Nikki Beach
Tropicana Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada

OWNER: Tropicana Las Vegas 
ARCHITECT: Bergman Walls & Associates
INTERIOR DESIGNER: Laurence Lee Associates
CONTRACTOR: MBCI
TOTAL INVESTMENT: $180 million*
*Cost is for entire renovation of Tropicana Las Vegas

The “dayclub” has become a new element of casino resorts, allowing executives to get the most out of every space in the property. Pools that were once empty when the sun went down are now the center of attention around the clock.    

At the Tropicana Las Vegas, the debut of Nikki Beach Las Vegas allows that concept to unfold at one of the Strip’s most venerable hotels. The Tropicana pool has a storied history in Las Vegas, presenting the first “swim-up” blackjack games and the first “floating” craps game.
   
The decline of the property over the last 20 years has now been reversed as CEO Alex Yemenidjian directs a $180 million renaissance of the Tropicana. Renovated hotel rooms, new restaurants, cutting-edge entertainment, a revitalized casino with a state-of-the-art sports book, and a new “hip” attitude has made the property the place to be in Las Vegas. 
   
Nikki Beach, a stylized lifestyle club, has been around for more than a decade with facilities in the world’s hot spots like St. Tropez, Miami Beach, Cabo San Lucas, St. Barth and many other locations worldwide. Its presence at the Cannes Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival makes Nikki Beach the place where the beautiful people hang out.
   
At the Tropicana, the advantage of mature landscaping gave Nikki Beach a head start to its natural settings, even though it lacks an ocean. But the Tropicana has much more than simply a nightclub/dayclub setting. Nikki Beach brings with it 24-hour dining at Café Nikki overlooking the Nikki Beach Club.
    
And the brand-new 15,000-square-foot Club Nikki provides guests with a truly unique Las Vegas experience. Guests enjoy Nikki signature touches such as the elegant all-white color scheme and the European-style VIP service, but they will also discover an organically designed decor offering different elegant settings according to the mood of the night.
   
As the Tropicana renovation speeds toward completion, the addition of the Nikki Beach brand will ensure that visitors realize that the property is “not your father’s Tropicana” anymore.

By Roger Gros

Roger Gros is publisher of Casino Connection International, LLC. Global Gaming Business magazine, and Casino Connection Atlantic City are among the monthly publications Gros publishes. Prior to joining CCI, Gros was president of Inlet Communications, an independent consulting firm. He was vice president of Casino Journal Publishing Group from 1984-2000, and held virtually every editorial title during his tenure. Gros was editor of Casino Journal, the National Gaming Summary and the Atlantic City Insider, and was the founding editor of Casino Player magazine. He was a co-founder of the American Gaming Summit and the Southern Gaming Summit conferences and trade shows. He is the author of the best-selling book, How to Win at Casino Gambling (Carlton Books, 1995), now in its third edition. Gros was named “Businessman of the Year” for 1998 by the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce.