The Luxor Las Vegas is on the strip south of Tropicana Avenue next to the Excalibur. Representing Mandalay Resort Group’s (now MRI) first serious effort to attract a more upscale, less family-oriented clientele, the Luxor is among the more tasteful of Las Vegas’s themed hotels. Though originally not believed to be on a par with TI and the MGM Grand, the Luxor may be the most distinguished graduate of the much-publicized hotel class of 1993. While the MGM Grand is larger and TI originally more ostentatious, the Luxor demonstrates an unmatched creativity and architectural appeal.
Rising 30 stories, the Luxor Las Vegas is a huge pyramid with guest rooms situated around the outside perimeter from base to apex. Guest-room hallways circumscribe a hollow core containing the world’s largest atrium. Inside the atrium, inclinators rise at a 39-degree angle from the pyramid’s corners to access the guest floors. While the perspective from inside the pyramid is stunning, it is easy to get disoriented. Stories about hotel guests wandering around in search of their rooms are legend. After reviewing many complaints from readers, we seriously recommend carrying a small pocket compass.
The Luxor’s main entrance is from the Strip via a massive sphinx. From the sphinx, guests are diverted into small entryways designed to resemble the interior passages of an actual pyramid. From these tunnels, guests emerge into the dramatic openness of the Luxor’s towering atrium. Rising imposingly within the atrium is an exotic cityscape. The Luxor has succumbed to the let’s-nuke-our-theme contagion and is merrily spending $300 million to drive the Egyptians back to Egypt.
The casino at the Luxor Las Vegas
Proceeding straight ahead at ground level from the main entrance brings you into the open and attractive 120,000-square-foot casino. One level below the casino and the main entrance is the Luxor’s main showroom. Entertainment includes JABBAWOCKEEZ, a dance production; Fantasy, a topless revue; Cirque’s CRISS ANGEL Believe, a magic-themed production show; comedy headliner, Carrot Top; and Menopause: The Musical, an off-Broadway musical. One floor above entry level, on a mezzanine of sorts, is an array of structures that reach high into the atrium. These dramatic buildings and facades transform the atrium. The atrium is home to two fabulous exhibits. Bodies . . . The Exhibition is an extraordinary and riveting introduction to human anatomy through authentic, preserved human bodies. It takes you stepwise through every part of the human body explaining its many systems. Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, takes guests on a chronological odyssey from the design and building of the ocean liner to life on board to its sinking. Luxor’s 26,000-square-foot LAX nightclub is one of the hottest late-night venues in the city.
Flanking the pyramid are two hotel towers that were part of an expansion, which also included a health spa and fitness center and additional meeting and conference space. Soft goods play off the mixed wood tones of the furniture to create some of the warmest and most visually appealing guest rooms in Las Vegas. In all, the Luxor offers 4,450 guest rooms.
The Luxor Las Vegas has great pool complex
The Luxor’s large, attractive pool complex, surrounded by private cabanas, desperately needs some additional plants and trees. Self-parking is not as much a problem at the Luxor as at most large properties. Valet parking is quick and efficient, however, and well worth the tip. The Luxor is within a 5- to 12-minute walk of the Excalibur, the Tropicana, and the MGM Grand. A moving walkway connects the Luxor to the Excalibur and an overhead “cable liner” (a monorail propelled by a cable à la San Francisco cable cars) connects it with Mandalay Bay.
In his book The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas, Bob Sehlinger describes, ranks and rates over 100 hotels and Las Vegas’s 70 best shows. He offers detailed reviews over more than 70 restaurants and lists the best buffets in town. Almost 50 pages provide of gambling tips, including how to play, recognize sucker games, and cut the house advantage to the bone.
