Creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky, and altogether ooky. If you’re the superstitious type, looking for a long weekend in Las Vegas, choose your hotel wisely.
Some Sin City hotels are infamous for putting the ‘boo’ into Booking.com. None more so than the Luxor Hotel and Casino, which is rumored to be haunted.
Now more than 30 years old, this iconic destination has earned a reputation of being a hot spot for ghostly goings-on. Over the years, the Luxor has seen more than its fair share of freak accidents and unexplained incidents.
Luxor Lowdown
The Luxor was hailed as an architectural phenomenon when it was built in 1993; a 30-story construction in glass and metal; the third largest pyramid in the world, beaten only by the real thing in Giza.
Named after the famous Egyptian city, the hotel takes its theme seriously, with a full-size replica of King Tut’s tomb, Egyptian iconography throughout, and a single Sphinx straddling the entrance to the lobby. There was even a Nile River cruise inside the hotel.
At the apex of the hotel is the hotel’s most striking feature: the mighty Luxor Sky Beam. Every night, it projects into the night sky. The pyramid blacked out for extra drama.
It’s the most powerful man-made light in the world, visible from 275 miles away, and has even created its own ecosytem.
But there is a dark side to the Luxor.
Over the years, this once mighty hotel has fallen from grace; its reputation darkened by tales of death and disease, earning it a spot on the worst hotels in Vegas.
Could it be true that the Luxor Sky Beam attracts more than just moths, bats, and owls?
Some believe it is a conduit to the dark side, attracting unknown forces and dark energy. Whether the Egyptian theme cursed this Las Vegas icon or not, one thing’s for sure: the spooks are officially running the show.
Just how did the Luxor earn its ghostly reputation and nickname of “Spooksville of the Strip”? And what makes it the number stop on the Las Vegas Ghost Tour?
Techopedia’s Paul Cullen is on a mission to find out…
Eerie Exhibitions
Let’s face it: if you want to get rid of your reputation as a haunted hotel, it’s probably not a good idea to showcase two rather morbid, grisly and ghoulish exhibitions (although, they are both brilliant).
The Titanic Exhibit features a display of items from the ill-fated cruise liner, where more than 1,500 passengers and crew died.
There are more than 250 artefacts on display, as well as extensive recreations of some of the most famous rooms on the Titanic.
If that’s not morbid enough, across the lobby is ‘Bodies… The Exhibition’: a display of macabre, dismembered, human cadavers; posed and dissected.
13 real human bodies have been diced and sliced for your visual delight. How do you like your steak now?
Ghoulish Sightings
At the Luxor, things go bump in the night and not just in the museums, with many guest reporting a creepy visit from a deadly blond in their room.
Apparently, this flaxen-haired maiden arrives with her hands clasped tightly round your neck. Several guests have reported waking in the night, gasping for air, feeling as if they are being strangled.
When they awaken, all they remember is dreaming of a blond woman. Another female ghost is believed to haunt the 26th floor too.
The Curse of Tutankhamun?
Messing with anything ancient and Egyptian is guaranteed to open up a can of asps.
When explorer Howard Carter first peeked into the tomb of Tutankhamun, on November 26, 1922, he was asked if he could see anything.
He replied: “Yes, wonderful things!”
Less than six months later, Carter would be dead with blood poisoning. In the following years, six of the 26 people who excavated the tomb would die prematurely.
On the walls of the tomb were warnings, one translated as: “They that break this tomb shall meet death by a disease that no doctor can diagnose.”
(In a report, issued in April 2024, scientists now suspect the Tutankhamun curse was actually the result of abnormally high radiation.)
With its replica of King Tut’s tomb, the Luxor is playing with fire. Many people believe the theme is the reason the Luxor is haunted.
The hotel entrance is straddled by a single Sphinx. In Egyptian times, there are always two; to have just one is considered unlucky.
Also absent from the building’s design is the Eye of Horus: the ancient Egyptian symbol of well-being, healing, and – critically – protection.
This symbol should be at the top of the pyramid. Some suspect this design flaw has unwittingly opened a portal between the Luxor and the distant realms that lurk beyond the veil.
Who ya gonna call? Someone fetch the Ghostbusters.
If you want your Ancient Egyptian fix without the curse, play Book of Ra. It’s one of the most popular real money online slots and is available at most online and land-based casinos.
The Ghostly Nile Riverboat
The construction of the Luxor was fraught with peril. The building’s sloping sides made it particularly dangerous and, at least, two workers died in the process.
It may have been more. The true numbers were never disclosed.
When the resort opened, the Nile Riverboat ride was one of the highlights of the hotel.
However, guests reported seeing the ghosts of the fallen construction workers, roaming the darkened tunnels and riverbanks. The boat trip was spooked into oblivion.
Haunted Room 30018
“I came here looking for paranormal activity, and I got what I came for.”
Forget online gambling sites and spins on the roulette wheel, it seems there are some patrons who flock to the pyramid-shaped hotel in search of spirits instead.
We checked the Luxor Hotel’s Trip Advisor review page and searched for the word ‘haunted’.
There are literally dozens of reviews highlighting the paranormal activity at the hotel – and some of the guests love it.
Here are a few choice examples:
- “What really stood out for me was the paranormal activity I experienced the first night.”
- “Finding ghosts at this hotel was very exciting, because I was not really expecting them to be in our room.”
- “We are convinced the hotel is haunted though. My sister felt her blanket being pulled off her and what felt like a hand rubbing her cheek.”
Spooktacular, indeed!
The Plague
If the pharaohs are angry at the Luxor, cashing in on ancient Egyptian symbolism, what better way to demonstrate their displeasure than with a good old-fashioned plague.
In 2011, three guests that had previously stayed at the Luxor were diagnosed with Legionnaires’ Disease. The health district collected samples at the Luxor and the sampling was positive.
The moral of the story: don’t mess with Tut and keep your pipes clean.
The Mystery Bomb
In 2007, 24-year-old Willebaldo Dorantes Antonio was killed by a pipe bomb, in the top floor of the Luxor car park.
The bomb was concealed in a coffee cup and triggered by movement. It was placed in a Styrofoam cup on the top of Antonio’s car.
At the time, Las Vegas feared it was a terrorism attack. In fact, it was jealousy, jilted lovers, and ex-girlfriends.
But – once again – the curse of the Luxor struck fear into the citizens of Sin City.
The Last Word
Today, the Luxor ranks #13 out of 15 in Las Vegas resorts on TripAdvisor, with a score of 3.5. On Booking.com, a modest 7.4. Its glory days are a distant memory.
MGM Resorts bought the Luxor in 2005 and spent $300 million on an extensive revamp. Sadly, despite the investment, the ghosts of the past continue to plague this Las Vegas icon.
The rumor mill forever churning, there’s talk of demolition and a move away from themed resorts. Maybe all the Luxor needs is a priest and a good old-fashioned exorcism.
References
- https://luxor.mgmresorts.com/en/entertainment/bodies-the-exhibition.html (Luxor Las Vegas)
- https://journalofscientificexploration.org/index.php/jse/article/view/2855 (Journal of Scientific Exploration)
- https://specialpathogenslab.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2012janlasvegas-luxor.pdf (Pace Labs)
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-howard-carter-discovered-king-tuts-golden-tomb-180981052/ (Smithsonian Magazine)
- https://ghostcitytours.com/las-vegas/haunted-vegas/curse-of-luxor/ (Ghost City Tours)
- https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g45963-d111709-r788558975-Luxor_Hotel_Casino-Las_Vegas_Nevada.html (TripAdvisor)