Travel Agent - August 6, 2007 - (Page 24)

Destinations Las Vegas with Pure Management Group on LAX nightclub, an offshoot of the original in L.A., with backing by such celebrities as pop stars Christina Aguilera and Nick Lachey. The club is slated to open by Labor Day. LAX will give clubbers an outlet to party, while Company American Bistro will satisfy their appetites. The restaurant, also being done in partnership with Pure, will be fashioned after a modern A rendering of ski chalet and offer American entrées that can be customized by each patron. Rounding out Luxor’s association with Pure will be the Noir Bar, an exclusive bar modeled after a speakeasy and reserved for elite clientele. The De-Theming of Luxor Renovations to downplay Egyptian motif of iconic Las Vegas hotel BY DAVID EISEN deisen@questex.com A t the Luxor in Las Vegas, guests can still walk like an Egyptian, but changes afoot may have them rethinking their strut. The pyramid-shaped 4,500-room hotel-casino, flanked on the Strip by the Mandalay Bay to the south and Excalibur to the north, is set to undergo an ambitious $300 million multi-phased enhancement plan to transform the interior from its staid ancient Egyptian roots to a chic, contemporary design, much more in step with today’s Las Vegas. Admirers of the hotel’s exterior can rest easy: The iconic 30-story pyramid of black glass is staying put. Nefertiti’s Bar and the Isis and Sacred Sea Restaurants are not, however, replaced by such newcomers as the recently opened Aurora Lounge, a 24hour 157-seat lounge located in the hotel’s lobby. Hallmarks such as the Egyptian hieroglyphics on the casino’s walls are also slowly being expunged. Luxor is also borrowing from the hip Los Angeles scene. The hotel is teaming Liquidity, a bar/lounge opening at Luxor floor. The remodeling of the gaming floor, including new carpeting, wall coverings and lighting fixtures, made room for the new bar/lounge, which is slated to begin doling out cocktails this fall. Flight, a 40-seat lounge, will open adjacent to LAX. In 2008, the second phase of Luxor’s evolution will commence with changes to the property’s atrium and galleria areas. Additions will include new retail stores, a coffee shop and a buffet. What would a Las Vegas hotel/casino be without a new buffet? Perhaps stirring the most excitement is the imminent arrival of a Cirque du Soleil show starring renowned illusionist Criss Angel, who currently tapes portions of his A&E network TV show, Mindfreak, at the Luxor. Rappaport, who made an appearance on one of Angel’s segments as a dumbfounded witness to an Angel trick, gushes over the star and says the new show will be a success at the hotel. Currently, the Luxor’s theatre is being gutted, but Rappaport expects the new show to begin its run in August next year. The third phase of Luxor’s renovations will focus on room remodeling, which will entail filtering out much of the Egyptian attributes and replacing them with a more modern design, and is planned to begin in 2009. Change is Necessary Felix Rappaport, Luxor’s president/COO, insists that the Egyptian theme isn’t all history. “We are keeping it where it’s a positive element and good for the property,” he says, “but we don’t feel compelled to maintain that everywhere.” Rappaport concedes that the theme has lost its legs and become trite over time. “Vegas is so intense,” he says. “If you don’t reinvent yourself every few years, you become irrelevant.” Luxor is in the process of reinventing itself Two other restaurants, two bars and a renovated pool area culminate Luxor’s first phase of evolution. CatHouse, a restaurant and lounge in the design of a French bordello (think sultry with a crimson glow), replaces Isis and Sacred Sea, while the Luxor Steak House will please all the carnivores out there. Liquidity is the answer to Luxor’s problem of not having a bar in the middle of the casino TravelAgent 24. August 6, 2007

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - August 6, 2007

Contents Editor's Letter News You Can Use Cover Story - Passports and Visas: What Clients Should Know About Them EUROPE: Capella Debuts Two Properties This Year LAS VEGAS: The De-Theming of Luxor HAWAII: Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea Renovates CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA: Cruising the Panama Canal Lavishly CARIBBEAN & BAHAMAS: Bahamas’ Grand Isle Resort & Spa News and Notes Meet the U.S.V.I.’s Tourism Commissioner CRUISES: Defining Regent Seven Seas HOTELS: InterContinental Harbor Court Baltimore Agent Exchange Luxury Travel Expo Update Ad and Edit Index Classified Marketplace People & Places

Travel Agent - August 6, 2007

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