Las Vegas, Nevada
At the apex of the Luxor's 30-story pyramid, 39 xenon lamps converge into a single beam of light that shoots straight up into the night sky. At 42.3 billion candela, it is the strongest beam of light on Earth, visible from 275 miles away by aircraft and, on clear nights, from space. Astronauts on the International Space Station have photographed it. The beam has been a Las Vegas landmark since the resort opened in 1993.
Each of the 39 xenon lamps in the Sky Beam produces 7,000 watts of light, for a combined output of 273,000 watts. The lamps cost $1,200 each and burn out every few months. The beam is so powerful that it attracts so many moths that it has created its own micro-ecosystem of bats and birds that feed on the insects.
The Luxor is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. The pyramid structure rises 350 feet, clad in bronze-tinted glass. A 110-foot replica of the Great Sphinx of Giza guards the entrance, and an obelisk stands in the forecourt. Guests enter through the Sphinx's legs, pass between rows of faux hieroglyphics, and arrive in the atrium, which at 29 million cubic feet was the largest hotel atrium in the world at the time of construction.
Inclined elevators, one of only a few installations in the world, travel diagonally up the pyramid's interior corners to deliver guests to their rooms.
The Luxor features 4,400 guest rooms and suites within its iconic pyramid and adjacent tower, making it one of the largest hotels in Las Vegas. The resort offers multiple dining venues, including casual options and steakhouses, plus the HyperX Esports Arena, a 30,000-square-foot competitive gaming venue. Bodies: The Exhibition displays real human specimens preserved through polymer science, and Blue Man Group performs in a custom-designed theater.
The Luxor's Sky Beam is an engineering marvel and an astronomical-scale spectacle. No other resort in the world produces light visible from space. Combined with the pyramid architecture, the Sphinx replica, and the inclined elevators, the Luxor delivers a visually distinctive experience that makes it one of the most photographable structures in America. It is a monument to the ambition of themed resort design at its most ambitious.