Luxor Hotel
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| Luxor Hotel | |
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| Address | 3900 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas, NV 89119 |
| Opening date | October 15, 1993 |
| Previous names | None |
| Casino type | Land-Resort |
| Theme | Ancient Egypt |
| Owner | MGM Mirage |
| No. of rooms | 4,407 |
| Total gaming space | 120,000 ft² (11,148 m²) |
| Permanent shows | Carrot Top Fantasy |
| Signature attractions | IMAX LAX Nightclub Criss Angel |
| Notable restaurants | Luxor Steakhouse Fusia |
| Years renovated | West & East Towers (1,948 rooms) in 2006 |
| Website | luxor.com |
The Luxor Hotel is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It was one of the city's first fully-themed megaresorts. Ground was broken for the Luxor in 1991, that same year construction began on the Treasure Island and the current MGM Grand. It has an Ancient Egyptian motif and contains a total of 4,407 rooms lining the interior walls of a hollow pyramid and contained within twin ziggurat towers that were built as later additions. The hotel is named after the city of Luxor (ancient Thebes) in Egypt, the site of the Valley of the Kings, Karnak and Luxor Temples, and scores of other pharaonic monuments — but no pyramids.
In July 2007, owner MGM Mirage 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.[1] Among the distinctive changes to the exterior occurred in mid-2007, when management covered one of the pyramid's massive black faces with a 15-story sign that advertises Absolut Vodka.
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[edit] Location and history
The Luxor is located on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, opposite the McCarran International Airport. 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 later became Mandalay Resort Group.
When it opened on October 15, 1993, the pyramid was the tallest building on the strip;[2] it cost $375 million to build.[1] A theater and two additional hotel towers totaling 2,000 rooms were added in 1998 for $675 million.[1] In June 2004, the Mandalay Resort Group was purchased by MGM Mirage, adding this hotel to its vast array of properties on the "Strip".
When the resort opened, it featured a more heavily Egyptian-themed interior, including a river that encircled the casino with a ferry that would carry guests to their inclinator core at the corners of the pyramid. The ride was then turned into a river ride that passed by many pieces of ancient artwork after people complained that the ferry service took too long. Most of the ancient Egypt theme and the river ride were taken away as part of a campaign to tailor the property towards more upscale tastes in 1995. According to the unofficial, albeit popular, ghost story, the Nile River attraction was removed because guests kept seeing ghosts of the three workers killed during the Luxor's construction whenever the river passed through dark tunnels.
The resort has been home to some popular entertainment attractions in the Las Vegas area. The main level featured the nightclub, RA, which closed indefinitely on July 22, 2006. From 2000 to 2005, the Luxor Theatre was the home of the enormously popular performance-art show Blue Man Group, which has since moved to The Venetian. On February 15, 2006, the main theatre became the home of the musical Hairspray which ran until 2006.
In 2006, MGM-Mirage began renovating Luxor. Rooms in the East and West Towers have been refurnished. Two upscale restaurants, Isis and Sacred Sea Room, closed. The RA nightclub, which had previously been one of the most successful in the city but had been seeing reduced attendance in recent years, was shuttered. Replacing it is the Las Vegas branch of LAX, a Los Angeles nightclub, which opened on August 31, 2007, in an event hosted by Britney Spears. Also advertised yet unopened is a restaurant named Aspen 702.
Illusionist Criss Angel signed a deal in 2006 to film episodes of his TV series Mindfreak at the hotel. Angel currently has a production office and store in the Luxor. In 2008, Criss Angel will star in a new magic-themed Cirque du Soleil production at Luxor.[3]
[edit] 2007 explosion incident
On May 7, 2007, the Luxor Hotel parking garage was the site of a vehicle explosion which killed one of its employees. Local authorities believe the victim, who worked in a business inside the hotel, was the target for this killing. The hotel was not evacuated, and the parking structure where the explosion occurred suffered no damage. Investigations into this incident are ongoing. The explosion is believed to be caused by a homemade bomb. [4]
[edit] Design
The Luxor is among the most recognizable hotels on the strip because of its striking design. Designed by renowned hotel architect Veldon Simpson, the main portion of the hotel is a 350-foot (110 m)-high (106 m), 30-story pyramid of black glass (in comparison, the Great Pyramid of Giza with original capstone topped out at 481 ft). The hotel is marked by a large obelisk with the name of the property in lighted letters, while the porte-cochere travels underneath a massive recreation of the Great Sphinx of Giza.
