The Luxor consistently delivers as one of the best values on the strip. Their rooms are clean, comfortable, modern, spacious and airy. I visit Vegas about 4 times a year, and have stayed in many different hotels.

The biggest tip I can offer is to upgrade to a tower room, vs. a pyramid room. The novelty of being in a pyramid wears off before the end of your inclinator ride. You can visit the pyramid in the casino, shops and upper level food court; if you need to get it out of your system. The pyramid rooms are shabby and dark. A slanted wall and window means banging your head about 83 times a day. Even the suites in the pyramid aren't up to par.

On to the good: The Luxor offers some of the cheapest rooms on the strip for a mega-resort. The tower rooms were built after the pyramid, and have been upgraded recently. Their website allows you to subscribe for some great e-mail offers, or book web direct for a deep discounted, non-refundable rate. The tower rooms feature floor to ceiling windows. Even if you don't have a strip view, the hotel grounds and exterior are well maintained for an Egyptian 'garden' view. The first thing I do when I get to my room is open the blinds as much as possible and point one of the chairs out the window. It makes the room seem larger and more airy. The rooms have two small tables and large armoire style cabinets against the wall. I've never had any problem with storing everything, even my luggage, out of sight. The decor is richly colored, without being oppressive. It's mildly Egyptian themed, not overwhelming or childish. The bathroom is a real treat. Out of any 'standard' hotel room I have ever stayed in, it is by far, the best. You will find a large marble sink and counter, deep soaking tub and glass enclosed shower. The bathroom comes with average toiletries and usually has a lot of extra towels, which is surprising. The shower has nice natural looking tiles, especially the shower. Housekeeping has always done more than enough during my visits. I've stayed at other resorts and had them miss my room, or do a shoddy job. The room has basic amenities: hair dryer, phone, bedside lamps, extra pillows, blankets, etc. The one thing I wish it had was a safe, no Luxor rooms have safes. The TV is tube style, not the modern flat-panel. Like any Vegas hotel, the doors slam hard in the hallway and the drunken yells at 2am are distracting, but no worse than another resort. Request a room at the end of the hallway, if you can deal with the walk. The tower rooms are in two towers, east and west. The west tower is closer to the casino, shops and walkway to Excalibur and beyond. The east is closer to the pool and conference rooms. Obviously, the pyramid is closest to the casino, restaurant and shops. Check in lines get bad here, really bad. There is a myth that only certain guests may use tower check in. There is never a line there. Head towards the Excalibur, and instead of getting on the people mover, stay to the sides and head down the stairs. You'll be checked in within moments.

I have also stayed in the Tower Luxury Suite. These rooms are located in the towers as well. These rooms are, as the name implies, luxurious suites. You have a massive living/lounge/dining area with a full wet bar, including mini fridge. There is a couch, armchair, two chairs, TV, dining table and a couple smaller end tables throughout this main room. The focal point is the wet bar. It is a full length marble countertop with mirror backsplash, sink, coffee maker and fresh floral arrangement. I always stock the fridge with plenty of liquor and bottled water. Vegas is a dry city, especially for drinkers. The bedroom is pretty basic, but nice. It is separated completely from the main area by a door. Some resorts have other, not so private separators (i.e.: Venetian). There is a cabinet style armoire with TV in here as well. Neither TV in the suite is flat panel. The one in the living area is actually pretty small, maybe 19". I definitely don't go to Vegas to watch TV, but it seemed a little dwarfed in such a nice suite. Suites are typically for entertaining, so this was surprising, but acceptable. The bathroom is huge, almost too big. Dual marble sinks, glass enclosed shower and a jetted Jacuzzi style tub. The layout seems awkward; the toilet and sinks in one section, and the 'bathing' fixtures in another. I would have put the toilet more separate, especially in a large suite, where there are likely to be multiple persons. There is a large storage area in the bathroom, with hangers and closet rod, perfect for luggage, etc. The bathrooms have Bath and Body Works branded toiletries, a very nice surprise, especially if you fly in and hate the typical junk. They also stock these rooms with coffee maker and coffee. Because of the increased price, these rooms are often more vacant, so when you arrive, try checking in early. When we went to the check in counter, they tried to turn us away, until we told them our room type. Add that with the tower check in, and you feel like you got VIP check in treatment. All in all, a great room. I found the decor to be a little more sterile and plain than most rooms of this tier, but the views do make up for it. Do make sure that you check the Jacuzzi operation, before unpacking. The last time I went, it did not work and wasn't discovered until I tried to use it.

The staff at Luxor has never impressed me. They tend to be business like, if not a little curt, rarely cracking a smile. The few times we've had issues, they won't help until you demand help. We had an incident where we were outright charged too much for our room, and they were absolutely useless. If you book a "package deal" that includes additional amenities, forget about them. It's not worth the hassle or confusion to save $10 at a restaurant that you probably wouldn't have eaten at in the first place. All their "freebies" require you to charge them to your room, then they claim they will be reconciled at check out. We have never felt we got what we should have. I also had a rewards credit card for this property for a while, which was just as difficult to use. For the small amount of money these things saved me, it was 10 times the hassle. I'll leave that for the high rollers, thank you. Keeping this in mind, we try to limit our interaction and expectations of the staff as much as possible. Unfortunately, most of my negative experiences are universal and standard now in Vegas, regardless of location. It does encourage me to try other hotels, every other trip, when the price is right.

All in all, the Luxor performs as one of the best values on the strip. If you want a comfortable room at a good rate, stay here. Most of the 'problems' I have seen described or experienced, are average everywhere. Please do yourself the favor and upgrade to a Tower room. Other property amenities will be reviewed in the proper sections. The Luxor gets a 4 out of 5. It's above average and a good deal. It is definitely not the best place in Vegas. However, as a value it deserves 5 out of 5. You will not have a better time for the less, the same or even a little more money. If you want a 5 star experience and accommodations, try the Venetian.