Luxor Rooms and Overview:

The Luxor opened in 1993 during the “family friendly”, highly themed era of Las Vegas. It originally had a thoroughly Egyptian themed interior including a Nile River Tour river ride circling the casino and the King Tut’s Tomb and Museum exhibit in addition to Egyptian themed statues, artwork and games (like a camel race version of the old horse race mechanical game). The restaurants and bars also had Egyptian themed names like ISIS, the Pharaoh’s Pheast buffet and Nefertiti’s Lounge.
 In 2007, MGM Resorts acquired the Luxor and proceeded to de-theme it as much as possible. The only remaining evidence of the original theming is the pyramid itself, the large statues by check in and the obelisk and sphinx in front of the main entrance.

Today, the Luxor is a good, but somewhat generic mid-level resort. It is still one of my old standbys. I know the room will be clean and presentable. It isn’t fancy and has a AAA 3-Diamond rating. The rates reflect that. Even though the bars and cafes are less themed now, I like the modern feel of Centra and Aurora as well as the semi-private feel of High Bar. The buffet (now called MORE, the buffet) isn’t as impressive as it used to be, but it is still a reliable and affordable choice. I like the easy access to Burger Bar, the House of Blues and RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay. Evidently a lot of other people choose the Luxor too, since the check in line is consistently one of the longest that I see. They offer 10% discounts for AAA members and Active Duty Military when booking directly with the hotel. The Luxor is part of the Mlife players club.

Blue Man Group recently moved back to the Luxor. Carrot Top, Chris Angel and Fantasy also perform at the Luxor.

Rooms:

The Luxor has a variety of room types available to the public. The basic room is the Pyramid Deluxe room.
 The room is 420sq.ft. That is slightly smaller than the average base Strip room but it uses the space well. It is a single rectangular space and the bed (King or 2 Queens), armoire, table and chairs are balanced. The bathroom has a shower, but no tub. The floor plan gives a good representation of what is there.

The next step up is the Tower Deluxe. Frequently the Luxor offers promotions that include a free upgrade to the Tower Deluxe.
 The Tower Deluxe rooms are in the towers on the North side of the pyramid and are what I consider normal Las Vegas hotel rooms. You have the option of a King bed or two Queens. They are 450 square feet with a double armoire, a little desk area and a small sitting area by the window. If you want a bathtub, stay here. It has a deep soaking tub in the bathroom in addition to a separate glassed in shower.

The Player Deluxe room is an upgraded version of the Tower Deluxe and is only available with a King bed. It replaces the regular tub with a jacuzzi, adds a wetbar and refrigerator, and replaces the two chairs by the window with a couch. Even thought the actual square footage is the same as a Tower Deluxe room, the upgrades are definitely worth the higher room rate. (UPDATE: The Luxor has removed the jacuzzis from most rooms and replaced them with ‘soaking tubs’.)

The Pyramid Spa Suite is located at the corned of each floor of the pyramid. The layouts vary from 590-800 square feet but that space is not well utilized in the smaller rooms. Some of that space is taken by the Jacuzzi next to the window in the bedroom (which is great!), but some of it is just uninspired. Even though there is a bedroom area and separate ‘seating’ area, there isn’t enough space for more than a few people to comfortably relax. The sitting area is basically an alcove with a table and 2 regular chairs (not the additional couch and coffee table shown on the website). Due to the angle of the walls, I’m not sure that the couch ever would really be usable in that space. A small refrigerator and a wardrobe are also there. Since it is at the corner of the Pyramid, the basic layout is a triangle and the long side slopes (following the contour of the pyramid and creating some unusable floor space).
 The main area has the bed (king or 2 queens), Jacuzzi and one padded chair. There is a TV on an armoire that can be seen from either room. The bathroom is about the same as a regular pyramid room’s bathroom (toilet, small sink, shower).

The Player Deluxe and the Pyramid Spa rooms tend to be the same price. I prefer the Player Deluxe, but if you have a more romantic trip in mind, the Pyramid Spa with the Jacuzzi next to the window might be exactly what you want.

The Luxor also has a few higher end suite options as well if you really want to splurge. The details for those rooms are available on the Luxor website.

The elevators and inclinators for all hotel rooms are in the corners or the far reaches of the building so it usually requires a bit of walking to get to and from your room.

Location:

This is a tough one. If you have a car, it is very easy to get into and out of the self park and valet. Taxis are always an easy option, too. If you are walking or using public transit it gets more interesting. 
Indoor walkways connect the Luxor to Mandalay Bay and Excalibur, so you do have a lot of dining and entertainment options without ever having to go outside. I particularly like the easy access to the additional restaurants in Mandalay Place (the walkway with shops and restaurants on the way to Mandalay Bay) and Mandalay Bay. 
To get to the rest of the Strip, though requires a bit of walking. There is a free tram that connects Excalibur, Luxor and Mandalay Bay, but I find it unpredictable. It does run regularly, but when heading North from the Luxor, sometimes it ends at the Excalibur stop and sometimes it ends at the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana. If it ends at Excalibur, everyone crowds the small platform there and slowly makes their way down an escalator and into Excalibur where it is easy to get lost.
 If you want to take the bus North (to the rest of the Strip or downtown) there is a bus stop across from the Luxor and Mandalay Bay, but I do not suggest trying to cross the street until you get to the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana where you can use the pedestrian overpass.

When you are budgeting for your trip, remember that the Luxor has a nightly $26 resort fee ($29.12 after tax) that is not included in the advertised room rate. The resort fee covers Wi-Fi Internet service, fitness center use, phone calls and daily newspaper. All guests also receive a coupon book at check-in with over $800 in savings for dining, entertainment and retail outlets at the Luxor, Mandalay Bay and Excalibur.

Floorplan images are used with the permission of MGM Resorts International