A&E

Westgate launches winter day party the Sunset Club

Image
The Westgate pool, home of the Sunset Club.
Photo: Christopher DeVargas

Las Vegas nightlife is heading in adventurous new directions. The latest club experiences and programming experiments feel a bit more bold and risky, and that’s a good thing. But the newest party in town is beyond different. Set to launch on Valentine’s Day, the Sunset Club is a poolside winter dayclub event at an unlikely location, Westgate Las Vegas.

“The idea was inspired by these terrific parties in Paris and Brussels on rooftops and thinking about how that would work in Las Vegas,” says John Kahle, a partner in the Paris-based Hunt 5 Group, a marketing company also involved in clothing manufacturing. Westgate Las Vegas teamed with Hunt 5 to create the Sunset Club.

“Originally I thought it would work in Las Vegas on the tops of parking garages because of those amazing views. I knew Dawn Rawle [vice president of marketing and entertainment at Westgate] from when we worked at Caesars together, and when I pitched it, she said, how about the pool?”

The Sunset Club is not a pool party in the traditional Vegas sense, nor will it be an ambient cocktail soiree on the rooftop pool deck. It will open at 1 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, with an eye on daily operations beginning in March. DJ Guinness will spin dance hits from several decades to keep the energy level high, and full bar service and signature cocktails will be served. In keeping with the subtle French theme, those drink options include brands like Carte Noir coffee, Crémant sparkling wine, Kronenbourg beer and Chocolat Poulain. The party reaches its dénouement when the sun starts to set and Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” closes the day.

Considering the Westgate’s demographics and proximity to the convention center, the Sunset Club could position itself as an afternoon and evening favorite for business travelers looking for fun when the workday is done.

Vegas clubs and resorts continue to look for daytime activations, and this could help fill the void. “The way I see it, the only other option is going to brunch,” Kahle says. “You go to Las Vegas, maybe wake up hungover, veg out by the pool, take a nap and get ready to go out. With pools closed in the winter, there’s a dead space for people visiting. And if you’re concerned about the weather, you have to remember [that] only locals think 55 degrees is cold. If you’re coming from Chicago, this is a heat wave.”

THE SUNSET CLUB Wednesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m., $25. Westgate Pool, 702-732-5111.

Share
Photo of Brock Radke

Brock Radke

Brock Radke is an award-winning writer and columnist who currently occupies the role of editor-at-large at Las Vegas Weekly magazine. ...

Get more Brock Radke
Top of Story