Playboy Club

For other uses, see Playboy Club (disambiguation).
Playboy Club
Subsidiary
Industry Nightclubs
Founded 1960
Headquarters USA
Parent Playboy Enterprises

The Playboy Club initially was a chain of nightclubs and resorts owned and operated by Playboy Enterprises. The first club opened at 116 E. Walton Street in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States, on February 29, 1960. Each club generally featured a Living Room, a Playmate Bar, a Dining Room, and a Club Room. Members and their guests were served food and drinks by Playboy Bunnies, some of whom were featured in Playboy magazine. The clubs offered name entertainers and comedians in the Club Rooms, and local musicians and the occasional close-up magician in the Living Rooms. Starting with the London and Jamaica club locations, the Playboy Club became international in scope. In 1991, the club chain became defunct. On October 6, 2006 a new club was opened in Las Vegas,[1] and in 2010 new clubs were opened as well in Macao [2] and Cancun.[3] In time the Las Vegas club closed on June 4, 2012,[4] the Macao club closed in 2013[5] and the Cancun club closed in 2014.[6] In May 2014 the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles opened a Playboy themed lounge consisting of gaming tables and Playboy Bunny cocktail waitresses.[7]

History

Playboy Bunny waitresses, Brazil, 2009

The first Playboy Club opened in Chicago in 1960, and later there were clubs in New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Detroit, San Francisco, Boston, Des Moines, Kansas City, and St. Louis. There were Playboy Club resorts in Jamaica, New Jersey, and elsewhere. The last American location before Playboy Club Las Vegas opened was Lansing, Michigan, located in the Hilton Hotel, which closed in 1988. International Clubs existed until the 1991 closing of the Manila, Philippines Club located in the Silahis International Hotel. International Clubs again exist with locations in Macao and Cancun. Manila was the only Club ever to be featured in Architectural Digest. During the last three months of 1961, more than 132,000 people visited the Chicago club, making it the busiest night club in the world. Playboy Club membership became a status symbol. Only 21% of all key holders ever went to a club. At $25.00 per year per membership, Playboy grossed $25 million for every 1,000,000 members.

The Rabbit-headed metal Playboy key (supplanted by a plastic key-card in 1966) was required for admission to a club.[8] They were presented to the Door Bunny. Through most of the years, a strict dress code was enforced.

In 1965, Hugh Hefner sent Victor Lownes to London to open Playboy's British casinos, following legalization of gambling in the United Kingdom. In 1981, the casino at 45 Park Lane (now a luxury hotel, 45 Park Lane) was the most profitable casino in the world,[9] and the British casinos contributed $32 million to the corporation.

The Playboy Club's Douglas DC-9 jet airliner executive aircraft at Chicago O'Hare International Airport in 1975. It was used for transporting guests and staff.

The Playboy Club in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin had a ski slope and was one of the first to install a chair lift. Its "Playmate Bar" featured the Russ Long Trio and its showroom was managed by Carlo Cicirello. The 32-piece house orchestra was headed by Chicago pianist, Sam Distefano. The Lighter Side Trio entertained at all of the Playboy Clubs from 1972 to 1975, led by Joe DiPietro, with Douglas Brett and Charles Raimond.

On October 6, 2006, Playboy opened a new Playboy Club in Las Vegas, Nevada. The new club at The Palms, with its prominent neon bunny head, had casinos, bars, and a restroom with pictures of Playmates on the walls.[10] The club closed in June 2012.[11]

Australian women were invited to Sydney to audition for the iconic Playboy Bunny role and for positions as singers and dancers at the Playboy Club. A minimum of five women were chosen to travel to Macao for a six-month contract as a Playboy Bunny. The Macao Playboy Club opened on November 24, 2010.[12]

In October 2010, it was announced that a new Playboy Club in London was to be opened on the site of the old Rendezvous Mayfair Casino 14 Old Park Lane. It was opened on June 4, 2011.[13][14] The 17,000sq ft property, spread over two floors, was designed by London-based architects Jestico + Whiles.[15] The club features a casino, cigar terrace, gentleman's tonic, sports bar ("The Player's Lounge"), night club ("The Cottontail Lounge"), cocktail bar under the direction of Salvatore Calabrase, and a fine dining restaurant under the reins of Iron Chef Judy Joo. Along the stair-walls, a row of lenticular portraits are hung winking and smiling at guests as they walk by.[16]

