The Light Touch

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Light Group founder and Vegas powerhouse Andrew Sasson sure knows how to make a hotspot catch fire. And now he shows us how to hang our hats in style with the forthcoming Harmon Hotel & Residences.
(Los Angeles Confidential – The Oscar Issue 2007)
By Lizzie Simon

The ladies used to call him a heartbreaker, celebs call him a friend, and now the new family man is known as “Daddy.” And soon you may be calling Andrew Sasson your landlord. With the highly anticipated Harmon Hotel & Residences at the MGM Mirage, Light Group founder Sasson’s foray into real estate is making just the kind of waves you’d expect from a titanic mover and shaker.

Of course, he’s never been easy to dismiss. A devilishly handsome guy with more moxie than most, Sasson is regarded in business circles as a wunderkind. Alongside his partner, Andy Masi – the heavy hitter who supercharged Boston’s Lansdowne Street, overseeing the expansion, marketing, and operations of its venues – he virtually dominates Vegas nightlife with Fix, Caramel, and Light at the Bellagio; Stack and Jet at the Mirage; and Mist at Treasure Island. The roster of A-listers who frequent his clubs – from Leonardo DiCaprio to Paris Hilton, Sting to Chelsea Clinton, Jason Seborn to Owen Wilson – goes on and on.

In recent years he’s applied his mastery of VIP hospitality to luxury condos. While some on the Vegas strip may be surprised to see Sasson’s transformation from nightlife king to real estate mogul, true power players have been predicting his success from the beginning. A high school dropout whose entrée into business was washing dishes at his father’s restaurant, British-born Sasson is no stranger to hustle and hard work. He has a knack for smart partnerships and a near-clairvoyance about what the “beautiful people” will want next. His work at the hottest nightclubs in Miami, New York, and Vegas combined with a steady accumulation of power and projects, has led naturally to real estate. Sasson knows his clients want a retreat from the world, a place of sleek, modern glamour where anticipation is always in the air. With these three exciting residential ventures his team delivers just that.

Perhaps most exciting for Sasson is the Harmon Hotel & Residences, the Light Group’s ambitious project within the $7 billion MGM Mirage development. Set to open in 2009, with a model apartment available in late 2007, the Harmon Residences will bring an entirely new level of privileged living to Vegas’ elite. Its striking design – courtesy of Foster and Partners – and abundant luxury services offer everything a power player could possibly want, from convenience (the MGM Mirage is a city within a city, after all) to cool factor (a jaw-dropping atrium and pool deck suspended 100 feet above the Strip) to service (think salon, gym, dining, spa, valet, house-keeping, and dry cleaning).

Sasson looks after his projects with an intense vigilance, a quality that has served him, his partners, and his clients quite nicely. What makes it all the more impressive is that he only got started in Vegas seven years ago. As he has moved from newcomer to fixture, he’s proven himself one to watch, a world class trendsetter with plenty more up his sleeve.

Visit lightgroup.com for more information.