[Intro]
Welcome, intrepid listeners, to yet another electrifying episode of "Beyond the Unknown." I'm your host, Joli, and I'm Quinn, and buckle up because today, we're about to plunge headfirst into the mesmerizing chaos of the infamous Las Vegas Strip. Get ready to have your senses utterly overwhelmed as we delve into the eerie and haunted tales lurking within the corridors of four iconic hotels that call this neon-lit boulevard home. Stay tuned, because what awaits you is a spine-tingling journey through the darker side of Sin City's glittering facade.
[Body]
So I am heading to Vegas in a few weeks, and by the time this episode is released, I will have already gone on the trip, so I wanted to dive into some interesting spooky tales set in sin city for me to visit during my trip. There were actually so many interesting stories in the Las Vegas region, but I wanted to stick to the strip since that is where I tend to spend most of my time when I visit. And even with that, there are still a ton of stories.
If you have never visited the Las Vegas Strip, think Oceans 11 and the Bellagio fountains. Picture this: A dazzling symphony of neon lights in the night sky, with colossal replicas of world landmarks, like the Eifel tower in Paris, towering over the bustling boulevard. All sorts of sounds fill the air, from the cheerful jingles of slot machines to the distant roar of fountains dancing to synchronized music. Enormous LED screens stretch across the sides of opulent resorts, showcasing larger-than-life spectacles and enticing passersby with promises of grandeur and fortune. Exotic-themed hotels, like the Luxor Pyramid, transport visitors to distant lands with their lavish architecture and elaborate decor, while street performers and costumed characters add a whimsical charm to the vibrant scene. The Las Vegas Strip is an extravagant and enchanting sensory overload. Every corner invites you to indulge in a world where reality fades away, and dreams take center stage.
So lets dive in because there are A LOT of spirits on the Vegas strip to talk about, and I thought we should start with one of the most famous spirits before getting into some lesser known tales.
Our first story takes us to The Flamingo. This hotel is iconic really and was dreamed by by NY mobster Bugsy Siegel. The hotel opened I n 1946 and set the tone for the future luxurious grand hotels that would line the strip. Since it was designed by the mobster himself, it has quite a few interesting and unique touches. There is a presidential suite of course, that was occupied by the mobster himself, finished with solid gold fixtures in the bathroom. There was even an escape ladder that would allow him to escape the suite at a moment’s notice. Despite the escape hatch, he was shot and killed in the hotel just 6 months after opening. Unsurprisingly, Bugsy is reported to haunt the hotel, specifically the presidential suite, and whisper tales of unfinished business.
We can’t talk about Las Vegas without talking about Elvis Presley. Our next tale takes us to the Westgate hotel, previously known at the old Las Vegas Hilton, just one block from the famous strip. When Elvis was in town, he would stay in the Westgate’s penthouse suite. Now I don’t know a lot about Elvis to be honest, but it is said that this hotel played a major part in his life. This is the site where he would serenade guests and was breaking all kinds of musical records. His first show at the Westgate was in 1969 and would go on to do 837 shows following. Elvis died in 1977, shortly after performing his final conference.
Shortly after Elvis’ death, Wayne Newton, a close friend of Elvis, had planned a tribute concert in Las Vegas to honour his late friend. Prior to the performance, Newton was informed that the balcony seating area was going to be kept closed. During the performance, while Newton was performing, the lights in the entire auditorium suddenly went out except a spotlight that continued to shine in Newton. This didn’t stop Newton, and he and his band continued the performance. Newton raised his head upwards at one point and saw a man on the Balcony even though he was told it would be kept closed, and to this day Wayne claims this was the ghost of Elvis – he says his friends posture was such that is conveyed that Elvis was pleased with the performance.
Today, many claim they have seen his ghost wandering the hotel and suddenly disappear. Others say they will wake to his classic crooning style music, and initially assume other guests were playing the music, only to find out that no one was playing the tunes. I also read somewhere that some claim his ghost is heard to be asking to find out if he has “finally checked out” …meaning checked out of the hotel. I am not sure the significance of this really. I think it is something to do with people feeling that after he died, he really never left the Westgate. But from what I can see, he died in Graceland. Which is located in Memphis…soooo I dunno about this story! Can spirits travel that far from their place of death???
Our final celebrity story takes us to the beautiful Venetian hotel. Well, near the Venetian anyways. Have you heard of… Tupac?
Well, Tupac was killed on the street just outside of the Venetian when he was shot to death. Some say they see his figure from time to time in this area when the streets are relatively empty. RIP Tupac.