While "The Cottontail Lounge" closed in August 2012, it re-opened in October 2012 as "baroque" by the son of Salvatore Calabrese, Gerry Calabrese. The building has undergone extensive refurbishment to be transformed into a sumptuous space. The decor is sophisticated and extravagant; featuring golds, ruby reds, magenta pinks, heavy drapes, Louis XIV chairs and antique mirrors. Baroque is finished to a high standard with a theatrical, flamboyant atmosphere. The round cabaret-style tables, designed by CID Interiors, sport crisp white tablecloths.

In November 2012, spokesperson Sanjay Gupta announced that PB Lifestyle, the company in India with rights to the brand, would be opening its first club in India at Candolim, Goa in December 2012. It was planned as a 22,000 square feet (2,000 m2) beach location.[17] In April 2013, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar refused the application on "technical grounds".[18] Parrikar said only individuals, not corporations, were eligible to operate a beach shack style club. The law did not preclude opening a night club.[19] After the Goa club, PB Lifestyle planned to open clubs in Hyderabad and Mumbai.[20] India's obscenity laws ban material deemed "lascivious or appealing to prurient interests".[21] Adult magazines such as Playboy are banned in India. Designer Mohini Tadikonda has altered the original Playboy Bunnies uniform to satisfy India's obscenity laws.[22]

Locations and opening dates

Playboy Club Bar at the Palms in Las Vegas

In popular culture

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Playboy Club Las Vegas". destination360.com. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "Playboy Bunnies Land in Macau". The Wall Street Journal. November 22, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Playboy Club Cancun Brings Exciting Nightlife and Gaming to One of the World's Most Popular Travel Destinations" (Press release). Chicago. PR Newswire. 2 December 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  4. ↑ "Most Popular E-mail Newsletter". USA Today. June 4, 2012.
  5. ↑ Wilson Ng (2 October 2013). "Playboy Club Sands Macao has closed down". Places and Foods. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  6. ↑ Phil (30 April 2014). "Mexican Ministry closes six casinos including Playboy Cancun". G3 Newswire. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  7. ↑ "Lucky Rabbit Party Pit Playboy Poker Room". The Commerce Casino. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  8. ↑ "Playboy Club 40th Anniversary Celebration". Explayboybunnies.com. 1960-02-29. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  9. ↑ "Luxury Hotels Mayfair, 45 Park Lane, Hotels Hyde Park London". 45parklane.com. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  10. ↑ "Playboy Club Opens in Las Vegas".
  11. ↑ "Playboy Club at Las Vegas' Palms Casino Closes". USA Today. June 4, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Playboy Club Sands Macao Bunny Auditions In Sydney".
  13. ↑ "New Playboy club to open in London". The Daily Telegraph. October 19, 2010.
  14. ↑ Milton Bayer. "Exclusive Members' Club with Casino, Cocktails, Playboy Bunny Hosts and more". Playboy Club London. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  15. ↑ "Playboy bounces back into London". UK Construction magazine. 13 October 2011.
  16. ↑ "Playboy Club London – The Bunny Ears return". The Handbook. May 12, 2011.
  17. ↑ "India to get First Playboy Club in Goa". BBC News. November 1, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Playboy's first India club rejected in Goa". BBC News. April 16, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Playboy denied licence to open beach club in India's party state of Goa". The Guardian. Associated Press. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  20. ↑ Vasant, Khushita (November 2, 2012). "Bunny Hop: Playboy Comes to India". Wall Street Journal.
  21. ↑ "India gets ready for first Playboy club, with bunnies". NDTV. November 1, 2012.
  22. ↑ "India Gets Ready for First Playboy Club". CNN. December 21, 2012.
  23. ↑ "The Playboy Show" at the Internet Movie Database
  24. ↑ "Hefner:Unauthorized" at the Internet Movie Database
  25. ↑ "The Playboy Club". NBC. NBC. Retrieved 9 October 2014.

External links

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