The exterior express elevator took guests directly up to the twenty-seventh and twenty-ninth floor with no stops in between. It moved at a rate of two hundred feet per minute. The elevator faced west and moved along the outside of the tower, giving riders a fantastic view of the Strip through the glass windows. Along the track, the elevator was flanked by neon blue stars which ran up to the the point where the elevator entered the dome. These stars were removed in 1983. It was built by Montgomery Elevator with controls by Armor Elevator. It was only functional during the evening and during brunch on Sunday. It required an attendant to operate who gave a speech to passengers as they rode up or down. There was also an internal express elevator which served the same purpose but it was larger and operated in self-serve mode. This second express elevator traveled at a faster speed of five hundred feet per minute.

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     For the filming of "Diamonds are Forever" in 1971, Sean Connery's stunt man rode on top of the elevator as it moved up the tower.