sq ft (1,858.1 m²) of convention space, four swimming pools and whirlpools, a wedding chapel, Nurture Spa and Salon and 29 retail stores.Luxor is also connected to the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino through The Shoppes at Mandalay Place, a 310 feet (94.5 m)- long retail sky bridge with retailers such as Urban Outfitters, minus5° Ice Lounge & Lodge and a Nike Golf store.
The Luxor is home to four shows which consist of "Criss Angel - Believe", "Fantasy" (a topless revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
), comedian Carrot Top
Carrot Top
Scott Thompson , better known by his stage name Carrot Top, is an American comedian known for his bright red hair, prop comedy, and self-deprecating humor.-Early years:...
, and "Menopause the Musical
Menopause the Musical
Menopause, The Musical debuted March 28, 2001 in Orlando, Florida, in a 76-seat theatre that once housed a perfume shop. The original cast members were Shelly Browne as the Power Woman, Patti McGuire as the Iowa Housewife, Pammie O'Bannon as the Earth Mother and Wesley Williams as the Soap Star...
". Luxor's most recent live show is "Criss Angel - Believe", a collaboration between illusionist Criss Angel
Criss Angel
Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos , better known by the stage name Criss Angel, is an American illusionist, writer, director, musician, and actor...
and Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
that began in Halloween of 2008. The hotel also hosts “Bodies...The Exhibition,” an educational display on the human body, and “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition”. From 2000 to 2005, the Luxor Theatre was the home of the performance-art show Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group is an organization founded by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring popular music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight...
, which has since moved to The Venetian.
On August, 31 2007, LAX Nightclub officially opened at a party hosted by Britney Spears. A number of other celebrities, including Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, have also hosted events at the club. The two-level, 26000 sq ft (2,415.5 m²) venue contains 78 VIP tables and Noir Bar, which according to the Las Vegas Review Journal is an “ultra-elite bar” that is a reservations-only establishment. Additional nightlife destinations within Luxor include CatHouse, Aurora, Liquidity, Flight, High Bar and Play Bar.
Restaurants within the hotel consist of TENDER steak & seafood, T&T, Pyramid Café, MORE The Buffet, Rice and CO and the Backstage Deli. There is also a Food Court on the Atrium level which contains a Quiznos, McDonald’s, Nathan's Famous
Nathan's Famous
Nathan's Famous is a company that operates a chain of U.S.-based fast food restaurants specializing in hot dogs. The original Nathan's restaurant stands at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in the Coney Island neighborhood of the New York City borough of Brooklyn.-History:Nathan's began as...
, Little Caesars
Little Caesars
Little Caesars is a pizza chain, estimated to be the 4th largest in the United States. The Little Caesars headquarters is located in the Fox Theatre building in Downtown Detroit, Michigan.-History:...
Pizza, Swensen's
Swensen's
Swensen's is a global chain of ice cream restaurants that started in San Francisco, California.-History:The company was started in 1948 by Earle Swensen. Swensen opened his first shop at the corner of Union and Hyde Streets, along the cable car tracks in Russian Hill in San Francisco at what had...
Ice Cream, and Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
Coffee. Since July 21 a new Asian-Fusion restaurant has been opened in the Luxor called "Rice and Company" serving Chinese and Japanese dishes and including a Sushi
Sushi
is a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients . Neta and forms of sushi presentation vary, but the ingredient which all sushi have in common is shari...
Bar.
Design
Designed by hotel architect Veldon SimpsonVeldon Simpson
Veldon Simpson is an architect. He designed the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as the MGM Grand and Excalibur Hotel and Casino. He is the president of the Veldon Simpson-Architect, Inc., which formed as a corporation in 1976.-References:...
and interior designer Charles Silverman, the Luxor has received recognition as being among the most recognizable hotels on the strip because of its unique design. The main portion of the hotel is a 365 feet (111.3 m)-high, 30-story pyramid encased in 11 acres of dark bronze glass.
The guest rooms are situated on the outer walls of the pyramid and are reached by riding in "inclinators" that travel along the inner surface of the pyramid at a 39-degree angle. The hotel also features a 29 million cubic feet (820,000 m³) atrium
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
, which was the largest open atrium in the world when it was built in 1993. The hotel is marked by a 140 feet (42.7 m)-high obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
and a 110 feet (33.5 m)-tall re-creation of the Great Sphinx of Giza
Great Sphinx of Giza
The Great Sphinx of Giza , commonly referred to as the Sphinx, is a limestone statue of a reclining or couchant sphinx that stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt....
.
The tip of the pyramid contains a fixed-position spotlight
Searchlight
A searchlight is an apparatus that combines a bright light source with some form of curved reflector or other optics to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direction, usually constructed so that it can be swiveled about.-Military use:The Royal Navy used...
that points directly upward and is claimed to be the brightest beam in the world at over 42.3 billion candle power.
