Most Las Vegas visitors want to explore all of the big properties along the densely packed four- mile long stretch of hotel-casinos known as the Strip, and the Luxor, at the southern end, offers easy access to several of them. What Are the Design and Scene Like at the Luxor Hotel and Casino? It’s also trying to modernize in another way: The hotel has received a sustainability certification from the Green Key Eco-Rating Program. The hotel desperately needs to complete a sweeping renovation, but considering the range of amenities, the rooms at affordable rates, decent service, and great location, the Luxor is one of the better values on the Vegas Strip. With more substantive features than lower-end theme-driven properties like Excalibur Hotel and Casino, but also a far cry from the luxurious opulence of, say, The Venetian Resort, the Luxor falls into a middle ground on the Strip. Meanwhile, the Luxor Hotel Las Vegas offers a fairly typical range of Vegas-style entertainments: Cirque du Soleil’s “R.U.N.,” performance art by Blue Man Group, a topless revue by the Fantasy showgirls, and comedy by Carrot Top.

Though quite prominent, the ancient Egypt theme has been dialed back somewhat in recent years in favor of a slightly cooler atmosphere (see: the addition of upscale clubs and bars) much-needed updates were also made in 20. The lobby is modeled after the Abu Simbel temples (also about 75 percent to scale), where two-story-tall statues of Pharaoh Ramesses II overlook the comings and goings of guests.

The entrance between the two towers is framed by stone columns that replicate those found at the ancient Karnak Temple Complex, north of Luxor, Egypt. Its main building is a 30-story structure that shoots from its peak a beam of light so powerful, it's visible from space. The 4,400-room Luxor Hotel Las Vegas is an enormous carnival of a resort, with a main pyramid-shaped structure (built at about 75 percent to scale of the Great Pyramid of Giza) and two additional ziggurat-inspired black-glass towers.

Luxor hotel and casino pools