You’ve seen it from the plane. That massive, ink-black glass triangle piercing the desert floor. The Luxor, or the Las Vegas hotel pyramid as everyone actually calls it, is basically the most recognizable silhouette on the Strip. It’s weird. It’s enormous. Honestly, it’s a bit of a miracle it ever got built in the first place. When it opened in 1993, people thought it was the future of architecture. Today? It’s a mix of nostalgic kitsch and genuine engineering wonder.
But there is a lot about this place that stays hidden in the shadows of that 315-foot-tall atrium.
The Engineering Headache of Inclinators
Let’s talk about the elevators. Well, they aren't elevators. They’re "inclinators." Because the Las Vegas hotel pyramid has sloped walls—specifically at a 39-degree angle—a standard vertical lift would just crash right through the side of the building. Instead, these cars travel sideways and upward at the same time.
It’s a bizarre feeling.
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If you’ve ever ridden in one, you know that slight tug on your inner ear. It feels like the building is swaying, but it's just physics doing its thing. For years, these inclinators were the talk of the town, but they’re also a maintenance nightmare. Moving parts on a diagonal track wear out differently than vertical ones. Veldon Simpson, the original architect, had to figure out how to move thousands of people up thirty stories without the luxury of a straight line. It’s one of those things you don't think about until you're standing in the hallway wondering why the elevator door looks like it’s leaning away from you.
Why the Light is a Problem (and a Miracle)
Then there’s the Sky Beam.
You can see it from space. That’s not a marketing myth; it’s a documented fact by NASA. The beam uses 39 xenon lamps. Each one is about 7,000 watts. When they’re all firing at once, the light is so intense that it creates its own ecosystem. No, seriously. The heat and light attract moths. The moths attract bats. The bats attract owls. On any given night, there is a literal food chain circling the apex of the Las Vegas hotel pyramid.
Engineers actually had to dial back the power over the years. Originally, it was way brighter. Nowadays, they usually only run it at half-strength because, frankly, it’s expensive as hell and it was blinding pilots. Even at half power, it costs a fortune in electricity. In the 90s, the "wow" factor was worth the bill. Now, in an era of sustainability, it’s more of a legacy feature that the MGM Resorts team has to balance against their ESG goals.
The Ghost Stories and the "Curse"
Vegas thrives on myths. People love to say the Luxor is cursed because it’s a pyramid and "you shouldn't mess with Egyptian symbols."
There are stories about construction workers who died during the build. Some locals claim their spirits are trapped in the hollow center. While every major construction project has its share of accidents, the "curse" narrative really took off when the hotel struggled to find its identity in the 2000s. It went through a phase where it tried to be "ultra-modern" and stripped away a lot of the cool Egyptian statues and the Nile River ride.
The Nile River ride was peak 90s Vegas. You’d get in a boat and float around the base of the pyramid while a narrator told you stories. It was cheesy. It was slow. It was glorious. When they ripped it out to make room for more slot machines and "adult-oriented" lounges, many felt the building lost its soul. The "curse" might just be the ghost of a theme that worked too well.
Living Inside a Hollow Shell
Most hotels are solid blocks of rooms. Not this one. The Las Vegas hotel pyramid is hollow. It is the largest atrium in the world by volume. If you stood at the bottom and looked up, you could fit nine Boeing 747s stacked on top of each other in that space.
It’s dizzying.
The rooms aren't in the middle; they’re built into the outer skin. When you walk out of your room, you’re on a balcony overlooking the entire casino floor hundreds of feet below. It’s not great for people with vertigo. Because of the slant, the rooms themselves have these deep, sloping windows. You can’t really lean against the glass because it’s angled away from you. It creates this weird "dead space" in the room where the floor meets the wall at an acute angle. You’ve got to be careful not to bonk your head when you're trying to look at the view.
The Transition from Theme to "De-themed"
In the mid-2000s, there was this weird movement in Vegas to stop being a "Disneyland for adults" and start being "cool."
Luxor was the biggest victim.
They removed the giant sphinx's laser eyes (yes, it had laser eyes). They got rid of the animatronic camels. They painted over the hieroglyphics. They wanted to compete with the Cosmopolitan and the Wynn. But here’s the thing: you can’t make a giant black pyramid look like a sleek boutique hotel. It’s a pyramid. It’s inherently a theme.
Lately, they’ve leaned back into it a bit. You’ll see the Titanic exhibit and the Bodies exhibit there now. It’s found its niche as a hub for "edutainment." It’s a smart move. If you’re staying in a 30-story ancient Egyptian monument, you probably want a little bit of theater with your stay.
Realities of Staying There Today
If you’re planning to book a room, you need to know about the two towers. Most people don't realize there are two rectangular towers—the East and West towers—attached to the pyramid.
Don't stay in those.
I mean, stay in them if you want a normal hotel experience with vertical elevators. But if you're going to the Luxor, you stay in the pyramid. Why travel to Vegas to stay in a regular square room? Just be prepared for the walk. The place is massive. Getting from the check-in desk to a room at the back of the pyramid can feel like a trek across the Sahara.
Also, the temperature. Cooling a hollow pyramid in 110-degree Nevada heat is a thermodynamic nightmare. The AC usually holds up, but you can feel the "weight" of the air in that giant open space. It’s a unique microclimate.
Actionable Tips for Your Visit
If you want to actually enjoy the Las Vegas hotel pyramid without getting overwhelmed, keep these things in mind.
- Check the Inclinator Location: When you check in, ask for a room near the inclinators. If you end up at the far end of the hallway, you will be walking for ten minutes just to get to the "elevator."
- Visit the Apex: You can’t go to the very top—that’s where the lights are—but you can get pretty high up. Look over the railing. It’s the best way to grasp the scale of the architecture.
- The Sphinx Photo Op: The best view isn't from the front door. Walk across the pedestrian bridge toward Excalibur. From the middle of that bridge, you get the perfect angle of the Sphinx guarding the pyramid with the Mandalay Bay gold in the background.
- Skip the "De-themed" Hype: Don't expect a 5-star luxury experience like the Bellagio. The Luxor is a solid 3.5 to 4-star spot. It’s about the vibe and the weirdness, not the thread count of the sheets.
The Luxor is a relic of an era when Vegas was obsessed with being "the biggest." It’s bold, it’s impractical, and it’s a little bit falling apart at the seams in some corners. But it’s an icon. Whether it's the light beam, the sideways elevators, or the sheer scale of the atrium, it remains one of the few buildings on the Strip that actually makes you stop and stare.
Stay in the pyramid at least once. Just for the story. You won’t find another room in the world where the window is also the ceiling and the elevator moves at a 39-degree slant. It’s a strange piece of history that somehow still works in 2026.