Only in Las Vegas could interest in a pyramid wane because it's getting old.
The black-and-bold Luxor opened in 1993 as an architectural tour de force — the tallest structure on the Strip, attracting camera-toting tourists as well as design intellectuals who would write books and teach college courses discussing the building's commercial and psychological appeal.
It wasn't the first themed hotel in Las Vegas, but it was still an instant icon, with a 10-story sphinx guarding the entrance and the Earth's strongest flashlight beaming into space from the pyramid's apex.
Inside, the Egyptian theme was executed to extreme and comical limits, even by Las Vegas standards. Talking mechanical camels greeted guests entering a cavernous atrium accented with statues of pharaohs, images of King Tut and bazaars selling papyrus artwork and scarab-beetle jewelry. Tour guides gave commentary along the faux Nile River as miniature barges carried guests down a slow-moving water ride — past blackjack and craps tables.
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And then, as Las Vegas cooled on architectural themes, the Luxor seemed as stale as yesterday's mummy.
So now they're throwing millions of dollars into a major renovation. The goal: Take the Egypt out of the pyramid to make it even more compelling for today's tourists.
Over the next year, Luxor will look decidedly more contemporary, or at least less Egyptian. Think video images projected on sheets of falling water, candlelit lounges framed by (real) aspens and low-light chandeliers.
"If you deconstruct the Egyptian theme, it's really just a great piece of contemporary architecture as well as an enduring shape," said John Schadler, whose marketing firm will assist in the transformation. "Think of the pyramids in Egypt and how long they've been looked upon as great mysterious monuments."
The Luxor, pinched by a changing marketplace, has shed its family-friendly roots — removing an arcade as well as shows and rides invoking the treasures of ancient Egypt, in favor of a topless revue and a show by the salty-mouthed comedian Carrot Top. In recent years it has experienced a renaissance of sorts as a place where Mandalay Bay convention-goers can land a cheaper room. The Luxor ran at 98 percent occupancy last year while operating profit rose 66 percent, one of the best improvements of the Strip's major hotels.
Two thousand more rooms, in two towers, have been built alongside the Luxor, because it's not easy adding a wing to a pyramid.
But architecture aside, Luxor has had a hard time holding its nighttime audience. Many guests queue up at the taxi stand at 6 and don't return until they're ready for bed.
Thus, the need to re-energize the pyramid's nightlife by introducing an eclectic mix of new restaurants, lounges and a Cirque du Soleil-produced show.
The venues emphasize spectacle, such as Aurora, a lobby lounge with tableside mixologists and glittering overhead glass tubes; LAX, a clone of the celebrity-rich nightclub in Los Angeles; Noir, a candlelit bar with an outdoor entrance, French dessert carts and a secret passageway for VIPs, and CatHouse, a tapas restaurant and lounge inspired by a 19th century bordello.