As the winter blues begin to fade and Las Vegas starts to heat up, revelers have a fun trend to look forward to in the Entertainment Capital of the World: daylife parties.
Just in time for spring break, the season kicks off in March, Vegas’ busiest visitation period, which attracts an average of 3.6 million tourists seasonally. Increasingly one of the biggest draws for visitors, these over-the-top pool parties and indoor festivities add to the entertainment experience of world-famous nightclubs and VIP services.
Dating to 1995, the first pool to develop a see-and-be-seen daylife environment was the Rio, where hotel guests enjoyed alcoholic drinks to upbeat pop music, poolside. Strip nightlife groups followed suit years later by embracing the growing trend and catering to the needs of daylife patrons, throwing nightlife-style pool parties under the sun. With resident DJs and performers, and luxurious poolside accommodations, the concept allowed tourists to delight in every moment and maximize their stay in Las Vegas.
Daytime partygoers now expect nightlife groups to provide such amenities. On top of having daytime entertainment, revelers also look for chic accommodations: modern daybeds, luxurious cabanas and five-star bottle service with cocktail servers attending to their every whim. The cost of such an experience can range from complimentary admission to thousands of dollars per cabana.
Hotel pools and clubs in Las Vegas have set themselves up for success by utilizing their vast real estate to allow large numbers of people to congregate in the same area while enjoying the atmosphere of a party during the day. Las Vegas goes unchallenged in offering the ultimate daylife experience, and the numbers prove it. A few popular dayclubs generate double the revenue of nightclubs in the city.
The trend is feeding back into nightlife as well during the off-season. Indoor nightclubs are starting events earlier by adding daylife parties to their repertoire. Lavo inside the Palazzo, for example, now opens for Lavo Brunch, blending culinary indulgences with European electronic music to create an indoor dayclub scene. Hyde Bellagio throws themed costume parties at its Hyde XIV events. GBDC: Ghostbar Dayclub at the Palms infuses the Ghostbar vibe into afternoon festivities, and Tao Group provides pool parties year-round under the Marque Dayclub Dome at the Cosmopolitan.
To sustain the success of dayclubs in Las Vegas, properties on the Strip must continuously evolve and anticipate the growing trends in hosting A-list performers and updating luxury accommodations. Most important, they must always pay attention to what consumers look for in their ultimate daylife experience and set a new standard.
Michael Sullivan is director of industry relations at Nightclub & Bar Media Group. The Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show will be March 7-9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.