Luxor Hotel, Las Vegas

[drscott]

I've been working on the pictures from our trip, and I'm too tired to finish that up tonight, so I'll carve out one topic, the interesting history of the hotel we stayed at, the Luxor. I picked it because they have been advertising a lot in the Advocate (and I was able to get a good deal at $80/night) and it was being built the last time I visited Las Vegas, in 1993 on my drive from LA to Boston (in three days, by myself.)

The Wikipedia entry is quite interesting. The complex cost almost half a billion dollars to build in 1992-93 and was considered a postmodern icon at the time. The beam of light from the apex is still the brightest continuous artificial light beam in the world. The original luxe Egyptian decor has been largely removed, though there are some interesting bits remaining. The recent renovations to target a younger crowd (including a new nightclub opened by Britney Spears) and the hordes of lower-middle class folk from LA attracted by downmarket pricing seem to have succeeded -- the place was full when many of the newer hotels clearly weren't. We stayed in the more recently renovated tower and found it mostly pleasant, with a decent gym and okay buffet. The only problem was the 15-minute walk to where the car was parked.

When I dropped in a few months before opening in 1993, I took a picture from the street. I wasn't able to exactly duplicate it this time because a large copse of trees would block the view, but you get the idea....

Comments

[abqdan.livejournal.com]

Wonderful photos! I love the before-and-after idea. We have a book about NM where the photographer was at great pains to use a similar type of equipment and location to recreate 1900's photos of the state. He did have to avoid the middle of a freeway at one point. This type of historical contrast tells so much more of a story than simply explaining the changes.

As to staying in LV hotels; I think they are uniformly awful; though I haven't stayed in Vegas for 8 years, so things may be different now. Other than some of the shows, I don't find much to redeem the city. The ad on the Luxor is ghastly.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

Quite right. Las Vegas' major appeal is that those of us who are immune to gambling, drinking, and whores are subsidized by those who aren't, so it's really cheap. But then there's no special reason to be there. The Europeans love the heat and the prices, and I can see enjoying the trashiness of it all for a few days...