Las Vegas Strip nightclub departing rooftop; going ‘back to basics’
Drai’s is moving back into its “Iconic Basement.”
The pioneering nightclub company is closing its rooftop Drai’s Beachclub and Nightclub at the Cromwell on Halloween. Drai’s returns to where the party started some 30 years ago, the revamped Drai’s Nightclub, on Nov. 2.
The move comes as the Caesars Entertainment-owned hotel readies for rebrand as Vanderpump Hotel early next year. The indoor-outdoor rooftop enclave is to be managed by Caesars Entertainment as a hotel pool, similar to Go Pool at Flamingo, beginning in the summer of 2026. The deck is also being offered for corporate/private buyouts.
Club operator and Drai’s Management Group President Dustin Drai, son of hospitality legend and Drai’s founder Victor Drai, has confirmed the move. The younger Drai is to meet with his staff Tuesday morning. He plans to keep the Vegas-based, family business at the fore of Strip nightlife.
Drai’s expanded from the basement Drai’s After Hours to the top of the hotel Memorial Day weekend 2014.
“Over the past 10 years, we really created something special on the rooftop,” Dustin Drai says. “Now we’re looking at what’s the next pivot in nightlife.”
Drai is leading a refresh of the original Drai’s After Hours hospitality space.
“We’re going to make it just as beautiful as it’s always been, but we’re going to change some of the decorations, and kind of just revamp the space,” Drai says. “You’re going to feel the elements of what’s made Drai’s After Hours amazing, but it’s going to feel newer.”
The closing of Beachclub and Dayclub will of course lead to several employees losing their jobs. The company is not disclosing the number, but many have been with the company for more than a decade. Dustin Drai says, “During the lengthy two month transition we are going to work with each team member on placement and opportunity.”
Drai’s After Hours opened at then-Barbary Coast in 1997. At the time, the space was originally a restaurant that morphed into a nightclub. Not today. It’s club-only, opening 10 p.m. until dawn, Wednesdays through Sundays. This is a shift in scheduling, as After Hours has opened at 2 a.m. on weekends, after the upstairs club shuts down.
Dustin Drai emphasizes the move to focus on the downstairs is not initiated by Lisa Vanderpump’s overall rebrand of the resort.
“That had zero effect on our decision making,” Drai says. “It really was a decision that my father and I made, whether Vanderpump was coming in or not coming in. But we are excited about the Vanderpump change, the hotel is 10 years old and needs a bit of a refresh. Her name is big, and it’s going to be a great synergy between what Drai’s has to offer as a boutique nightclub.”
Victor Drai is effectively retired these days, turning the day-to-day ops over to his son. After establishing his brand at Barbary Coast, Drai sparked the mega-resort era on the Strip by opening Wynn nightclubs Tryst (in 2005) and XS Nightclub (2008) at the Wynn.
The Vegas nightlife oracle says the timing is right for his company to coalesce, and return to its origins.
“I think people want to interact and talk to each other, and not just wait for the next act to come on,” the elder Drai says. “It’s time to go back to the basics. We had a great run on the rooftop, but it’s time to move on.”
Similar to his father, Dustin Drai says he and his team are responding to a recent shift to smaller, more intimate nightlife spaces.
“We’re going to what nightlife used to be 20 years ago, before the trend of quote-unquote mega-clubs,” the younger Drai says. “We’re talking about when it was really about who you’re with, and not so much just going to one big, mega room with a superstar DJ or superstar artists.”
Drai’s presented an assortment of superstars in its beachclub and nightclub parties.
“We had the first residency with The Weeknd before selling out Allegiant Stadium,” Drai says, “and we had a residency with Chris Brown, before he sold out Allegiant Stadium.”
Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, 50 Cent, Travis Scott, Jason Derulo, Big Sean, Future and Trey Songz are among the stars who graced the rooftop stages. Ne-Yo was Sunday’s headliner.
The Drais are confident that they have made a difference in nightlife on the Strip, and are ready for another era in its thumpin’ rumpus room.
“We’re excited to leave another legacy on the city over the next 10 years, and continue to change with the times and change with the city,” Dustin Drai says. “We will continue to change with the times, and change with the city. That’s what we’re focusing on, and what my focus is going to be for the next couple of years.”
Cool Hang Alert
A few steps to the north of Cromwell/Vanderpump Hotel, Havana 1957 at the Flamingo continues its live shows fro 7:30 to 10 p.m. Noybel Gorgoy, who originally hails from Cuba, leads the band that takes us back to that vibrant time and place. No cover. Try the croquettes.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.