Oops!

I had mistakenly thought Pure was only a Caesars club. Pure has clubs throughout Vegas:
"Pure Management Group owns some of the most popular venues in Las Vegas, including the Pussycat Dolls Lounge and Venus Pool Club at Caesars; Coyote Ugly in New York-New York; Fat Tuesdays in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace; Tangerine Lounge & Nightclub at Treasure Island; and Social House at Treasure Island. The company's success has resulted in high-profile investors such as Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, Shaquille O'Neal and Celine Dion."
http://www.lvrj.com/news/15833987.html

also add the hot LAX at Luxor to the group of clubs managed by PURE.

I'd be scared if I were Light Group!

I'd be scared if I were Light Group!

Minor correction here but Tangerine at Treasure Island closed. Quite a few clubs closed this past year - Ice, Light, Lure, RA, OPM, Tangerine, Vivid, The Beach. That doesn't mean the clubs aren'te doing well - they are just in a race to get state of the art decors and sound systems to keep their easily jaded patrons from going elsewhere. Only a few clubs are more than 5 years old like Ghostbar and Voodoo lounge which have breathtaking views of Las Vegas at night to wow their customers.

Most of the places that have closed have reopened or are reopening with with redesigned spaces and new names like LAX, The Bank, Blush, Love and Money. And the ulta-lounges are doing the same -- like the sleek interactive video booths at Eyecandy (Mandalay ) and the lounge next to the Love Cirque show at Mirage.
Link to Tangerine closing nnouncement.
http://www.treasureisland.com/pages/ent_tangerine.asp

John
www.coolvegasmap.com

This story is getting a lot of interesting press coverage. There are rumors that some doormen were making something like half a million at places like Pure. Almost sounds like the old vegas days when skimming was a way of life.

The fact that investers from Dubai are trying to buy a 50% interest in Light Group inc. ( according to Reuters ) only adds to the aura of rich streams of cash going around.

http://vegasblog.latimes.com/

John

More light(?) on the club scene:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/feb/28/clubs-cash-flow-suspect/

I'm sometimes reluctant to link stories from the Las Vegas Sun because I don't want everyone to think I'm a shill. However, this story on clubs is very good, and look at the video of the couple in the article. I'm a strong believer in Caveat Emptor, so I don't feel too sorry for them, especially since they have lived in Vegas since 1989 and should know how things work.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/mar/09/looking-other-way/
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/mar/09/nightclub-nightmare-costs-couple-bundle/

I sort of agree with Detroit. I don't think "they have lived in Vegas since 1989" is an appropriate reason for not feeling sorry for them, as much as the guy's story that he basically sat there with money in his hand deciding to "get it over with" and spend whatever it takes.

However, these places are being run by burning the candle at both ends. In a town with so many clubs, there's no reason for that kind of service. Especially since it's not like the Luxor is the Hard Rock or Caesars or Bellagio. The resort has always attracted a middle-class clientele.

Thanks for those links, detroit.

Could this be a reflection of PURE Management Group alone? I've never felt "financially raped" (as they describe it) at any nightclub other than PURE itself.

Movable Buffet put up a sort of editorial on the issue, taking a middling stance on whether the Sun story was a great injustice or if the parents were asking for it, but noted that "If I was a resort executive responsible for Luxor or Caesars, my stomach would be churning reading how customers in my casino may have been routinely treated by the tenant nightclubs on the property."

The author's experience at PURE and similar stories in the blog's comments (which are more complimentary to clubs such as Tryst and the ones at Palms) suggest that PURE Management Group is especially ballsy on fleecing their customers.

Addendum: I do hope that eventually PURE can put together a media face pretty soon, as press has been giving them a one-sided drubbing that leaves me not wanting to be their customer. Which is too bad, because I liked what little I saw of Company, but right now have no inclination to visit.