Sunday, December 6, 2009

Luxor Las Vegas

The Luxor Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. Ground was broken for the Luxor in 1991, that same year construction began on the Treasure Island. It has a new highly modernized and contemporary design and contains a total of 4,407 rooms lining the interior walls of a pyramid style tower 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.



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. 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. On June 16, 2008 the sign was taken down.





Luxor Las Vegas
at a glance
Address: 3900 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89119

Opening date: October 15, 1993

Theme: Egypt,Contemporary

No. of rooms: 4,407

Total gaming space: 120,000 sq ft (11,000 m2)

Permanent shows : Carrot Top
Fantasy
Criss Angel Believe
Menopause the Musical
Signature attractions LAX Nightclub
Cathouse Restaurant & Nightclub
Liquidity
Atrium Level

Casino type : Land-Resort

Owner: MGM Mirage

Previous names: None

Years renovated: West & East Towers (1,948 rooms) in 2006
Casino Floor in 2008

Website: luxor.com





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 and took 2 years to build and a total of 968 workers; it cost $375 million to build. 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 river that encircled the casino with a ferry that would carry guests to different parts of the pyramid. After guests complained that the ferry service took too long, it was turned into the Nile River Tour, a river ride that passed by many pieces of ancient artwork. 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.



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 theater became the home of the musical Hairspray which ran until 2006.

In 2006, MGM-Mirage began completely remodeling Luxor. Rooms in the East and West Towers have been refurnished. Two upscale restaurants, Isis and Sacred Sea Room, closed. This space became CatHouse and the renowned Company American Bistro. 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. The Luxor Steakhouse was renovated and reopened as Tender Steak & Seafood. The IMAX is now used to host a human bodies exhibition, and the IMAX theater is being renovated to host an exhibition on the RMS Titanic.

Illusionist Criss Angel signed a deal in 2006 to tape episodes of his TV series Mindfreak at the hotel. Angel currently has a production office and store in the Luxor. In 2008, Criss Angel starred in a new magic-themed Cirque du Soleil production at Luxor.


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