Las Vegas Hotels

This is another hotel that thrills us to our very kitsch-worshipping souls. How happy you, who share our aesthetic taste -- or lack thereof -- will be when you behold the main hotel, a 30-story onyx-hued pyramid, complete with a really tall 315,000-watt light beam at the top. (Luxor says that's because the Egyptians believed their souls would travel up to heaven in a beam of light. We think it's really because it gives them something to brag about: "The most powerful beam on Earth!") You'll be giddy when you spy replicas of Cleopatra's Needle and the Sphinx gracing the outside. And when you get inside and see the towering statues of Ramses, well, you might not care that the lobby tries also to be classy, vaguely Art Deco (influenced by Egyptian Revival, remember), with marble and cherrywood. No, you'll just want to ride the 39-degree high-speed inclinators -- that's what an elevator is when it works inside a pyramid. (Really, they are part conveyance, part thrill ride -- check out that jolt when they come to a halt!) Great fun, the Luxor. Not as impressive as the real landmarks in the real Egypt, of course. But you knew that.

Once you stop laughing (or screaming) at what greets you, you should be quite pleased with this hotel. Rooms in the pyramid open onto the vast center that contains the casino -- indeed, ground-level rooms open more or less right into the action (though many of these have been turned into offices), so if you want only a short drunken stumble back to your room, these are for you. Otherwise, ask for a room higher up. The pyramid rooms cross Egyptian kitsch with Art Deco stylings, including gleaming inlaid wood furniture and a hilarious hieroglyphic bedspread. Marvelous views are offered through the slanted windows (the higher up, the better, of course), but the bathrooms are shower-only, no tubs. Tower rooms (an expansion put additional rooms in a tower rather than another pyramid -- drat!) are even heavier on the Egyptian motif (with huge armoires housing the TVs and closet space), pleasing in a campy way but not as aesthetically successful. However, the bathrooms here are better, including deep tubs, so it might be a worthwhile trade-off. Regardless of which room you get, these are some of the few rooms in Las Vegas that stand out. You know you are in the Luxor when you find yourself surrounded by unique, charming room design, as opposed to the cookie-cutter room decor usually found elsewhere in town. Especially desirable is a group of suites with glamorous Art Deco elements, private sitting rooms, fridges, and, notably, whirlpools by the window (enabling you to soak under the stars at night).

MORE, The Buffet at Luxor, offers a cool archaeological-dig atmosphere. They are in the process of installing new nightclubs, which should be state of the art. Two notable attractions here are the King Tut Museum and the Luxor IMAX Theater and Ridefilm. Another child-pleaser is the 18,000-square-foot Games of the Gods Arcade.

Facilities:Casino; showrooms; 7 restaurants plus a food court; nightclub; 5 outdoor pools; health club & spa; 18,000-sq.-ft. video-game arcade; concierge; tour desk; car-rental desk; business center; shopping arcade; 24-hr. room service; dry cleaning; executive-level rooms.

- Frommer's