Luxor Las Vegas

Construction and opening The resort was announced by Circus Circus Enterprises on November 14, 1991. Known temporarily as "Project X", the pyramid-shaped resort would be built on the Las Vegas Strip. Groundbreaking took place on April 21, 1992, with the project by then known as "Luxor", after the Egyptian city of the same name. Veldon Simpson was the architect, President and owner Charles L. Silverman traveled to Egypt three times to study the country's atmosphere. Of all the casino resorts that his firm had designed, Silverman called Luxor "the most interesting and difficult". Egyptologists were hired to create and oversee Luxor's theme, which was prevalent throughout the resort. The interior included replicas of various Egyptian artifacts, made of fiberglass and plaster. Perini Building Company served as general contractor. The project employed more than 150 contractors and 3,500 construction workers, Circus Circus chairman William Bennett said the most challenging aspect of construction was dealing with Clark County officials, who he felt were overly critical of the resort due to its pyramid shape. He claimed county regulations, including improved fire precautions, added unnecessary costs to construction. It would compete against two other upcoming resorts, MGM Grand and Treasure Island. All three resorts had a family-oriented focus. Luxor employed 4,500 workers. Renovations and ownership changes Within a few years of the Luxor's opening, resort executives concluded that it needed to be improved and enlarged. A $300 million renovation and expansion was launched in January 1996, and was mostly finished a year later. The casino interior, which was redesigned, had initially included sections dedicated to space travel and the skyline of New York City, both of which were removed. The Egyptian theme was also scaled back. The changes improved revenue, and Luxor was a consistently profitable resort as of 2003. It was reported four years later that more people visited the resort than the actual city of Luxor. Circus Circus Enterprises was renamed Mandalay Resort Group in 1999, and was acquired by MGM Mirage (later MGM Resorts International) in 2005. Two years after the acquisition, MGM announced plans for a $300 million renovation of Luxor that would remove much of the Egyptian theme. Luxor president and chief operating officer Felix Rappaport said, "We're not a British museum with ancient artifacts, we're a casino-resort. This was a brilliantly conceived building from the outside. The pyramid always created a sense of wow and wonder, but the inside never delivered on that promise." The resort added more adult-oriented and modern lounges, restaurants and clubs. The hotel rooms were renovated in 2021. Vici Properties — a 2017 REIT spin-off from Caesars Entertainment Corporation — purchased the 2015 MGM REIT spin-off, MGM Growth Properties, a year later, acquiring its numerous Strip properties, including Luxor, while MGM leases and continues to operate the resort. 2007 bombing On May 7, 2007, a homemade pipe bomb exploded in a vehicle in the Luxor parking garage, killing one man in his 20s. ==Property overview==

Luxor is at the southern end of the Strip, and is located between two other resorts developed by Circus Circus Enterprises: Excalibur to the north (opened in 1990) and Mandalay Bay to the south (opened in 1999). The Mandalay Bay Tram travels between the three properties. Luxor's pyramid is 30 stories, Its exterior sides are sometimes used for advertising. It originally opened with 2,526 rooms, all of them located in the pyramid. The rooms line the pyramid's interior walls, and walkways outside the rooms overlook the atrium. The interior of the pyramid uses inclined elevators, traveling at a 39-degree angle, to bring guests to their rooms. are 22 stories and added nearly 2,000 additional rooms. Upon opening, it featured 2,500 slot machines, many of them Egyptian-themed. The casino also included 82 table games, a poker room, and race and sports books. File:Las Vegas Strip shooting site 09 2017 4949.jpg|Aerial view of the pyramid and its adjacent towers File:The entrance to the Luxor Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas (49904051798).jpg|The sphinx entrance along the Strip File:The Obelisk at Luxor - panoramio.jpg|The Luxor's exterior obelisk File:Les casinos du Strip - Luxor (9194253662).jpg|Egyptian architecture inside the pyramid File:Las vegas Luxor hotel bedroom by Alexander Plyushchev - IMG 0006.jpg|A hotel room in the pyramid File:2012.10.05.183658 Casino Luxor Hotel Las Vegas Nevada.jpg|The Luxor's casino floor File:Luxor lobby.jpg File:Luxor_Hotel_Lobby_%26_Rooms,_Las_Vegas_(925902629).jpg File:Luxor hotel (Las Vegas) interior.jpg File:Las Vegas, September 2018 - 42938580440.jpg File:Inside Luxor.jpg File:Hotel Luxor-2022 (2).jpg Luxor Sky Beam The tip of the pyramid is three stories, and features a beam of light known as the Luxor Sky Beam. using curved mirrors to collect the light from 39 xenon lamps and focus them into one intense, narrow beam. G-Force International Entertainment Corporation was hired to design, build and install the lighting system. The beam was activated on the night of October 14, 1993, and has operated reliably since then. On a clear night, it is visible up to away by aircraft at cruising altitude, such as over Los Angeles. Moths are also attracted to the light, which in turn attracts bats and owls. The lamp room, located about below the top of the building, can reach temperatures of while the lights are operating. Because of the heat, the room is serviced by a staff of two workers during the day. Temperatures of have been recorded above the pyramid tip. The beam originally measured 42.3 billion candela, and shone high. Since 2008, only half the lamps have been lit as a cost- and energy-saving measure. The resort later surveyed tourists about the possibility of turning off the beam completely, an idea that was largely rejected. Luxor sued Bee in 2003, alleging that the lighting system contained design and construction flaws which resulted in frequent power shutdowns. The suit further alleged that Bee had failed to honor contracts to repair or replace the system components. New LED lighting was added along the pyramid's exterior edges in 2019. The lights are programmable and feature a variety of colors. ==Attractions==

Upon its opening, Luxor included the Karnak Lake, located in between the sphinx and obelisk. More than 100 computer-controlled fountains would spray water up from the lake by day, and as part of a free nightly show in which lasers shot out from the eyes of the sphinx. The lasers would project Egyptian imagery onto a high water screen formed by the fountains. The show was meant, but ultimately failed, to rival a popular Strip attraction, the volcano at the Mirage resort. At the end of 1995, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a shutdown of all laser light shows within of McCarran International Airport, putting an end to the Karnak Lake attraction. At its opening, the resort also featured the indoor Nile River Tour, a paid 15-minute ride that brought guests to different parts of the pyramid and passed by pieces of ancient artwork on a river that encircled the casino. Secrets of the Luxor Pyramid, created by visual effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull, It consisted of three 15-minute attractions, including "In Search of the Obelisk", "Luxor Live", and "Theater of Time". Each show took place in its own theater, with the final one projected on a seven-story screen. In 1996, the seven-story screen was repurposed as an IMAX theater showcasing various 3D films, the first Nevada venue to do so. Meanwhile, "In Search of the Obelisk" was successful enough to receive nationwide distribution at other IMAX theaters. A indoor playground called Play Playground, for children and adults, opened in 2024. It serves as immersive entertainment, providing various activities such as games and a bounce house. It has since pivoted to only for people 21+ Museum and exhibits King Tut's Tomb and Museum opened at Luxor in December 1993. It consisted of four rooms dedicated to Egyptian history, featuring replicas of various ancient items; The museum closed in June 2008, part of Luxor's efforts to scale back on its Egyptian theming. The replica artifacts were donated to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, where they are displayed in its "Treasures of Egypt" exhibit, opened in January 2010. The King Tut museum was replaced by Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, along with Bodies: The Exhibition; both had previously been on display at the nearby Tropicana resort. Moving them to Luxor required the removal of the IMAX theater and a game arcade. An sports memorabilia exhibit, known as "Score!", opened in 2012. Another exhibit, Discovering King Tut's Tomb, opened in 2022, marking the 100th anniversary of the tomb's discovery. Restaurants and clubs Luxor opened with seven restaurants, Notable eateries around that time included the Luxor Steakhouse, and a French gourmet restaurant known as Isis. It is also home to Diablo's Cantina, a restaurant serving Mexican cuisine on the atrium level. Company American Bistro opened in 2007, with Nick Lachey, Paris Hilton and Wilmer Valderrama as investors. Isis was also replaced that year by CatHouse, a nightclub and restaurant with Kerry Simon as chef. It was modeled after a 1940s bordello. The restaurant portion closed in 2010, followed by the nightclub two years later. Other notable restaurants have included Tender, specializing in steaks and seafood. It was subsequently turned into the LAX nightclub, which opened in 2007 with a party hosted by Britney Spears. The two-level venue measured . LAX was popular among celebrities, and included Christina Aguilera and DJ AM as investors. The arcade later became known as Games of the Gods, before being removed in 2008. Known as Esports Arena and part of an eponymous chain, it opened in March 2018, becoming the first esports venue on the Strip and only the second one in the Las Vegas Valley. The facility was added in an effort to attract the Millennial demographic. The multi-level venue measures and includes a two-story video wall. As of 2023, the HyperX Arena had hosted 700 events and more than 500,000 people since its opening. ==Live entertainment==