The last place I want to talk about is the well-known Luxor resort. It is easily one of the most visually memorable sights as it is the third largest pyramid in the world, third to the actual Egyptian pyramids in Giza. Initially built in the early 90s, for a cool 375 million dollars, the hotel has undergone a few renovations. Egyptologists were actually brought in to oversee the planning of this magnificent hotel, as the Egyptian theme runs through the entirety. The Luxor is a large pyramid covered in glass with a massive central spotlight that shines from the top peak known as the Luxor Sky Beam This light is actually known to be one of the brightest things on earth. At the entrance to this grande structure is a Sphinx. The luxor initially had just over 2000 rooms and now it boasts 4407 rooms.
I stayed at the Luxor once, and I have to be honest, of all the strip hotels I have stayed in – this was probably my least favourite. Firstly, if you are staying in the main building, which is literally pyramid shaped, the rooms are on the outer parameter of the building and there is a large opening in the centre of each floor where you can look over to see the main lobby/floor area. Becaues of that design, it is VERY noisy in and around the rooms. Secondary, due to the pyramid shape, and being ldoge on the edge, the inner far wall of the room is slanted and is made entirely of glass. It makes the room awkwardly small and SO SO hot. Finally, I found it honestly to be pretty out dated. Now, accommodations aside, that trip was a blast, so who cares really, but I just thought I would mention it. I will say tho, I didn’t have paranormal experiences, but at that time, I wasn’t really looking or paying attention! Seems like I must have really been oblivious because there is a lot to talk about here !!
So what exactly has gone down at the Luxor to make it probably the most fascinating haunted locations on the strip? Since its construction, the Luxor has witnessed many. Three construction workers passed away during the building process and a few patrons have jumped to their deaths over the interior balcony.
The Luxor is also known to be very active from a paranormal standpoint. Guests now report many strange occurances, and at one time, there was even a Nile River ride that eventually closed down because people constantly reported seeing ghosts. They still have a Titanic exhibit with many original artifacts, and many have reported seeing these artifacts moving around the room and seeing entities walkng through walls. These entities reportedly are dressed in outfits that would have been worn in the era of the titanic disaster. And no, these are not paid actors or part of the exhibit !!
There is an entity at the Luxor known as the deadly blonde. It is said that guests who occupy the bed that she once had will wake up to the feeling of being strangled, as though there are thin, icy, fingers gripping their neck. They then wake to find no intruders in their room. Apparently, the deadly blonde was a prostitute who was murdered in the Luxor. However, I have also read stories where people claim to have witnessed a ghostly apparition of a woman riding on the backs of guests on the 26th floor – and she is also said to have been a prostitute who committed suicide at the Luxor after finding out she tested HIV positive.
The deadly blonde isn’t the only spirit in the Luxor, apparently in room 30018, there is a Portergeist who makes loud metal clanging noises every at 8:30am every morning. Now something this rhythmic and punctual is bound to seem like something that occurs in the hotel due to explainable causes, but apparently, efforts to explain this noise with something earthly have been unsuccessful.It is left to assume that there is a Portergeist who either wants you the heck out of the room OR really wants you up and at em to have a nice full day on the strip lol. 8:30am on the strip is EARLY lol, some people might not even be in from the night before….like my first trip to Vegas….
There’s also been reports of people hearing someone banging on their doors repeatedly, and when film footage of the hallways are reviewed by security, there is no one found.
So there is something over-riding all of this that many feel explain why so many strange things and deaths have occurred at the Luxor - it all comes back to a curse.
Joli – what kind of curse?
Quinn – well it all goes way back to ancient Egypt actually. So you know the pyramids right ? especially since you’ve literally been there. Well, apparently, there are two large cats, sphinx, guarding the pyramids. The sphinx are meant to guard and protect an entrance to either a city or treasure, but it must be done so in pairs. It is said that by only having one sphinx, the Luxor is not sufficiently protected, and thus evil spirits have entered the Luxor pyramid.
So there you have it – 4 haunted hotels on or around the Las Vegas strip! Have you ever had a paranormal experience in Vegas? Let us know!!
[Outro]
Joli: Thank you for joining us for another episode of "Beyond the Unknown." If you have a story you’d like to share, please email us at moody.mediaprod@gmail.com. You can reach out on our website, and who knows, your story might be featured in our next episode.
Quinn: All of our sources for this episode can be found on our website: beyondtheunknownpod.com.
And don’t forget, if you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review.
Joli: Until next time, listeners. Stay curious and remember that the unknown is always just beyond the shadows.
Both: BYEEEE
