Reprint - CLUBWORLD November2008: The Latin Quarter

So what do you do for an encore when you already have the topgrossing restaurant and nightclub in the United States? Well, if you’re Richard Wolf and Marc Packer, partners of the Tao Asian Bistro and Nightclub empire, you start from scratch and create a totally new brand just a few hundred yards from your successful cash cow, and in Vegas terms, you roll the dice and hope that once again you hit the jackpot— even in an economy on a decline. Now it doesn’t hurt that Las Vegas attracts 40 million visitors annually. That’s a lot of bodies potentially to be lured for sushi or sake and, at the 44,000- square-foot Tao, they have parlayed that into revenue of $66.6 million in 2007, according to the New York Times. These operators are no stranger to success though. Individually and collectively, they are the force behind Tao New York, Marquee Nightclub, The Stanton Social, Rue 57, Avra Estiatorio, and Angelo & Maxie’s Steakhouse. That brings us to Lavo, the company’s new dining and nightlife concept at The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas—a sister property to the Venetian. The idea here was to create a Mediterranean bistro with a bathhouse look and vibe. And do it authentically.

“We’re a concept company,” explained Tao owner Jason Strauss. “We were looking for a fresh idea. Something the city would embrace. Something so sexy, so unique, so inviting that people would want to come back again and again.” The inspiration for Lavo, said Strauss,was Les Baines Douche in Paris. “It’s one of the most famous nightclubs and restaurants in Paris. We wanted to bring that bathhouse concept to Las Vegas and create something with ancient roots, but something that was still modern and representative of Rome and Spain, with a Turkish feel.”

Lavo, which means “to bathe” in Latin, carries that bathhouse theme to the max. From the entranceway, the AvroKOdesigned space (the company is currently working on concept and designs for W Hotels in Philadelphia and Houston) reflects this with worn-tile walls and water-stained plaster. Overhead, 20-foot ceilings of weathered wooden beams draw the eye upwards as diners sit in leather booths at Moroccan-style tables. Turkish water basins flank a glass-andwood screened bridge that leads to the 4,500-square-foot, second-floor boutique nightclub, which features 40 bottle-service tables.

“The name plays right into the concept. It only made sense to tell the story through the design,” said Strauss. “We wanted to bring authenticity to life.” To do so, Strauss said Wolf traveled to Morocco and, wearing a backpack and carrying a notebook, scoured the country for everything from tiles to light fixtures to fabric. The trip netted a bounty of items, enough to fill three shipping containers, which were then sent to Las Vegas and ensembled piece by piece. The sound, lighting and video systems installation was handled by a team from local firm FBP Group (Tao Las Vegas), headed up by Frank Heinrich. For video stimulation, FBP’s Bob Athey  and Matt Paupst designed a robust system that includes four BenQ USA MP771 projectors controlled by Coolux Pandoras Box MediaPlayers. Paupst also designed the simple but effective lighting system, which includes Martin Professional Atomic strobes around the dancefloor, and 60 Color Kinetics iCove LED fixtures hidden around the edge of a giant dome, perhaps the club’s most stunning eye-catcher.

Bob Athey designed an Electro-Voicebased sound system, using EVID speakers for background and the big guns from Dynacord for the dancefloor (including 20 D 8 speakers, two Sub 112 subwoofers and a P-64 processor). Taken together, the systems render the venue as technologically advanced a “bathhouse” as you’re likely to find.

Painstaking attention to detail is perhaps what led to a run-in with billionaire resort owner Sheldon Adelson, who, upset with the delay of Lavo’s opening, filed a lawsuit and at one point even had the locks changed during the build out. Strauss refused to discuss the conflict and downplayed the situation, saying the company is pleased to have two venues at the property.

Resident DJs Vice, Five, Crooked, Garcia, Reach, and Berrie, with a monthly residency from DJ Steve Aoki, spin the music inside the nightclub, which will be open six nights a week from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The restaurant, which seats 300 and includes a 20-person private dining room and space for 100 on a Strip-side hookah-smoking patio, dishes classic Mediterranean all meant for sharing. Menu items include a wide range of dishes with Spanish, French and Italian influences.

Now anyone who has popped into a Las Vegas nightclub recently can see that these once-overstuffed spaces have some room to walk around. The downturn in the economy is obvious and the feeling from some insiders is that Vegas may have had its heyday and the opening of new nightclubs is leading to the cannibalism of the industry, especially with only a handful of operators—Pure Management Group and Light Group included—running the show.

In fact, the Las Vegas Review Journal has cited sources saying the nightclub industry is taking a hit and revenues have dropped by as much as 25 percent or more at some venues. Even those payoffs to celebrities to “host” parties have dropped dramatically, and the clubs are seeing fewer A-listers as a result. It doesn’t help, of course, that the IRS raided the offices of Pure Management Group amid reports of inappropriate handling of cash and other receipts. But Strauss said he has no fears of Lavo and Tao competing with each other. He said he feels the opening of Lavo is beneficial to Tao because now it gives visitors another place to visit during their stay.

“[The opening of Lavo] will keep people in the building,” said Strauss. “They are totally different experiences. Lavo has a more boutique feel. Now people staying here and wondering where to go on their second or third night have another option. Hey, Vegas is here to stay and will be for a long time.”

SOUND, LIGHTING, VIDEO
22 - Electro-Voice Evid c8.2 8.2 LP speakers
20 - Dynacord D 8 speakers
18 - Dynacord H5000 amps
18 - Dynacord RCM-26 DSP cards
18 - Martin Professional MAC 250 Krypton moving heads
17 - Dynacord D 15-3 speakers
8 - Dynacord Cobra-2 PWH subwoofers
6 - Dynacord Sub 18 subwoofers
6 - Dynacord Alpha V-1/90 speakers
6 - Dynacord LX 3000 amps
4 - Dynacord Cobra-4 subwoofers
4 - Martin Professional Atomic 3000 strobes
4 - Martin Professional Atomic color scrollers
4 - BenQ USA MP771 projectors
3 - Pathway Pathport R-series DMX management tools
2 - Coolux Pandoras Box Media-Players
2 - Dynacord Sub 112 subwoofers
1 - Dynacord P-64 processor