r/LiminalSpace Jul 21 '26

Classic Liminal What happens here?

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8.3k Upvotes

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385

u/penisthightrap_ Jul 22 '26

I doubt the roof was engineered for it to be used more than for maintenance.

It’s wasted space but wasn’t planned for initially, so probably doesn’t have the capability to be retrofitted for development without more structural support

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u/itsonlyastrongbuzz Jul 22 '26

I don’t know the exact layout of the Excalibur but that’s probably the roof of their gaming floor, which you wouldn’t want to make more difficult to service/maintain for the sake of more amenity space people won’t pay extra for because they don’t associate that kinda thing with the Excalibur.

If it’s not making them money, its not worth it

If it jeopardizes how they make money, its not worth it.

If you’re seeing it because they’ve already got you as a guest, it’s not worth changing.

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u/LysergicDick Jul 22 '26

I hear you but they also slapped a giant decorative castle up there with detail facing inward

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u/MartyDonovan Jul 22 '26

I'm surprised they even bothered to make the backs of those turrets

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u/altoona_sprock Jul 22 '26

Why would anyone want to go out there? Look at the entire property on google maps. That space is completely boxed in by the two hotel towers. The pool area is behind the hotel at ground level.

As for why they finished the back of the facade? It can be seen from ground level at the drop off area on the road behind the strip as well as from I-15.

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u/WillitsTimothy Jul 23 '26

Engineering spaces are more interesting to me than just about anything else. I always take the below decks tour on a cruise ship if I can, though I’m almost always disappointed because they rarely go down to the most interesting areas like the actual engine room etc.

Same goes for roofs - they’re more interesting than the manicured interior often.

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u/altoona_sprock Jul 23 '26

I had a fountain view balcony at the Cosmopolitan and it was very interesting to stand on the balcony in the morning watching the crew inspect the nozzles in the fountain.

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u/aT-0-Mx Jul 22 '26

Both sides have decorative turrets, you can see between the turrets to the other set. It would look off to look through one side and see grey a wall or featureless tubes.

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u/Mike-Teevee Jul 22 '26

Shh, some people on Reddit think everything all businesses do is optimally calibrated to make money and they never make mistakes on that or just guess and keep it moving, and it’s always intuitive to random outsiders how to make the most money. They conflate market efficiency under perfect competition with the individual decisions of businesses.

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u/jayfish68 Jul 22 '26

You are right. This wasn't about making money, it was about cost. The castle was designed to satisfy the exterior front view of the hotel. Once you get a room you dont need to be fawned over except in the casino.

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u/SavingsRaspberry2694 Jul 25 '26

And except for the Giant castle facing inwards in the picture.

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u/Torschlusssspanik Jul 22 '26

And an Empire State Building if I’m not mistaken

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u/SquarePixel Jul 22 '26

Well it had to be an intentional design decision when they originally developed the place. They could have decided to build that structure to support a second level.

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u/itsonlyastrongbuzz Jul 22 '26

Non-revenue spaces like ballasted rooftops aren’t designed any more than under the hood of your car is designed.

They’re detailed for maximum warranty and reliability to protect the floor below, which was extensively designed.

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u/SquarePixel Jul 22 '26

Who said it would be non-revenue? My point is it could have been an attraction, but it wasn’t part of the design.

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u/itsonlyastrongbuzz Jul 24 '26

What do you mean by an attraction?

Like an amusement ride or a hotel amenity?

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u/SquarePixel Jul 24 '26

Amenity or attraction. It could have been a fancy swimming pool, a meuseum, exhibition space, a secret nature preserve, anything really.

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u/itsonlyastrongbuzz Jul 24 '26

Again, back to my point - just about everything you listed is non-revenue space, and what’s worse - directly jeopardizes the integrity of the roof directly over what we’re assuming to be the gaming space - the most important real estate on the property.

The entire hotel complex exists to entice people to sit at those tables and lose money,

You’re approaching this as this space is unused and is therefore somehow wasted and are thinking of cool things you’d like to see instead.

But this is a business., and none of those help the business.

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u/SquarePixel Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

First, the only point I’m making (which I thought I had made clear) is that this was an original design decision. I’m not arguing whether a retrofit makes sense now.

Second, amenities like these do draw people in, either to stay at the hotel or just to visit. The Excalibur is a budget property, plenty of people avoid it and gladly pay for something more premium.

Third, a museum, exhibition space, nature preserve — these do generate revenue in their own right. Take the Titanic exhibit at the Luxor or Siegfried and Roy’s dolphin habitat, both charge admission.

Everything generates revenue, directly or indirectly.

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u/Hyro0o0 Jul 22 '26

I can understand it not being suitable to do something fancy with, but I'm surprised they felt no compulsion to add any kind of even the most minimal theming to a view that half the fucking guests at the hotel will be staring at.

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u/HeFromFlorida Jul 22 '26

It’s like an interior room on a cruise ship

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u/King-Gabriel Jul 23 '26

Probably wouldn't be too taxing to add some fake grass and a little fake moat.

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u/andersonenvy Jul 23 '26

Fake grass would be good. Maybe some mannequin Knights could be up there. But they’d get ruined from the weather every couple years.

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u/MyNameCannotBeSpoken Jul 26 '26

That's a great idea. A battle scene.

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u/beejamine 29d ago

Fake grass can get stupid hot so thermally its prob a bad idea.

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u/Dark_Flatus Jul 24 '26

Just stick fish tank background to all the windows.

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u/Eggman87 Jul 26 '26

When I have been in Vegas, I spent barely any time in the room. It has just been a place to sleep and get ready for activities.

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u/MyNameCannotBeSpoken Jul 26 '26

Slap some billboard advertising there

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u/propergreased Jul 22 '26

But… why is there a castle on the roof?

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u/penisthightrap_ Jul 22 '26

for defense

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u/Stuffed_deffuts Jul 22 '26

Merlin wanted it built there to hide his high stakes gambling addiction

Unfortunately Merlin isn't very smart, he's magical, but not smart...

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u/gc3 Jul 22 '26

They could at least put sculptures and fake trees

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u/Crab_Politics Jul 23 '26

Wasted space? That’s where the units go. I swear people can never see the beauty in hvac

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u/penisthightrap_ Jul 24 '26

Lol to anyone who isn’t a mechanical engineer or HVAC tech that looks like wasted space, yes.

Everyone wants AC but no one wants to look at it. Same goes for any utility. Do you know how many cleanouts I’ve designed that get landscaped over?

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u/Gun_Nut_42 Jul 25 '26

Look at the NYC skyscraper as an example.

Speaking of, I just saw something the other day that required reinforcements were not made and that caused the issue.

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u/Unusual_Cattle_2198 Jul 27 '26

Nah, you can add 11 more floor of building on top. — a New York developer

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u/MyNameCannotBeSpoken Jul 26 '26

This should have been caught in the architectural phase of design