The Luxor Pyramid Opens (1993)

1993

Opened: October 13, 1993
Builder: William Bennett's Circus Circus Enterprises
Construction time: Eighteen months
Cost: $375 million
Building: A thirty-story glass-and-steel pyramid, three-quarters the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza
Rooms at opening: 2,526 rooms and suites; 4,408 after twin towers were added in 1997
Casino: 120,000 square feet
Signature features: A 110-foot Sphinx, a light beam from the apex, and "inclinator" elevators
Name: Chosen in a public contest, after the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor
Where to see it today: Luxor Las Vegas still offers pyramid rooms with angled windows

About

After the Mirage opened in 1989, Strip developers raced to build bigger themed resorts. William Bennett's Circus Circus Enterprises, which had long marketed to middle-class families, opened the castle-themed Excalibur in 1990 with a then-record 4,032 rooms. In 1991 Bennett announced an ancient-Egypt resort next door, linked to Excalibur by a monorail. A public contest chose the name Luxor, after the Egyptian city on the Nile.

Luxor opened on October 13, 1993, after only eighteen months of construction. Its thirty-story glass-and-steel pyramid was three-quarters the size of the Great Pyramid at Giza and held 2,526 rooms and suites around one of the world's largest atriums. Guests rode slanted "inclinators" up the pyramid's sides, and a beam of light from the apex could be seen across the valley. A 110-foot Sphinx stood out front. At $375 million, it cost far less than the $630 million Mirage.

The opening was rough. Some rooms were unfinished, the inclinators did not work properly, and critics disliked the sunken casino, which was later redesigned. An indoor Nile River boat ride was eventually drained. The Luxor arrived during a short period when Strip resorts courted families as a way to compete with Orlando's theme parks, a strategy the Online Nevada Encyclopedia says marketers abandoned by the late 1990s in favour of adults and conventions.

The resort kept growing. In 1997 it added two stepped hotel towers, bringing the total to 4,408 rooms and suites, and later a 310-foot sky bridge to Mandalay Place and Mandalay Bay. Its parent company, renamed Mandalay Resort Group, was bought by MGM Mirage in April 2005 for almost $8 billion. Along with the Mirage, Excalibur, MGM Grand and Treasure Island, the Luxor defined the 1990s wave of themed megaresorts.

What to expect

Luxor Las Vegas still operates on the Strip. Its own site describes it as home to rooms in two towers as well as pyramid rooms "with unique angled windows," ranging from 420-square-foot standard rooms to larger corner suites. Check the resort's site for current attractions and shows.

Before and after

The Mirage Opens (1989)

Good to know

Soon after opening, part of the building was found to be sinking into a soft spot in the desert floor, and adjustments were made to stop it, according to the Online Nevada Encyclopedia.
Like the Mirage, the Luxor used no neon on its Strip sign, an Egyptian obelisk.
Bennett left Circus Circus in 1994 after a dispute over the former Hacienda site next door, where the company later built Mandalay Bay.
The Luxor once housed a life-size reproduction of King Tutankhamun's tomb.
The Luxor and Excalibur were connected by a monorail from the start.

Questions about The Luxor Pyramid Opens (1993)

When did the Luxor open?

The Luxor opened on October 13, 1993, after eighteen months of construction. It was built by William Bennett's Circus Circus Enterprises next to the company's Excalibur, for $375 million, and opened with 2,526 rooms and suites in a thirty-story pyramid.

How big is the Luxor pyramid?

The Online Nevada Encyclopedia describes it as a thirty-story glass and steel pyramid about three-quarters the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The atrium inside is one of the world's largest, and guests can see the hotel room floors rising around it.

What are the Luxor's inclinators?

Because the pyramid's walls slope, its elevators travel at an angle up the sides rather than straight up, so they were nicknamed "inclinators." The Online Nevada Encyclopedia notes they did not work properly when the hotel opened in 1993, one of several problems during its rushed debut.

Can you stay inside the Luxor pyramid?

Yes. Luxor's own site lists pyramid rooms and corner suites with slanted walls and angled windows, alongside rooms in its two towers, which were added in 1997. Standard pyramid rooms are listed at 420 square feet, and the resort also offers larger pyramid corner suites.

Why is the Luxor shaped like a pyramid?

In the early 1990s, Strip developers were competing with eye-catching themes after the Mirage's success. Circus Circus followed its medieval Excalibur with an ancient-Egypt resort next door, and a public contest named it after the Egyptian city of Luxor. The pyramid, Sphinx and obelisk sign made it one of the Strip's most photographed buildings.