Hakkasan trying to gobble up clubs across the Strip
Forbes reports Hakkasan Group is close to taking over Light Group in a deal valued at more than $40 million in cash and debt — which would put Hakkasan in control of most major nightclubs in Las Vegas.
Forbes staffer Ryan Mac writes that “negotiations between the two companies have gone on for months as Hakkasan continues its aggressive expansion strategy.”
Mac wrote Hakkasan and Light Group didn’t respond to requests for comment. I asked for comment from publicists for Hakkasan and Light Group, too. I received nada by mid-Monday.
Hakkasan Group runs Hakkasan club and restaurant in the MGM Grand, as well as MGM’s Wet Republic dayclub, the Pure nightclub space being revamped in Caesars Palace, LAX nightclub in Luxor, plus Social House restaurant, Coyote Ugly the bar, Venus pool club and Savile Row.
Hakkasan gobbled up such properties when it bought Angel Management Group this year.
If Hakkasan’s execs take Light Group, too, they will get the keys to Light nightclub in Mandalay Bay, 1 Oak nightclub in The Mirage, the Bank in Bellagio, Alibi Cocktail Lounge in Aria, Gold lounge in Aria, Lily bar in Bellagio, Beatles Revolution in The Mirage and the Deuce in Aria.
The acquisition would give Hakkasan a lion’s wealth of top nightclubs in Las Vegas because the only superclubs Hakkasan would be left to acquire would be XS and Surrender in Wynn-Encore, Marquee in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Tao at The Venetian, Drai’s in The Cromwell, and Life in SLS Las Vegas.
But Forbes reported Hakkasan already tried to buy Tao, which would have given Hakkasan reins over Tao, Marquee, Lavo and other properties.
Among other things, the Light Group deal could mean that if workers couldn’t talk themselves into a Hakkasan job, they could be frozen out of a huge swath of club jobs across the Strip. That goes for servers, bartenders, doormen, managers, DJs and so on. Hakkasan would also extend buying power in Las Vegas over everything from booze to ads.
“Hakkasan would be buying Morgans (Hotel Group’s) 90% stake in Light Group,” Forbes published.
Pardon the hyperbole, but Hakkasan appears to be more than halfway on the road to becoming the Big Brother of club life. Is anyone up for caring?
TOP INSTAGRAM
The public relations team at Instagram released its list of places around the world garnering the most geo-tagged locations on Instagram for 2014, and (bummer) Vegas is not on the list of places where Instagrammers had their GPS on:
1. Disneyland. 2. Dodger Stadium. 3. Times Square. 4. Siam Paragon in Bangkok. 5. Gorky Park, Russia. 6. The Louvre in Paris. 7. Red Square in Moscow. 8. Madison Square Garden. 9. Yankee Stadium. 10. Dubai Mall.
I asked Instagram what the top Instagrammed locations in Vegas are, but a spokeswoman said Instagram doesn’t know that, only that The Cosmopolitan is No. 1.
‘SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT’ CAR sold for $450,000
The Palms hosted a Julien’s auction of Burt Reynolds memorabilia, and for some reason, the media didn’t care much. Where was the coverage for the world’s former top celebrity in the world during the early 1980s?
Oh well. At least Reynolds recently has been a fun guest star on “Archer,” the hilarious spy cartoon.
Reynolds’ “Smokey and the Bandit” Trans Am sold for $450,000. The whole auction fetched $2.5 million, which included $17,500 for his “Deliverance” canoe, and his Top Box Office Star of the Year Award for $5,312.
Now here’s a looking-good photo of Reynolds’ ex-wife Loni Anderson, 69, who auctioned off what was called a “nude portrait,” though it totally wasn’t nude, unless you’re using standards from 1943 when a big bathing suit was indecent in church.
SIGHTINGS
The One Step Closer Foundation’s Seventh Annual All-in for Cerebral Palsy Celebrity Poker Tournament at Bally’s drew Cheryl Hines, Jamie Gold, Jennifer Tilly, Jose Canseco, Coolio, Zab Judah, Sara Underwood, tourney winner Roy “Big Country” Nelson, founder Jared Zalewski, and many other performers and card pros on Saturday, raising $50,000 for the cause. …
Jerry Lewis ate at Old Homestead Steakhouse in Caesars Palace before going to Matt Goss’ show Saturday. …
John Meglen of AEG Live, and Sean McBurney, of Caesars Palace, walked onstage at Shania Twain’s final hotel performance Saturday to present her with a check for $5,000 for the Shania Kids Can Foundation, which benefits Tom Williams Elementary School in North Las Vegas, as well as other in-need children at schools around the world.
NEW NE-YO
Frequent Las Vegas performer (and former Las Vegas school student) Ne-Yo will put out his first new album in two years, “Non-Fiction,” on Jan. 27, his record label said Monday. Guests on the album: Juicy J. Jeezy, David Guetta, T.I. and Pitbull.
HOME TWEET VEGAS
Poker hero @phil_hellmuth: “I have a terrific guest in Las Vegas w me this week: my sister Ann, who has 29 Gold Medals in Special Olympics! #AnnHellmuth29Golds”
Caesars Palace headliner @mattgoss: “an amazing night, with Mr. Jerry Lewis and his wife and daughter. At one of my last shows! Love you #vegas”
Hakkasan headliner @steveaoki: “Asia tour is wrapped up! Almost halfway home back to Las Vegas for studio time wrapping up #neonfuture part II!!”
Doug Elfman’s column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Email him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.