| Luxor Las Vegas | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Address | 3900 Las Vegas Blvd South. Las Vegas, Nevada 89119 |
| Opening date | October 15, 1993 |
| Theme | Thebes |
| Number of rooms | 4,407 |
| Total gaming space | 120,000 sq ft (11,000 m2) |
| Permanent shows | Jabbawockeez Carrot Top Fantasy Criss Angel Believe Menopause the Musical |
| Signature attractions | LAX Nightclub Cathouse Ultra Lounge Noir Bar Atrium Level Aurora Liquidity Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition Bodies…The Exhibition |
| Casino type | Land-Resort |
| Owner | MGM Resorts International |
| Renovated in | 1998, 2007, 2008, 2009 |
| Coordinates | 36°5′43.67″N115°10′32.94″WCoordinates: 36°5′43.67″N 115°10′32.94″W |
| Website | www.luxor.com |
Luxor Las Vegas is a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The 30-story hotel, owned and operated by MGM Resorts International, has a 120,000-square-foot (11,000 m2) casino with over 2,000 slot machines and 87 table games.[1][2][3]
Due to the 2008 to 2009 renovation, it has a new, highly modernized design and contains a total of 4,407 rooms, including 442 suites, lining the interior walls of a pyramid-shaped tower and within more recent twin 22-story ziggurat towers.[1][3][4][5]
The hotel is named after the city of Luxor (ancient Thebes) in Egypt.[6] Luxor is the fourth-largest hotel in Las Vegas and the seventh largest in the world.[7] As of 2010, the Luxor has a 4 Key rating from the Green Key Eco-Rating Program, which evaluates "sustainable" hotel operations.[8]
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[hide]History[edit]
Ground was broken for the Luxor in April 1991 and the resort officially opened eighteen months later at 4 AM on October 15, 1993, to a crowd of 10,000 people.[9][10][11] 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 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m2) casino.[4][12][13] The resort was financed by “petty cash” earned from other Circus Circus Enterprises properties and did not include any outside financial investors.[9] The hotel's pyramid is similar in size to the Red Pyramid and Bent Pyramid of Egypt.
A theater and two additional towers totaling 2,000 rooms were added in 1998 for $675 million.[4] 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.[14] 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.[9] 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.[15]
On May 7, 2007, a vehicle exploded in a Luxor Hotel parking garage due to a home-made bomb which left one dead.[16] 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.[17][18]
Luxor Las Vegas includes 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2) of convention space, four swimming pools and whirlpools, a wedding chapel, Nurture Spa and Salon and 29 retail stores.[7][19][20][21][22] Luxor is also connected to the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino through The Shoppes at Mandalay Place, a 310-foot (94 m)- long retail sky bridge with retailers such as Urban Outfitters, minus5° Ice Lounge & Lodge, a Guinness Store and a Nike Golf store.[23][23]
The Luxor is home to five shows which consist of "Criss Angel - Believe", "PRiSM" starring the Jabbawockeez, "Fantasy" (a topless revue), comedianCarrot Top, and "Menopause the Musical".[24] Luxor's most recent live show, PRiSM, debuted in May 2013 and stars popular dance crew Jabbawockeez. The show features dance and mime comedy to tell a story themed around black, white and the 7 colors of the spectrum. PRiSM is housed in a new 850-seat theater and a mural of the crew is painted in the lobby by performance artist David Garibaldi.[25]
Luxor's other star show is "Criss Angel - Believe", a collaboration between illusionist Criss Angel and Cirque du Soleil that began in Halloween of 2008.[26] The hotel also hosts “Bodies...The Exhibition,” an educational display on the human body, and “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition”.[27][28] From 2000 to 2005, the Luxor Theatre was the home of the performance-art show Blue Man Group, which has since moved to the Monte Carlo.[29]
On August 31, 2007, LAX Nightclub officially opened at a party hosted by Britney Spears.[30] A number of other celebrities, including Christina Aguilera, have also hosted events at the club.[31] The two-level, 26,000 sq ft (2,400 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.[30] Additional nightlife destinations within Luxor include CatHouse, Aurora, Liquidity, and Flight.[32][33]
The McDonald's inside of the Luxor food court became the first out of two McDonalds in the entire world to vend Pepsi products instead of Coke products. The second opened up 3 years later in Excalibur.