The magnificent Luxor Las Vegas hotel is located in Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip and is built in the shape of an Egyptian pyramid, 106 meters high. At the top of the hotel is the brightest spotlight in the world. This entertainment complex is a great place for recreation and entertainment.
The hotel has a casino with a large selection of slot machines, poker rooms, and a room with large TV screens where bets are made on sports competitions. There is a free cocktail service, as well as individual tobacco company service. Free poker lessons are held daily at 12 noon.
Luis Villa del Campo on Flickr.com
Detailed description of the hotel
The entertainment complex in the form of a black pyramid has 30 floors, a volume of 821189 m³, a height of 106,7 meters, a length and a width of 196,9 meters, an area of the gaming zone of 11148 m², it is owned by MGM Resorts International. More than 44500 square meters of glass were used for the exterior decoration. More than 1500 slot machines and 87 gaming tables are at the service of visitors. The hotel complex consists of 4407 rooms, including 442 suites.
Also in Luxor Las Vegas are 4 swimming pools and 4 whirlpools, a chapel where you can marry, 29 retail stores, 6 restaurants, a spa. Until 1995, the hotel lobby was arranged in such a way that from the reception desk to the elevator, which goes up at an angle of 39 °, guests traveled by water, along the “Nile River”.
According to its linear characteristics, the Luxor Las Vegas building almost completely, with a difference of 2-3 meters, copies the Egyptian pyramids of Lomanoy and Pink (the original height of these ancient structures is implied). Due to the non-standard form of the building, none of the rooms, even the suites, have a bath – only showers.
Sky beam
At the top of the pyramid is a source of light with a power of more than 40 billion candelas – this is perhaps the most powerful beam of light on Earth. Specially curved mirrors collect light from 39 (originally – from 45) xenon lamps, each with a power of 7000 watts, into one narrow beam of blue color that hits vertically upwards. In clear weather from an airplane, it can be seen with the naked eye from a distance of more than 400 kilometers or from Earth's orbit.
Each of the 39 of these lamps cost the creators $ 1200 apiece. At the same time, the engineers maintaining the beam of the hotel consider this an exaggeration: in their opinion, the beam can be seen from no more than 160 kilometers, and the astronauts will not be able to isolate it at all among the numerous lights of Las Vegas. The beam, turned on at full power, consumes 315 kilowatts, that is, you have to pay $ 51 per hour for its electricity supply.
This light source has been operating every night since the opening of the complex. The room where the actual lamps are located is located at a height of about 15 meters below the top (92 meters above the ground), and not at the very top of the pyramid, as many believe. Maintenance of this room is carried out by two workers daily. At night, when the beam shines, it is impossible to be there, as the temperature in the room rises to 156 °C. At a distance of 13 centimeters above the lamp, a temperature of up to 500 °C is recorded, at a distance of 7,6 meters – up to 300 °C. Since 2008, in order to save money, only half of the lamps have been lit.
Such a bright source of light attracts a huge number of midges, bats that feed on it, and owls that prey on bats.
Glen Scarborough on Flickr.com
Construction and reconstruction of the pyramid
The construction of the entertainment complex lasted from 1992 to 1993; it was opened to visitors at 4 am on October 15, 1993. This hour was expected by a crowd of 10,000 people, who became the first players and guests.
It got its name in honor of the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor. The theme of the external and internal design of the hotel-casino was appropriate, until in 2007 there was a significant re-registration and modernization.
The construction cost was $375 million, at the time of opening there were 2526 rooms and 9290 m² of play area, the cost of a double room was $59-99 per night.
In 1998, the complex was refurbished, adding an 850-seat theater and two 22-story ziggurat-shaped twin towers, increasing the total number of hotel rooms by 2000. The renovation cost $675 million.
In 2007, another reconstruction was carried out: $ 300 million was spent on it, 80% of the internal public area was re-arranged, most of the ancient Egyptian motifs were replaced with modern ones.
As of 2007, the complex employed approximately 4200 employees.
Luxor Las Vegas in popular culture
Due to its unusual appearance, Luxor Las Vegas has made numerous appearances in films. For example:
- "Mars attacks!" (1996) – in addition to Luxor Las Vegas, the film includes footage of a real (construction) explosion of another casino nearby. The casino with a flying saucer-like tower (or airport control tower) was called The Landmark and was blown up on November 7, 1995.
