Changes at the Luxor in Las Vegas

Click on Picture for a Larger Panoramic View

I’ve stayed at the Luxor Hotel & Casino once, a rare stopover in Las Vegas on my way to a conference somewhere back East. Normally, I stop by on the way back to Hawaii. The good thing was, the wife got to join me.

The Luxor is a little weird for those used to perpendicular hotels with elevators that go straight up and down, and not at a 39-degree slant. In fact, those elevators are given a special name – Inclinators (because they incline).

When I stayed there in 1994, the atrium mezzanine above the casino floor featured an Egyptian action-adventure story in three parts (motion-simulator ride, 3-D movie, and IMAX movie), a tour of King Tut’s tomb, and a Nile River Tour along a weaving waterway.

That’s all changed. The architecture remains the same, of course (after all, it cost $375 million to build and they’re not going to tear the iconic pyramid down). The registration area, which used to be on the north end of the pyramid, is now situated on the east side.

Instead of the Egyptian-themed attractions, Luxor now houses “Bodies … The Exhibition” and “Titanic: The Artifacts Exhibition,” both of which I saw when they were located in the Tropicana Hotel across Las Vegas Boulevard.

 

In fact, the first thing you see when you enter Luxor from the Strip is a giant heart that immediately grabs your attention. Take the escalator up to the mezzanine and wander around some pretty impressive structures, and prepared to be accosted by some vendors trying to sell you stuff.

I couldn’t find the little snack shop that had some of the best pickled tomatoes I’ve ever had. That’s to be expected, I guess. When they clean house, they really clean house. It’s still an interesting place to visit and if you get a chance to ride the inclinator, please do. It’s weird. But you can’t do that anyplace else in the U.S. of A.