There’s no shortage of sun in Las Vegas. Next to the entertainment and the gambling, lounging poolside at a lush Las Vegas hotel is a prime activity.

 

A hotel patron may be in the mood to soak up some rays, but they probably don’t want their hair to get singed or flip-flops to melt. According to Discovery Magazine, that’s the problem one Las Vegas hotel is having.

 

Chicagoan Bill Pintas was relaxing by the pool at the Vdara hotel when he realized he was beginning to get hot — really hot. He jumped out of his deck chair and reached for his flip-flops so he could move to a cooler spot when he discovered his flip-flops were too hot to touch.

 

After making it to a shaded area, Pintas detected a strange aroma. His hair had been singed by the sun’s reflection off the hotel’s facade. Pintas is just one of the most recent person involved in a string of incidents involving Vdara’s “death ray”.

 

After hearing Pintas’ story, The Las Vegas Review-Journal sent reporters undercover to ask hotel employees and patrons about the phenomenon. According to the paper: 

 

“The ‘hot spot’ was visible during one of the visits, but no guests were in its reach. An employee pointed out the zone and said it was ‘like a magnifying glass that shines down’ over a space about 10 feet by 15 feet, which moves as the Earth rotates. At this time of year, the bright reflection is present for about an hour and a half, both before noon and after, according to the young man.”

 

The hotel has reportedly known about the issue since its construction. Vdara has attempted to deal with the hot spot by putting up a special film that blocks about 70 percent of the reflection from the south-facing section of the building. Unfortunately that reduction hasn’t been enough to stop the steady stream of complaints from pool patrons.

 

AOL News talked to hotel spokesperson Gordon Absher about the issue:

 

“Hotel management is dealing with our corporate designers to find ways to create a little more consistent shade, but pools are tricky,” Absher said. “Building a huge shade structure is not the answer because some people want the sun. And the sun is constantly moving. It’s quite literally an astronomical challenge.”

 

Inquiries into other methods of thwarting the hot spot have resulted in quotes that run up to millions of dollars. Until a more effective fix is implemented, the best advice for a Vdara guest is to stay clear of the hot spot in the pool area.