The Zouk Group’s Ayu Dayclub made a thunderous first impression in Las Vegas with opening-week performances from superstar DJs Tiësto and Zedd and a captivating Fourth of July concert with Miley Cyrus.
Since then, the 41,000-square-foot, Bali-inspired Resorts World venue has continued to generate excitement with a diverse roster of headlining artists; this weekend features Cash Cash, Charly Jordan, Louis the Child, and more Tiësto and Zedd sets before Sunday’s massive Moonbeam party brings in Jamie Jones, Nicole Moudaber, Eli & Fur and Ameme.
But a look beyond the big names and fresh sounds reveals a stunning club that pushes this Vegas experience into imaginative new territory.
“Designing a dayclub in this very competitive environment where you have the best operators and design firms in the world, you have to look at where you have advantages and opportunities,” says Ronn Nicolli, vice president of Zouk Group Las Vegas. “The club was pushed to the far [southeast] corner of the property, and that gave us … flexibility in design that wouldn’t be interrupting the guest experience on the property.
“Noise pollution can be a key factor with our competition, where the sound from the club bleeds through to hotel rooms,” Nicolli continues. “Where it fits, the foundation is on the outside, and that also provides perfect visibility to whatever the center of entertainment is.”
Few dayclubs at Las Vegas Strip resorts have been built with such an integration-focused strategy, because pool parties simply have not always been part of the overall casino resort plan. Ayu is also surrounded by Zouk’s other venues at Resorts World, including cutting-edge vibe dining at Fuhu, a reinvention of the sports bar at RedTail and, coming later this year, Zouk Nightclub.
As for the Ayu environment, the energy focuses at the stage and horseshoe-shaped main pool, bolstered by an already legendary LED screen on the Strip-facing hotel tower and second-level cabanas that wrap around the space. The club capacity of 2,874 makes it one of the larger venues of its kind on the Strip, but design details like private pools, shady cabanas and winding pathways through abundant tropical greenery add intimacy and a sense of privacy, if desired.
Vegas nightlife veteran Nicolli likes to talk about how Ayu’s origins didn’t sprout from a boardroom meeting with renderings and concepts, but rather from a trip to Bali. Authenticity was a top priority, and you can feel those endeavors coming to life at this big, new Vegas pool party.
AYU DAYCLUB Thursday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Resorts World, 702-802-6460, zoukgrouplv.com.
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