# Lux or Luxor (DD-686) > Luxor Las Vegas opened on October 15, 1993, as a 30-story, 350 ft (106.7 m) pyramid clad in dark glass. Circus Circus Enterprises built it. At opening the pyramid held 2,526 rooms. Guests reach them by 'inclinators', elevators that run diagonally up the pyramid's corners at a 39-degree angle, around what Luxor promotes as one of the world's largest atriums. Two 22-story ziggurat-shaped hotel towers added in 1997 brought the resort to about 4,400 rooms, so not all of Luxor's rooms are in the pyramid. The sphinx at the entrance is a stylized, roughly 10-story version, taller than the Great Sphinx at Giza. At the apex, the Luxor Sky Beam shines straight up and has been promoted as the strongest beam of light in the world, which may be the 'lux' in the title. - Department: Locations (also Tech) - First published: 2025-12-30 - Last updated: 2025-12-30 - Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/lux-or-luxor/ - Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department ## On the timeline - **Oct. 15, 1993**: Luxor Las Vegas opens - **1997**: Two hotel towers bring Luxor to about 4,400 rooms Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=lux-or-luxor ## Quick facts - **DD-686-F01**: Luxor's elevators, called inclinators, run at a 39-degree angle. _(Write-up · Exhibit C (Inclinators))_ - **DD-686-F02**: The pyramid opened with 2,526 rooms on October 15, 1993. _(Write-up · Exhibit D (Rooms))_ ## Write-up A pyramid with sideways elevators. Luxor's inclinators ride the pyramid's 39° edges. 1. **Opening day**: Luxor opened on October 15, 1993, a 30-story pyramid built by Circus Circus Enterprises, with tens of thousands of visitors on its first day. 2. **Height**: The pyramid stands 350 ft (106.7 m), and the Skyscraper Center lists it as 30 floors. 3. **Inclinators**: Its elevators, called inclinators, travel at a 39-degree angle up the pyramid's corners, moving riders sideways as well as up. 4. **Rooms**: The pyramid opened with 2,526 rooms. Two hotel towers added in 1997 brought the resort to about 4,400. 5. **The sphinx and the beam**: The entrance sphinx is about 10 stories tall. At the apex, the Sky Beam shines straight up into the night sky. ## Related case files - [Tilted Town (DD-035)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/tilted-town/): Another building where the angles are the attraction - [Lingshan Lift (DD-707)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/lingshan-lift/): Another case about moving people by machine - [ProsperiTree (DD-659)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/prosperitree/): Another casino-resort spectacle ## Reel vs. record - **Rooms**: the pyramid opened with 2,526 rooms. Luxor's total of about 4,400 includes two 22-story towers added in 1997, so the rooms aren't all 'along the sloped sides'. - **Missing name**: the 'elevators on the angled walls' are inclinators, which run diagonally at 39 degrees. - **Note**: 'Replica sphinx' overstates it: Luxor's sphinx is a stylized, roughly 10-story version, taller than the Great Sphinx at Giza (about 66 ft). - **Materials**: the structure is steel-framed and clad in dark glass. That part is fine, but the Reel leaves out its 30-story count and huge central atrium. - **Missing**: the Sky Beam at the apex, the likely 'lux' in the title, isn't mentioned in the Reel. ## Video: Lux or Luxor: A Pyramid With Sideways Elevators - Duration: 25.3 s · Published: 2025-12-30 - File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DS52ozfEv7k.mp4 ### Transcript DID YOU KNOW? The Luxor Pyramid in Las Vegas is an iconic hotel and casino shaped like a massive glass and steel pyramid, standing 350 ft tall on the Las Vegas Strip. Opened in 1993, it was designed to evoke the grandeur of ancient Egypt, complete with a replica sphinx at its entrance and Egyptian themed decor throughout the interior. The pyramid houses thousands of guest rooms arranged along the sloped sides with elevators on the angled walls providing unique access to upper floors. NOW YOU KNOW! ## Questions & answers **Q: When did Luxor Las Vegas open?** A: October 15, 1993. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Opening day) · Las Vegas Sun (Oct 15, 1993): Resort opens a new era in LV; CTBUH Skyscraper Center: Luxor Pyramid)_ **Q: How tall is the Luxor pyramid?** A: 350 ft (106.7 m). _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Height) · CTBUH Skyscraper Center: Luxor Pyramid)_ **Q: What are Luxor's angled elevators called?** A: Inclinators. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Inclinators) · Las Vegas Sun (Oct 15, 1993): Resort opens a new era in LV; The New York Times (Nov 7, 1993): Travel advisory, imagination runs wild at Las Vegas resorts)_ **Q: At what angle do the inclinators travel?** A: 39 degrees. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Inclinators) · Las Vegas Sun (Oct 15, 1993): Resort opens a new era in LV; The New York Times (Nov 7, 1993): Travel advisory, imagination runs wild at Las Vegas resorts)_ **Q: How many rooms did the pyramid have at opening?** A: 2,526. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Rooms) · The New York Times (Nov 7, 1993): Travel advisory, imagination runs wild at Las Vegas resorts; Las Vegas Sun (Apr 18, 1997): Luxor unveils $300 mil. expansion; MGM Resorts: Luxor fact sheet 2026)_ ## Sources - [Las Vegas Sun (Oct 15, 1993): Resort opens a new era in LV](https://lasvegassun.com/news/1993/oct/15/resort-opens-new-era-lv/) - [The New York Times (Nov 7, 1993): Travel advisory, imagination runs wild at Las Vegas resorts](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/07/travel/travel-advisory-imagination-runs-wild-at-las-vegas-resorts.html) - [CTBUH Skyscraper Center: Luxor Pyramid](https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/luxor-pyramid/13708) - [Las Vegas Sun (Apr 18, 1997): Luxor unveils $300 mil. expansion](https://lasvegassun.com/news/1997/apr/18/luxor-unveils-300-mil-expansion/) - [MGM Resorts: Luxor fact sheet 2026](https://filecache.mediaroom.com/mr5mr_mgmresorts/182111/download/Luxor%20Fact%20Sheet%202026.pdf) ## Cite this case file Easterling, Marcus. "Lux or Luxor." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-686, last updated Dec 30, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/lux-or-luxor/