Pregled posta

Marketing

The Luxor is among the most recognizable hotels on the Strip because of its striking design. Designed by hotel architect Veldon Simpson, the main portion of the hotel is a 350-foot (110 m)-high, 30-story pyramid of black glass (in comparison, the Great Pyramid of Giza with original capstone topped out at 481 feet (147 m). The footprint of the pyramid is a 556-foot (169 m) square. The hotel is marked by a large obelisk with the name of the property in lighted letters, while the porte-cochere travels underneath a massive recreation of the Great Sphinx of Giza. The pyramid was originally conceived with a tram connecting the north side of the hotel with the neighboring Excalibur Hotel and Casino. This was soon removed for later property changes. A second tram linkage now connects the east-facing porte-cochere with both the Excalibur and Mandalay Hotel and Casino. The pyramid is clad in very dark bronze glass, which appears black on clear days and a dark, golden-bronze on overcast days. There are 30 guest-room floors, six higher service floors (including the SkyBeam penthouses) and a large sublevel. Many of the original aesthetics of the external property have been eliminated. The original front water and laser show was the first to succumb. The laser show was stopped due to complaints of stray beams illuminating aircraft on approach to the airport across the street. The fountains themselves were removed and replaced by a parking lot and the new tram station. The tram station and tracks hinder the views of the pyramid tower from the Strip. The pyramid tower is also rather lost to view as it has been surrounded by the large East/West Towers, the two Mandalay Bay towers and the large auditorium on the SW side. The pyramid tower has, at times, also been transformed into a four-sided billboard (with three sides in use as of March '09) for advertisements. Additionally, the Starlight Lighting System — a nightly remote-controlled show of lights along the pyramids corners powered by thousands of circuit boards and computer chips — was scaled back tremendously as it was plagued by faulty equipment and power shutdowns.

The tip of the pyramid contains a fixed-position spotlight that points directly upward and is claimed to be the brightest beam in the world at over 42 billion candle power.[7] It is visible from anywhere in the Las Vegas valley at night, and can be seen at flight level from above Los Angeles, California, over 275 miles (443 km) away. At ground level, on clear nights, the beam could also be seen as far south as Laughlin and even as far north as Mesquite or Beatty. The beam is visible straight ahead when driving northbound on US 93 in Arizona, north of Kingman before reaching Hoover Dam. In the spring, the bright light attracts huge numbers of moths into the light beam, creating a phenomenon that has been likened to snow. Light is generated using 45 Xenon arc lamps[8] of 7 kilowatts each. When turned on, the lamps heat up to over 800 degrees Fahrenheit. The hourly cost, including lamps, electricity, and repairs, is US$51 — roughly two weeks' worth of electricity for the average American household.[9] Hotel engineers, as well as the hotel's own website also claim that the light can be observed from space

SOUTH CHINA SEA (Aug. 16, 2011) -- Information Systems Technician Seaman Shawn Clevenger, from Las Vegas, repairs a network connection on a computer aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan is currently underway in the 7th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Nolan Kahn/RELEASED)