Friday, April 18, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
It was an opening ceremony marked by opulence and splendor.
As belly dancers undulated Thursday to the sounds of Middle Eastern music, officials at Luxor celebrated the completion of the hotel's $300 million expansion.
The additions include: 1,950 new rooms, including 237 suites, in a 22-story ziggurat-shaped structure to the north of the main pyramid; a moving walkway that connects Luxor with Excalibur, Luxor's sister hotel; an architectural redesign of Luxor's interior, and a full-service meeting and convention facility.
"Now, we are truly a megaresort," said Clyde Turner, chairman and chief operating officer of Circus Circus Enterprises, which operates both the Luxor and Excalibur hotels.
"The work that went into the hotel amounts to much more than an expansion," Turner said. "Everyone who goes through the front door and walks by the great Temple of Ramesses can feel the impact of what has been done here."
The life-sized replica of the great Temple of Ramesses II, which serves as the gateway to the hotel, is another new feature.
Turner said a great deal of detailed work has been done to the interior of the hotel, and that the new lobby, with its expanse of marble flooring and Egyptian murals, tends to convey the spaciousness of the Nile Valley.
"Luxor's original architecture had great bones," Turner said with a smile. "But, now we've filled in the ribs, so as to make this truly a great property."
Turner noted that the cost of Luxor -- including the renovation -- adds up to about $650 million, comparable to the cost of The Mirage, "but we have 1,600 more rooms."
Another new feature of the Luxor is the renovated and expanded Oasis Spa.
The health spa has been expanded to 12,000 square feet and includes 16 treatment rooms for facials, massages and body treatments. The men's and women's lounges include various amenities such as hot and warm whirlpool baths, and steam and sauna rooms.
Thursday's opening ceremony follows the opening of the walkway between the two hotels -- the final touch to the year-long addition project.
The newly renovated spa has been open several months, and manager Scott Hamann said spa business "has quadrupled" since it re-opened.
Phase II of the Luxor expansion is under way and expected to be completed this fall.
It will include two new restaurants as well as an 18-shop retail area called Giza Galleria.
Also under construction along the southwest exterior of the original Luxor pyramid is an Egyptian-themed theater that will house Luxor's new production show entitled "Imagine -- A theatrical Odyssey."
