Las Vegas Death Ray

Las Vegas Review-Journal The pool area at the Vdara Hotel is developing a nasty reputation for being the target of what employees there call a “death ray,” which can singe the hair off the bodies of guests and melt their plastic shopping bags and cups. The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Joan Whitely reports on the Vdara death ray, which she says is caused by light reflecting just so off of the curved glass facade of the hotel tower. the glass focuses the desert sunlight like a giant magnifying...Read Full Story

By now, you've no doubt heard of the Las Vegas death ray: "The tall, sleek, curving Vdara Hotel at CityCenter on the Strip is a thing of beauty," the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. "But the south-facing tower is also a collector and bouncer of sun rays, which—if you're at the hotel's swimming pool at the wrong time of day and season—can singe your hair and melt your plastic drink cups and shopping bags." "Hotel pool employees call the phenomenon the 'Vdara death ray'," we read. [Image: The...Read Full Story

The Vdara Hotel is a sleek, gracefully curving monument along the Las Vegas strip that houses 1,495 units. Designed by Rafael Vinoly of RV Architecture LLC it was topped out on May 14, 2008. One other fact? It functions as a death ray. The Vdara Hotel. (scpr.org) The curve of the hotel's exterior focuses the sun's ray in a spot by the hotel pool, creating an area hot enough to reportedly melt shopping bags and plastic drink cups. Or, in one unlucky guest's case, singe hair. According to a...Read Full Story

Luxury hotel or destroyer of hair and small plastic items? If you're planning a trip to Sin City, beware the Las Vegas death ray that's been toasting bathers at the Vdara Hotel pool. According to reports, the beam of reflected sunlight is strong enough to melt plastic and even burn hair.Read Full Story

Due to the concave shape of the Vdara hotel, the strong Nevada sun reflects off its all-glass front and directly onto sections of the swimming pool area below.Read Full Story