Virgin Hotels’ Money, Baby! isn’t just a contemporary take on the average sports and nightlife venue. It’s a state of being. The name gleans inspiration from the catchphrase Vince Vaughn famously uses in the 1996 classic Swingers, and Matty Salazar, director of marketing, isn’t one to forget it.
“He’s telling his partner ‘You’re money, you’re great.’ And I feel like Money, Baby! to us isn’t just about the gambling aspects. It’s like, you’re money, baby. The food’s money, baby. The experience is money. The literal bets are money. It’s more of a positive thing.”
Money, Baby! lives up to that standard. With its playful use of color and funky, unforgettable furnishings, the venue is one of the most aesthetically pleasing, midcentury styled spaces in town. The inside, which features an advanced golf simulator, a sportsbook that transforms into a nightlife lounge, three bars and hundreds of TVs, checks in at 15,000 square feet and flows seamlessly out to the 5,500-square-foot patio, where pools and more scene-setting await.
“It gives you a little escape,” Salazar says. “For a minute there, you don’t even feel like you’re on the Strip. We’ve had people tell us that they feel like they’re in Miami or somewhere else. It’s just a completely different feel.”
If you couldn’t already tell, much of the Money, Baby! brand thrives off “vintage, iconic moments,” Salazar says. “We call those money moments. Those are those moments that are embedded in your head that you’re always going to remember, and that’s really what we’re trying to do here.”
An iconic moment almost always requires an iconic soundtrack, and at Money, Baby! there’s a hit for everyone.
“We wanted to create what I feel is a melting pot of sound, open format,” Salazar says. “And you can even date that back to the Hard Rock [Hotel] days. If you remember those Body English-type nights, it wasn’t based off of one specific sound or one specific DJ. It was based off the energy.”
Money, Baby! has certainly seen its share of musical energy since opening in the former Vanity space at Virgin in June. Blackbear, whose “My Ex’s Best Friend” collaboration with Machine Gun Kelly topped Billboard charts, performed at the venue in July. And the multifaceted DJ Jerzy, who has held down residencies at Tao, Light, Omnia and XS, spins at Money, Baby! regularly.
The recently launched At Sunset parties bring a different vibe every Sunday. One evening you could have a textured marriage of modern hip-hop and soul from Harlem’s Austin Millz, the next, you might find the mellow, yacht-party sound of DJ Esta.
Salazar speculates that variety might help explain why the venue is already a hit with locals. They “don’t always want what’s on the Strip,” he says.
Music, like everything at Money, Baby!, is meant to amplify the venue, not define it. Drinks and food exceed expectations, with Food Network star chef Beau MacMillan overseeing the culinary program and Sheldon Wiley, director of beverage, bringing inventive cocktail visions to life.
Those who finish enjoying the sunset can slip back inside to catch the game. Those who need a break from sports can bring their party outdoors. And the team is working on new ways to create them. As football season arrives, a sports-themed Sunday will too, Salazar says.
MONEY, BABY! Wednesday-Friday, 4 p.m.-late; Saturday & Sunday, noon-late. Virgin, 702-693-4444, moneybabylv.com.
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!
