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Excalibur Hotel and Casino hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, in the United States. It is owned and operated by MGM Mirage. 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. The style of the hotel is heavily based on the castle in Carcassone, France. Excalibur is situated at the Tropicana Las Vegas Boulevard intersection. The intersection is so busy that pedestrians are not allowed to cross at street level. Instead, Excalibur is linked by overhead pedestrian bridges to its neighboring casinos to the north the New York-New York, across Tropicana Avenue and to the east the Tropicana, across the Strip There is also a free tram that connects Excalibur to its sister MGM Mirage properties to the south, the Luxor and Mandalay Bay.

The Excalibur opened on June 19, 1990 originally built by Circus. It was one of many new, modern Las Vegas hotels that featured children's attractions, such as an arcade and a motion simulator called Merlin's Magic Motion Machine. Another feature of the Excalibur that is prominent in many of today's Las Vegas hotels is a large family swimming pool. When it opened it was the largest hotel in the world.1On March 21, 2003 the largest Megabucks Jackpot, as of that time, was hit at the Excalibur. The jackpot was for $39,713,982.25.On April 26, 2005, the Excalibur, along with the other hotels of the Mandalay Resort Group, was purchased by rival MGM Mirage.

Excalibur now has 2,000 newly remodeled rooms that are called Widescreen Rooms. The all-new widescreen rooms have been upgraded floor to ceiling. They feature 42" plasma screen televisions, pillow top mattresses, contemporary bathrooms with granite countertops, and alarm clocks with iPod inputs. Widescreen rooms also offer the property's best views, as well as its most convenient access to the pool and spa. Attractions- Some restaurants and other areas have Arthurian names, such as the Roundtable Buffet, Sir Galahad's Prime Cuts, The Steakhouse of Camelot, and Regale Italian eatery, or reflect a broader Merrie Olde England" theme, such as the Sherwood Forest Cafe. A long-running show, the Tournament of Kings, features simulated medieval jousting. Regale was originally called "Lance-a-lotta Pasta" and was more family/child oriented than Regale, which is more upscale.

A few years after opening, Excalibur introduced a free nighttime show in the moat near the resort's main entrance. A dragon would emerge from under the main entryway bridge and do battle with the wizard, Merlin. After a few years of operation, this attraction was discontinued. In June of 2007; the Dick's Last Resort chain opened a restaurant in the Excalibur. Accompanying this addition, the iconic figure of Merlin visible from Excalibur's exterior was replaced by the image of Slick Dick from the restaurant chain's logo. Like many other hotels on the Strip, the Excalibur features a wedding chapel. The chapel offers themed medieval weddings complete with renaissance period costumes.


The hotel has opened a spa near the pool. In 2007, the pool area was closed for renovation. Most of the parking area to the east of the parking garage was gated off for the expansion of the pool area. The new pool construction was originally started in fall, 2006 in the hopes of being completed for the summer of 2007 but there were delays so the new pool is now slated to open for summer, 2008. Excalibur recently added on their official website that the pool is now open saying We've doubled the size of our pool, adding cabanas, fire pits, sun decks and a secluded relaxation pool. And our new poolside restaurant, DRENCHED, is the perfect place to quench your thirst, and your appetite.

My first impression of The Excalibur a few years ago while I was walking through the casino was of a hotel/casino that catered largely to families and people looking for a good deal in Vegas. It was with that information in mind that my boyfriend and I considered Excalibur when we were looking for a hotel in Vegas with my Mother. The difference this year was that my partner and I were taking my mother along with us to Vegas, so we weren’t really looking for a hotel that catered more to singles or younger couples without kids and really were most interested in getting the most out of our money and that was within easy walking distance to other hotel/casinos because my mother has trouble walking long distances. He and I were looking for something that was well placed along the strip, had the amenities that we were looking for a pool and good restaurants We decided upon Excalibur because out of all the hotels on the Las Vegas strip because not only did it offer the best value, but because it was located close enough to other hotels. Within a short walk, you can be at the MGM Grand, the Tropicana, New York-New York and several other casinos. A short tram ride or walk on moving side walks and you are at the Luxor and Mandalay Bay.

We rented a car when we flew into Las Vegas and driving into Excalibur was fairly straightforward. The Excalibur and The Luxor both share an entrance drive, you turn to the right to go to the Excalibur and to the left to go to the Luxor. They have a special parking area for people checking in. Park here and check in and leave your luggage in your car, as it will be easier this way, take my word for it. Check in was a fairly painless affair. We waited in line for about 15 minutes or so. We were asked about our room preferences smoking, beds, side of building, closeness to elevator, etc and they were able to easily accommodate all of our requests. There is a nominal charge for unlimited local phone service. For long distance, the prices are a bit higher. I would suggest bringing your cell phone or a long distance card to save some money there. Once you finish check out, you will know whether you are in Tower 1 or Tower 2 of the hotel.


If you are in Tower 2, like we were, you drive all the way around the backside of the hotel. and park right next to the entrance that goes to that tower. For Tower 1, you merely drive to th.e end of the shared access drive with Luxor and park in the lots to the left, walking down to the entrance for that tower. For all 4 days that we were at the hotel, there were plenty of par..king spaces and we never had to park that far from the hotel entrance. The views out of both towers are fairly good. With some rooms you can overlook the strip, others overlook the inner courtyard and others look out across Highway 15 to the mountains off in the distance. Our room in Tower 2 overlooked inner courtyard of the hotel where the castle is and across to Excalibur. It was an incredible view.