“It was an outrageous ask.” Jason Strauss, co-CEO of Tao Group Hospitality, recalls the meeting in which he and his colleagues were shown the former Margaritaville space at the Flamingo to see if they had any ideas for repurposing it.
They didn’t, but on their way back to Caesars Palace, Derek Silberstein, Tao Group’s chief development officer, proposed a dayclub that would extend their successful Omnia brand into what was then a Strip-side parking lot.
“It was kind of like a flier,” Strauss says. “Like, say something completely ridiculous and outrageous. And it just landed.”
The result of that conversation, Omnia Dayclub & Skybar, will open May 15, less than a year after it was broached.
“If you were in a city like L.A., this would take three years, and you would be breaking your head open,” Strauss says. “And we were able to get this done in, like, eight to nine months. And it just really shows you how business-friendly and great this city is on development.”
What’s new
Omnia Dayclub is the third local Tao Group daylife project in the past two years.
It follows the transformation of the Wet Republic space at the MGM Grand into Palm Tree Beach Club, which is celebrating its first anniversary Saturday, April 25, with a party headlined by Kygo.
This past winter, Marquee Dayclub at The Cosmopolitan was renovated inside and out.
“We redid every aspect of the dayclub cosmetically,” Strauss says, “from the flooring to the fabric to the furniture to the cabanas. … And then a complete overhaul of the sound. We created this really incredible curved LED marquee over the DJ booth. And we really redid the DJ booth to make it much more social, much more interactive.”
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The new Marquee seems to be a hit, with numbers that have been way ahead of projections.
“I’m proud to wave my flag, especially when there’s silly comments about Vegas not being what it used to be,” Strauss says. “We did phenomenal numbers in March.”
Another pool experience, Clique Hospitality’s Tailgate Beach Club, is replacing Daylight Beach Club at Mandalay Bay. The sports-driven dayclub, featuring three heated pools to accommodate year-round viewing of the venue’s 125 feet of LED screens, is scheduled to open May 16 with a musical performance by Snoop Dogg.
European vibes
“This is really us hitting on every note from the ground up,” Strauss says, “with no restrictions to try to just create something really, really special from our 15-plus years of running dayclubs in Vegas.”
Tao Group started with a blank canvas. To differentiate Omnia Dayclub from its other local properties, including Tao Beach and Liquid Pool Lounge, the new venue is leaning into Mediterranean-European vibes.
“We’re bringing in these beautiful olive trees, we’re bringing sandstone and limestone, all from Europe,” he says. “We’re giving a real feeling like you’re on the Mediterranean coast, whether you’re visiting Saint-Tropez or Ibiza or Mykonos. We’re really tapping into all those textures and colors.”
And they’re doing it right along Las Vegas Boulevard. Guests can enter from the sidewalk that’s a stone’s throw away or via a new bridge connecting the two Omnias. A host will meet VIP guests at a porte-cochère, just outside the main Caesars Palace entrance, that’s steps away from the stage.
That access, Strauss says, is unprecedented.
“Look at Tao Beach,” he says of the club at The Venetian. “You have to go to the second-floor mall, and then up three flights of stairs and then a 10-minute escalator to get you to Tao Beach. And we’ve had dramatic success there.”
Strauss won’t put a price tag on Omnia Dayclub & Skybar, but he offers a clue.
“It’s definitely sizable,” he says, “and it’s the biggest investment we’ve ever made as a company.”
What’s inside
Once in the club, guests will find two pools, 15 cabanas, two VIP plunge pools for those cabana guests, three bars and a restaurant.
Martin Garrix, who’ll perform May 17 as part of opening weekend, helped design the stage and DJ booth as well as their height and proximity to the crowd.
“The thought now is the closer, the closer, the closer. That’s where the intimacy comes,” Strauss says. “Before, you had these huge stages where the DJ booth was so far away it was like a mini-festival.”
As far as the other half of Omnia Dayclub & Skybar goes, the second-level restaurant and bar will be open daily, year-round, late into the night, to take advantage of its dramatic placement.
“Best view of the Strip. Fifty-yard line,” Strauss says. “We’re really expecting that to be a place that, if you’re in Las Vegas, you have to go have a drink or a bite to eat at that skydeck to really absorb Las Vegas in its totality.”
Contact Christopher Lawrence at [email protected].
What else is new
Sunday Circuit, scheduled for the last Sunday of each month through September, is bringing a wellness-meets-daylife experience to LIV Beach at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
Rouge: La Plage, the new pool party at Red Rock Resort, runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.
The 16-week Beatport Fridays residency launches May 1 at Marquee Dayclub at The Cosmopolitan.
Wynn Nightlife has added Alec Monopoly, Alex Wann, AYYBO, BUNT., Calvin Harris, HNTR, Kaskade, Loud Luxury and Valentino Khan to its roster of artists.
One hundred tons of new sand has been added to Mandalay Bay Beach, which also has a refurbished wave pool and upgraded cabanas.
Resorts World Las Vegas has refreshed its 5½-acre pool complex.
The M Resort has resurfaced its pools and hot tubs, redone its cabanas and crafted a new poolside menu.
Wet Deck at the W Las Vegas has reimagined its pool experience, from its cabanas and furniture to its umbrellas and daybeds.
Swim & Social at The Strat has added poolside blackjack on weekends.