NIGHTCLUB AND BAR OPENINGS

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Las Vegas Lounge Banks On Over-The-Top Opulence
(Market Watch – Mar. 2008)

Discerning Sin City club-goers know they’ve risen to a new caliber of nightlife as soon as they pass the velvet rope at The Bank. The Light Group-managed venue, which has a $50 cover charge, opened in late December inside the Bellagio Resort & Casino. Exuding opulence, bottles of Roederer Cristal Champagne line the walls – from floor to ceiling – of the foyer that separates the entrance from the club itself. The Bank is 8,00 square feet and boasts a bar at each end of the main room, along with a dance floor surrounded by VIP seating and a raised DJ booth overlooking the action. Table reservations require a two-bottle minimum (starting at $475 for a 750-ml. bottle of Tequila or a 1-liter bottle of vodka), and each table receives a personal service team to manage its selections. Image is everything here, and The Bank’s ultra modern interior includes high-tech lighting and myriad metal and glass fixtures. For the non-table bound, cocktails are available ($9 to $18), though there’s no specialty drink menu. The Bank opened just in time for New Year’s Eve and has already attracted its share of celebrity guests, including actor Leonardo DiCaprio and singer John Legand