Las Vegas Strip Gets Rid of Iconic Features to Make More Money

Public seating options along the Las Vegas Strip have diminished in recent years. This is done to encourage visitors to spend more time and money inside a casino, hotel, or restaurant instead of just outside of it. This is good for businesses, but it makes the area less pedestrian-friendly for visitors who want a place to sit down and relax in a busy environment.

The Luxor Hotel & Casino's iconic light beam, once the brightest in the world, underwent a significant adjustment in 2008. To conserve energy, the beam was dimmed by half, yet it remains among the most powerful lights globally, with an approximate intensity of 21 billion candela. The light remains an iconic part of the Strip skyline.

The Bellagio Conservatory, again with the seasonal displays, has removed everything that was animatronic from the presentations. These moving pieces are expensive to maintain and a nuisance for the guest experience. Static displays offer additional operational savings while providing visual stimulation.

In 2013, the fireboat located outside the New York-New York Hotel & Casino was removed. Originally installed as a tribute to firefighters in the wake of 9/11, the feature was beloved by many visitors. Its removal created space for attractions that generate greater revenue, but it also erased a meaningful memorial from the Strip.

The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace used to have a sky ceiling that transformed from day to night, along with the Atlantis fountain show. It is no longer used because it was based on older technologies and did not generate revenue directly. Now, the ceiling remains locked in an artificial afternoon forever, and the special feeling of the space has vanished.

These changes, while small, respond to a much larger phenomenon occurring on the Las Vegas Strip. Theme elements of design are increasingly being replaced, or taken away, to present new commercial additions — and ultimately less theme — and so many charming and timeless elements of fantasy and symbolism are disappearing from the Strip quietly.