Luxor initially included the 900-seat Pharaoh's Dinner Theater. The theater later hosted an ice production known as Le Ice Show. The venue closed in December 1995, making way for convention space. A 1,200-seat venue was subsequently added. Known as the Luxor Theater, it has since been expanded to 1,500 seats. A production show, titled Imagine, A Theatrical Odyssey, opened in the venue in 1997. The show closed at the end of 1999, with the Blue Man Group taking over the theater. They performed at Luxor until 2005. After a decade of playing at other Strip resorts, the Blue Man Group returned to Luxor in 2015, displacing the dance group Jabbawockeez. The Broadway musical Hairspray opened in February 2006, replacing the Blue Man Group. The show experienced poor ticket sales and closed four months later. Magician Criss Angel partnered with Cirque du Soleil to open a show at Luxor, titled Believe. It debuted in 2008, and was the first Cirque show to feature an individual star. The show initially received criticism, prompting Cirque to give Angel more creative control and fine-tune it. Angel ended his run at Luxor in 2018, after 10 years of performances there. In October 2019, Cirque debuted a new show known as R.U.N, described as bringing an action movie to life for its audience. The show took over and renovated the theater previously used by Angel. In a departure from previous Cirque shows, R.U.N lacked any acrobatic acts and featured rock and roll music, as well as stunts such as motorcycle jumps and pyrotechnics. In 2021, Luxor debuted a variety show featuring acts from the television program ''America's Got Talent. Originally titled America's Got Talent Las Vegas Live, the show was a collaboration between MGM, Syco Entertainment, and Fremantle. In 2023, the show was retitled America's Got Talent Presents Superstars Live'', and it surpassed 500 performances. Aside from its main theater, Luxor also includes the 350-seat Atrium Showroom. It was created and is produced by Anita Mann, and the title has since been shortened to Fantasy. Comedian Carrot Top has shared the Atrium Showroom with Fantasy since 2005, when he signed on for what was originally a three-year residency. He is contracted to continue performing at the resort until 2030. ==In popular culture==

Luxor is often viewed as a prime example of 1990s Postmodern architecture, and its sphinx appeared on the cover of architecture scholar James Steele's book Architecture Today. The resort has appeared in numerous films, including Showgirls (1995), Synthetic Pleasures (1996), and Mars Attacks! (1996). In Up in the Air (2009), main character Ryan Bingham is asked to take a picture in front of Luxor. A futuristic, abandoned version of the pyramid is seen in Blade Runner 2049 (2017), along with other famous landmarks in a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas. Will Smith filmed the music video for "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" (1998) in the hotel's lobby and in front of its sphinx. The resort was also featured in the television shows Fear Factor, Criss Angel Mindfreak, and CSI. A replica of Luxor, named "The Camel's Toe", appeared in the Las Venturas area of the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004). An Egyptian-themed nightclub appears in the Phantom Liberty (2023) expansion pack for the video game Cyberpunk 2077 (2020) that is inspired by Luxor. ==See also==