The tip of the pyramid contains a fixed-position spotlight that points directly upward – it is the brightest beam in the world, and is visible from anywhere in the Las Vegas valley at night, and can be seen at flight level from above Los Angeles, California, over 275 miles (440 km) away.[citation needed] At ground level, on clear nights, the beam could also be seen as far south as Laughlin and even as far north as Mesquite or Beatty. It is directly straight ahead on US-93 in Arizona, north of Kingman, before reaching the Hoover Dam. In the spring, the bright light attracts huge numbers of moths into the light beam, creating a phenomenon that has been likened to snow. Light is generated using 45 Xenon lamps of 7 kilowatts each. The hourly cost, including lamps, electricity, and repairs, is US$53. The total light output is rated at 41.5 gigacandela, or 30.2 billion lumens. A newspaper can be read 10 miles (16 km) in space by its light.[5]
[edit] Guest rooms and attractions
The guest rooms are situated on the outer walls of the pyramid and are reached by riding in so-called "inclinators" that travel along the inner surface of the pyramid at a 39-degree angle. Open hallways leading to the rooms overlook the atrium, which is the largest in the world at 29 million cubic feet (820,000 m³).
An IMAX theatre (the third such theatre in Las Vegas, although in 1979, Caesars Palace opened an Omnimax Theater, the precursor to IMAX[6]) shows a rotating selection of films; there is also an IMAX motion simulator ride hosting a variety of rides, including "In Search of the Obelisk," which takes participants into a virtual archeological dig and ReBoot, based on the animated series. The "Atrium Showroom" is home to multiple shows: "Fantasy" (a topless revue), comedian Carrot Top, and the movie/attraction "Pirates 4D". The attractions level also features the "King Tut Museum", an authentic replica of the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. The reproduction is based directly on the descriptions of the tomb recorded by Howard Carter, who discovered it in 1922. Also soon to be shown in the Luxor will be Criss Angel's new live show, Believe, set to start in 2008, and run for 10 years.
On August 31, 2007, LAX Nightclub officially opened for labor day weekend. Britney Spears was the host, who starred alongside Nicky Hilton and other stars. Around 4000 people attended, some who never even entered the nightclub. Christina Aguilera also hosted an event on September 8, 2007.
[edit] Usage in popular culture
This destination hotel is commonly viewed as one of the finest examples of 1990s Postmodern architecture, and appeared on the cover of renowned architecture scholar James Steele's book Architecture Today.
A copy of the Luxor, named "The Camel's Toe", appeared in the Las Venturas area of the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
A portion of the 1998 music video "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" by Will Smith was shot in the foyer of the hotel.
Criss Angel Mindfreak Season Three was filmed at the Luxor, and Criss Angel is currently living in his own penthouse suite right under the light. He also has his own Official Mindfreak merchandise store and production studio. He also "levitated" 500 feet (150 m) above the famous light.
Some stunts on Fear Factor were held at the Luxor, including sliding down the exterior.
The hotel also appeared prominently in the 1996 film Mars Attacks!.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Howard Stutz, Luxor's New Look: Farewell to Egypt, Las Vegas Review-Journal, July 12, 2007 .
- ^ Benston, Liz, Pyramid-shaped Luxor hotel sheds its Egyptian image, Scripps News, 7/24/07
- ^ Magician Criss Angel in New Cirque Show
- ^ 1 dead in casino parking lot explosion - USATODAY.com
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/30/PKG5JK1DE01.DTL&feed=rss.entertainment.
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