How Do the Inclinators at Luxor Work?

Just got back from a stay at Luxor. It was very nice. I couldn’t seem to figure out the ”inclinators.” How they work? Do they only go to certain floors, etc. I did a quick Google (and LVA QoD) search and couldn’t find out much. Do you have any info on these wonders of architecture or could you point me in the right direction?

Inclinators have been around for quite a while. An inclined elevator or inclined lift is a form of a cable railway system that can travel up a steep gradient; the railroads made early use of the concept to provide accessibility to steep hillsides and inclines at minimal effort.

Luxor's inclinators work on the same principle, though the technology is more similar to conventional elevators than true inclinators.

Luxor's Otis inclinators were the first of their kind in terms of speed (700 feet per minute) and people movement. "Previous installations were typically on the side of a hill, low speed and small cabs," Bill Evans, vice president of sales and marketing for Otis Escalator System told Building Design and Construction magazine.

In our research, we found that standard elevator equipment can be adapted for systems with inclines up 10 degrees from vertical, though inclines of more than 20 degrees from vertical require some additional considerations. "New elevator technology was applied for Luxor's inclined system," said Bill Evans.

But other than the well-known fact that Luxor's inclinators travel at a 39-degree angle up the four sides of the pyramid, we could come up with only one other detail about the tech: The Luxor inclinators incorporate a microwave-transmission control system, which eliminates the trailing control and power cable normally attached to elevator cabs, which would slacken when it nears the bottom.

Hey, we tried. If anyone knows anything more than that about Luxor's inclinators, we're all ears.

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Comments

Dave Aug-10-2019

Floors

One question asked that wasn’t answered was, do they all go to all the floors? The answer is no. They have a much larger elevator shaft than typical elevators, and when they get near the top, there simply isn’t enough space for all of them.  Of course, that’s not a big problem for hotel guests, because the hallway circumference is much smaller. 

Although I never stayed in the pyramid, I learned all this when I went to the top just so I can look down into the pyramid. Note that it appeared to me that there are a couple of guest floors so high that there isn’t even space enough for viewing into the pyramid. 

Also note that I am very glad I did not stay in the pyramid. The inclined ride is not a smooth one. And even though it was brief, I felt like I was getting seasick. So one trip was more than enough for me.

[email protected] Aug-10-2019

Stay

I stayed at Luxor about a year after it opened.  Really enjoyed staying in the pyramid - it was a very unique experience.  The inclinations were cool - something you didn't get to experience elsewhere.  Of course, that was when they still had the boat ride around the pyramid with all the "artifacts" and the Tut's tomb exhibit, so it was much more immersive into an ancient Egyptian experience than it is now.  When I visited Egypt in 2010 I was impressed at how much effort Luxor put into replicating the detail of the temples.

Greg Anderson Aug-10-2019

The floors serviced

As I remember, the bottom five floors are serviced by standard elevators, and the rest are split in half, with one pair of inclinadors, in opposite corners serving the lower half, and the other pair serving the upper half.

Randall Ward Aug-10-2019

Luxor

Never really noticed a difference in the ride, but always thought best part of Luxor is that view down on to the casino

Nellisned Aug-10-2019

Ghosts

Luxor is haunted also.

Question of the Day - 10 August 2019

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