Time to tell you something you already know: LIV nightclub was always going to end up in Las Vegas. It’s been the nightlife measuring stick in Miami since 2014, when it ranked as one of the top-grossing clubs in the country, if not earlier. And from the time it first opened in 2008 at the original Fontainebleau, conversations about a Vegas expansion were in the mix.
Finally, Fontainebleau
“We’ve had a lot of opportunities to do Vegas and we’re just so excited to do it with Jeff Soffer and Fontainebleau. It just feels so right,” says David Grutman, owner of Groot Hospitality. “To have [Fontainebleau] come back this way is the greatest story. And the design of this club is much different than the one we thought about 16 years ago. It’s cool to have those years under our belt and be able to apply that now.”
Soffer, Fontainebleau Development chairman and CEO, said in a statement that past collaborations “have transformed LIV into a worldwide destination and have made Fontainebleau Miami Beach a haven for celebrities and adventurous revelers.” In short, LIV is one of the rare national megaclubs that was already operating at Vegas levels.
LIV will open to the public on December 14 with LIV Beach at the Fontainebleau pool district primed for arrival in the spring. Few details have been released regarding either venue but clubgoers should be expected to be blown away, Grutman says. “Just the way the club flows is so great. And the dayclub as well … some dayclubs, you’re watching the DJ on some LED screen and it’s almost like you never get to see him. You’re so far removed. At the end of the day, it’s throwing a party, not a concert, and we’ve taken that mentality into designing these two venues.”
Groot is also bringing its high-energy Komodo and Papi Steak restaurants to Fontainebleau Las Vegas—and they’ll be clustered near the club—while other energetic lounge and bar options including the speakeasy-style jazz and cocktail spot Nowhere and the tequila and mezcal-centric Azul will diversify the nightlife at the resort.
“One thing we learned from Miami is to have an ecosystem where the restaurants feed the nightclub and otherwise,” Grutman says. “And with Jeff and the other great restaurateurs who are like-minded, we know you won’t have to leave the campus, and that’s the greatest thing ever. Having that all work together gives us an edge.”
Click HERE to subscribe for free to the Weekly Fix, the digital edition of Las Vegas Weekly! Stay up to date with the latest on Las Vegas concerts, shows, restaurants, bars and more, sent directly to your inbox!
