It's been pure torture keeping quiet this story involving the collaboration of powerful nightlife entities. Though there has been speculation that Pure Management Group would be assuming control of the Luxor's Ra nightclub, Pure has managed to keep secret (until now) the exact details of that project. And for good reason—it's way bigger than anyone could have imagined.
PMG—owner and operator of Pure, Tangerine and Coyote Ugly—will be assuming control of Ra and some surrounding areas, expanding its portfolio by bringing Los Angeles' LAX nightclub and the Roxy to the Vegas scene. In addition, an as-yet-unnamed restaurant will fill the space once occupied by Hamada.
LAX is a meeting place for LA's sophisticated club-goers, the private-jet set and all of hot, young Hollywood. Pure resident DJ AM is part owner, and according to his PMG contract, can be booked to spin at any of PMG's venues. AM could not be reached for comment by press time but it's safe to assume he will be among the first DJs to christen the turntables when LAX Las Vegas opens late this year or early 2007. We can tell you that the LAX Las Vegas' décor will be stylish but different from its flagship.
Right next door, and opening at the same time, PMG will re-create the Roxy, LA's popular rock joint, known for its small-scale concerts and unannounced performances by the likes of Bowie, Springsteen and Prince. "We are thrilled to be bringing such big names to Las Vegas," says Robert Frey, PMG's managing partner. "As always, Pure Management Group will raise the nightlife bar with the unparalleled celebrity draw of LAX and the live music flare that the Roxy is known for."
Little is known about the clubs' designers or DJs, nor what chefs or cuisine the restaurant will feature. But it is known that, like Pure, the restaurant will be backed by a panel of A-list celebrity investors. No timeline has been set for the closure of Ra, which will continue with normal business hours Wednesday through Saturday, and all of Ra's employees will be interviewed by PMG as the project moves forward.
"Nightlife is an incredibly important amenity within a Las Vegas resort and the Pure Group team has proven again and again that they are the best in the business," says Jenn Michaels, vice president of public relations for MGM Mirage, which owns the Luxor. "This is a terrific opportunity for Luxor to be associated with a number of very strong brands as they work to reinvigorate the property."
Without warning, Plush, the nightclub in the J.W. Marriott, closed its doors Saturday and filed a $44 million suit Monday against its landlord, Hotspur Resorts, part of Larco Investments, owned by Shiraz Lalji, whose worth is estimated at over $800 million.
The details of the lawsuit were made available to the Weekly Sunday night.
The complaint alleges that Hotspur reneged on promises of in-house advertising and of a "large and prominent" outdoor sign, and lied to Plush about a suspension of payment of common-area maintenance fees or CAMs, resulting in Plush being in arrears and threatened with eviction. Plush also is seeking reparations for the money it spent, in excess of $1 million according to the suit, on remodeling the space.
Thaddas Alston, Hotspur's president, was mystified about the lawsuit when contacted at the company's Vancouver, Canada, offices. "I don't know what is motivating the Plush Lounge people," he said. "The things they allege in the complaint are not true."
Alston said Chef Gustav Mauler, who also runs the property's Spiedini Ristorante and Cigar Bar, is the actual tenant, and it was he who entered into a management contract with Plush, and then into a separate management agreement with Los Angeles' Key Club's General Partner Jerry Pressman, who was given the right to take over Plush should Mauler fail.
"It's odd that the tenant under the lease is not suing the landlord," said Alston. "If this lawsuit was what I would call legitimate, Gustav would be suing us," and not Plush.
"Their lease is directly with (Plush)," said Pressman. "They're the ones we negotiated directly with, not Gustav. We're the ones who are owed the money, not Gustav."
Alston said the Marriott has a lot of Mormon ties, and that it is clearly spelled out in the lease agreement that the property does not want to be tied to what Mormons consider sins, such as drinking alcohol. "The contract does not say that," said Pressman. "They totally misled us."
"It's the most hypocritical thing I've heard of in my life," said Pressman, refering to his dealings with the Marriott and Hotspur and the difficulties Plush had promoting the club while seeing ads for other food-and-beverage operations on property.
Hoops have to be jumped through in Summerlin for outdoor signage, one of the nation's most successful master-planned communities, and all of the regulations that entails, said Alston.
"It took two years to get the right to put up the J.W. Marriott signs," said Alston, "from buying the property to putting up the signs through (the Howard Hughes Corporation)."
"We said, ‘Let us do it,'" said Pressman, explaining that the Key Club offered to cover all signage costs. "They applied for a little sign a half-mile away. It specifically said in the contract that they'd apply for a large sign—a marquee [on property]."
"Everytime we got to use the [Marriott's] marquee, we had a sellout crowd," said Pressman. He said Plush was even prohibited from passing out business cards at the hotel's convention center.
Plush was in arrears on the CAMs, according to Alston. As a matter of fact, he added, Plush had been found in default in court Monday. But Pressman said Plush was only allowed to be open two days a week. "We only wanted to pay CAMs only for the days we were open," said Pressman.
Overall, Alston was disappointed to learn that Plush had closed. "We want everything that we own and everything that we lease to be successful and the club was no exception."
As for the Key Club and Las Vegas, the relationship may not be over. "I love Las Vegas," said Pressman. "We have to heal a little bit but look for us to pop up there at a later time."
Martin Stein
The Stratosphere will be joining Vegas' clubland by the end of the summer when it welcomes the Polly Esther's chain onto the property.
The location will mirror the 18-club chain's other spots, with four rooms, each devoted to a different musical period: Polly Esther's, featuring '70s disco; Culture Club, playing '80s music; Club Nerveana, with '90s tunes; and Suite 2000, "an upscale, ultra-dance lounge" playing top-40, hip-hop and house, according to Artie Lesavoy, the company's vice president of operations who will be overseeing the Stratosphere venture.
Lesavoy says the club will be placed in 26,000 square feet of "raw space" on the casino level, right past the Triple Crown Deli, putting it, size-wise, into the same category as Rain Nightclub and Studio 54. Inside, look for trademark props such as a Saturday Night Fever dance floor, a DeLorean and murals of various icons and images from all the decades.
There are also plans to book live acts once or twice a month, says Lesavoy. "Retro acts like Debbie Gibson or Billy Idol." A top choice for bachelorette parties at its other locations, the Vegas location will present Birdy's Bachelorette Party, an interactive theatrical event by Mark Nassar, co-creator of Tony n' Tina's Wedding. The night sees real guests (ladies and lucky guys) intermingling with performers, receiving party favors and taking part in games like Sex Karaoke and Adult Truth or Dare.