Location
Luxor is located on the southern end of the Las Vegas StripLas Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
. The resort is flanked by the Mandalay Bay
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is a 44-story luxury hotel casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned by MGM Resorts International. Five floors of the main hotel building are occupied by the five-star and AAA Five-Diamond Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas...
to the south and by the Excalibur
Excalibur Hotel and Casino
The Excalibur Hotel and Casino is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, in the United States. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International....
to the north; all three are connected by free express and local trams. All three properties were built by Circus Circus Enterprises, which in 1999 became Mandalay Resort Group
Mandalay Resort Group
Mandalay Resort Group was a hotel-casino operator based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Its major properties included Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur and Circus Circus, as well as half of the Monte Carlo. In terms of market capitalization, it was one of the largest casino operators in the world. It was...
.
History
Ground was broken for the Luxor in 1992 and officially opened eighteen months later at 4 A.M on October 15, 1993 to a crowd of 10,000 people. When it opened, the pyramid, which cost $375 million to build, was the tallest building on the strip and contained 2,526 rooms and a 100000 sq ft (9,290.3 m²) casino. The resort was financed by “petty cash” earned from other Circus Circus Enterprises properties and did not include any outside financial investors.A theater and two additional hotel towers totaling 2,000 rooms were added in 1998 for $675 million. When the resort opened, it featured the Nile River Tour which was a river ride that carried guests to different parts of the pyramid and passed by pieces of ancient artwork on a river that encircled the casino. The casino also featured King Tut’s Tomb and Museum, a duplicate of King Tutankhamen’s tomb as found in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, Egypt. In July 2007, owner MGM Resorts International announced plans to thoroughly renovate the Luxor, spending $300 million to remodel 80 percent of Luxor's public areas, removing much of the ancient Egyptian theme and replacing it with more adult-oriented and modern lounges, restaurants and clubs.
On May 7, 2007, a vehicle exploded in a Luxor Hotel parking garage due to a homemade bomb which left one dead. Local authorities believe the victim, a 24-year-old employee at Nathan’s Famous hot dog restaurant in the Luxor food court, was the intended target. The hotel was not evacuated, operations continued uninterrupted and the parking structure as well as the casino were undamaged.
Usage in popular culture
This destination hotelDestination hotel
A destination hotel is a hotel whose location and amenities make the hotel itself a destination for tourists, rather than merely a convenient place to stay while traveling through or visiting the area for other reasons. Destination hotels are also called destination lodgings and sometimes...
is often viewed as a prime example of 1990s Postmodern architecture
Postmodern architecture
Postmodern architecture began as an international style the first examples of which are generally cited as being from the 1950s, but did not become a movement until the late 1970s and continues to influence present-day architecture...
, and appeared on the cover of architecture scholar James Steele's book Architecture Today. Since opening in 1993, the hotel has appeared in numerous films including the 1996 film Mars Attacks
Mars Attacks
Mars Attacks is a science fiction trading card series released in 1962. The cards feature artwork by science-fiction artist Wallace Wood and tell the story of the invasion of Earth by cruel, hideous Martians. The cards depicted futuristic battle scenes and bizarre methods of Martian attack, torture...
and can be seen in the destroyed Vegas in 2012
2012 (film)
2012 is a 2009 American disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich. It stars John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, and Woody Harrelson. It was produced by Emmerich's production company, Centropolis Entertainment and was distributed by Columbia Pictures...
.
In The Hangover
The Hangover (film)
The Hangover is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha and Jeffrey Tambor...
, Phil, Stu, Doug, Alan, and Doug celebrate a bachelor party in Las Vegas. The Luxor can be seen in the background of some scenes.
In Up in the Air
Up in the Air (film)
Up in the Air is a 2009 American comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and co-written by Reitman and Sheldon Turner. It is a film adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name, written by Walter Kirn. The story is about a corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham and his travels...
, George Clooney's character, Ryan Bingham, is asked to take a picture in front of the Luxor hotel. The hotel has also been featured in the television shows Fear Factor
Fear Factor
Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare reality game show. The original Dutch version was called Now or Neverland. When Endemol USA and NBC adapted it to the American market in 2001, they changed the name to Fear Factor. The show pits contestants against each other in a variety of stunts for a...
, Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak
Criss Angel Mindfreak is a show distributed by A&E Network. It debuted in 2005, and centers on stunts and street magic acts by magician Criss Angel.-Career as magician:...
, Great Hotels
Great Hotels
Great Hotels is a television show on the Travel Channel. The show, hosted by Samantha Brown, travels around the United States to show some of its most renowned hotels...
, and CSI. A replica of the Luxor, named "The Camel's Toe", appeared in the Las Venturas area of the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
.
The Luxor Lightbeam appears in many (if not all) images of Las Vegas, from films to Computer Games. This is the case even if the Pyramid cannot be seen (such as in Hoyle's Casino by Sierra
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
)