Concierge.com's insider take:

The most intriguing feat of architecture on the Strip is this 30-story black pyramid with a burst of light pointing straight up (and visible from at least 50 miles away). Luxor has never fulfilled its potential as a top-notch property, but its aggressive restaurant and nightlife redo, which began in 2007, has put it back on the radar screens of higher-end visitors. Places like CatHouse and Lax can be accessed not only by the main entrance but via the walkway between Luxor and Mandalay Bay (just look for the other hotel's logo on signs). This is an especially economical choice for those attending conventions at the enormous Mandalay Bay Convention Center, thanks to a monorail that ferries guests to and fro. (It's also possible to walk without going outdoors.) Rooms are ordinary, but the angled windows in the pyramid have a cool effect, and riding the "inclinator" up to your floor is actually kind of fun. Show fanatics will love Criss Angel's Believe—a Cirque du Soleil homage to Harry Houdini done in a sort of Edward Scissorhands–meets–David Copperfield kind of way.—updated by David Tyda