Excalibur Hotel and Casino

Excalibur Hotel and Casino
Address 3850 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
Opening date June 19, 1990 (June 19, 1990)
Theme Camelot
Number of rooms 3,981
Total gaming space 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m2)
Permanent shows Tournament of Kings
Australia's Thunder from Down Under
The Australian Bee Gees[1]
Casino type Land
Owner MGM Resorts International
Renovated in 2000
2007
2015
Website www.excalibur.com

Excalibur Hotel and Casino is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, in the United States. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International.

Excalibur, named for the mythical sword of King Arthur, uses the Arthurian theme in several ways. Its facade is a stylized image of a castle. Until 2007, a wizard-like figure representing Merlin looked out from a high turret (since replaced by a figure advertising Dick's Last Resort).

Excalibur is situated at the Tropicana - Las Vegas Boulevard intersection. The hotel is linked by overhead pedestrian bridges to neighboring casinos to the north (New York-New York, across Tropicana Avenue) and to the east (Tropicana, across the Strip). A free tram connects Excalibur to its sister MGM Resorts International properties to the south, Luxor and Mandalay Bay.

History

The land on which the Excalibur sits was originally the proposed site of the Xanadu Resort envisioned in the 1970s. The 1730 room Asian-tropical themed resort would have been the first mega resort in Las Vegas. The project was never built when the developers could not secure a deal with the county on the sewer infrastructure such a large project would have required.[2]

Circus Circus Enterprises constructed Excalibur which opened on June 19, 1990 as the largest hotel in the world with over 4,000 rooms and covering over 70 acres.[3][4] As of 2009 it was the fifth-largest hotel (by total number of rooms) in Las Vegas, and the seventh-largest hotel worldwide.[5] MGM Resorts International purchased the property in 2005.

Excalibur was designed in line with the "theme resort" strategy popular among some casino operators during the 1990s which included the traditional Las Vegas gaming experience coupled with family-oriented elements.[6] However, since 2006 most of the medieval themed statues and scenery have been removed as part of a four-year renovation and modernization project. As of 2010, few of the themed wall murals still remained as Excalibur was updated to include more modern and understated elements, including contemporary furniture and flat-screen plasma TVs in 2,000 renovated guest rooms.[7]

On March 21, 2003, Josh Ford of Los Angeles hit the largest Megabucks Jackpot to date of US$39.7 million at Excalibur.[8]

Facilities and attractions

Decorative Work at Excalibur Hotel & Casino

The 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) gaming area at Excalibur consists of both table games and over 1,200 slot machines. In addition to casino space, the Excalibur resort includes a renovated pool area, a 13,000-square-foot (1,200 m2) spa and fitness center, eight restaurants and a food court, the Chapel at Excalibur, and the Octane Lounge & The Lounge with live music on the weekends.[9]

Excalibur is home to three permanent shows: the all-male revue Thunder From Down Under, The Australian Bee Gees Show, a tribute to the Bee Gees and the medieval themed dinner show Tournament of Kings. Thunder From Down Under moved to Excalibur in July 2001 and since then has received recognition as one of the best all-male strip shows in Las Vegas.[10] In 2006, the performance space was renamed the "Thunder From Down Under Showroom" in honor of the troupe.[11] Tournament of Kings is a medieval jousting tournament performed with 12 breeds of horses and 32 cast members in a 925-seat amphitheater called King Arthur's Arena. The show includes a banquet feast served by a costumed serf or wench and is meant to be eaten without utensils. Tournament of Kings debuted along with the opening of Excalibur in 1990.[12][13]

Dick's Last Resort restaurant opened at Excalibur in June 2007. Dick's is known for its unusual dining experience in which servers purposefully act obnoxious towards guests. Employee "Taco" is considered Dick's mascot and entertains guests with his own version of the Bellagio fountain show using water dispensers behind the bar.[14][15]

It currently houses one of the few McDonald's in the world to vend Pepsi instead of Coke.

In popular culture

Excalibur has been featured in several video game and television productions since opening in 1990. Excalibur itself or a hotel resembling Excalibur makes appearances in the video games Driver 2 and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In television productions, Excalibur was the setting for a stunt on the Las Vegas edition of Fear Factor and was featured in an episode of South Park called "It Hits the Fan". Also, season six of Top Chef contestant Jennifer used Excalibur as the inspiration for one of her meals.

Gallery

Exterior photos
Excalibur during the day
Excalibur main entrance 
Excalibur from Tropicana Avenue
Excalibur looking southwest from Tropicana Avenue 
Excalibur Hotel and Casino at night
Night view of Excalibur Hotel and Casino 
sign
Excalibur Sign 
Interior

References

  1. ↑ "The Australian Bee Gees Show is ‘Stayin’ Alive’ at Excalibur Hotel & Casino Through January 2018" (Press release). Excalibur Hotel & Casino. August 13, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Paradise Misplaced: CThe Xanadu Hotel Casino". University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  3. ↑ Koch, Ed (June 19, 1990). "Strip jousting begins". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  4. ↑ Macy, Robert (28 May 1990). "Excalibur is new center ring for Circus Circus" (Abstract). Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2016-02-08. (subscription required (help)).
  5. ↑ Sehlinger, Bob; Castleman, Deke; Stevens, Muriel (2009). Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas. John Wiley and Sons. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-470-46029-0. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  6. ↑ "Company News; 30,000 Jam New Las Vegas Casino". The New York Times. Reuters. 20 June 1990. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  7. ↑ Padgett, Sonya (11 March 2008). "Comfort is Key: The Feel of Luxury". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  8. ↑ Geary, Frank (22 March 2003). "Megabucks player wins $39.7 million". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  9. ↑ "Excalibur Home Page". Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  10. ↑ Leach, Robin (July 31, 2010). "Thunder From Down Under celebrate nine years on The Strip". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  11. ↑ "Thunder From Down Under". Excalibur Hotel & Casino. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  12. ↑ Brown, Patricia Leigh (21 October 1990). "Fantasy Hotels: Excess Is All". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  13. ↑ Clarke, Norm (22 May 2010). "Palin, Lowden likely will not cross paths". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  14. ↑ "Pure Management Group to Celebrate Second Anniversary of Dick's Last Resort" (Press release). Dick's Last Resort. Archived from the original on September 26, 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  15. ↑ Katz, Bobbie. "Dick's Last Resort: where wacky is on the menu". Hello Vegas. Retrieved 10 November 2010.

External links

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Coordinates: 36°05′56″N 115°10′32″W / 36.09889°N 115.17556°W / 36.09889; -115.17556

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