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Playboy bunnies return to Mayfair |
19/10/2010 |
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Simon Bowers |
London Clubs
International is to convert the Rendezvous club in Old Park Lane into a Playboy
franchise
Almost 30 years
since Hugh Hefner's Playboy empire dramatically quit London after its premises
were raided and its gaming licence revoked, the bunnies are returning to
Mayfair.
London Clubs
International is to convert the Rendezvous club, in Old Park Lane, into a
Playboy franchise, expanding it to include a cocktail bar, a disco and three
private casino salons to cater for "whales" the industry name given to
high-rolling international customers.
Michael Silberling, managing
director of LCI, said today that it would provide an alternative take on the
image of a Mayfair casino.
"Some
of our competitors have clubs for which I have tremendous respect. But I think
the Playboy Club will add a twist to the entertainment and offer fun that is a
little bit less subdued and a little more energetic."
LCI, which was
acquired by Las Vegas gaming group Harrah's four years ago, has been in talks
about bringing the Playboy brand back to London for years.
"When Hugh
Hefner opened the original London Playboy Club it redefined class and luxury,
setting a new nightlife standard around the world," said Silberling.
The first Playboy Club at 45 Park Lane nicknamed "the Hutch on
the Park" was run by Hefner's lieutenant, Victor Lownes, and quickly
became a fashionable landmark in 1960s London, popular with celebrities and the
super-rich, as well as providing the main profit engine for the Playboy empire.
Club clientele included Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Joan Collins,
George Best, Jack Nicholson, John Cleese and Roger Moore.
By the start
of the 1980s the club had reputedly become the most profitable casino in the
world and Lownes was among Britain's highest paid executives.
The party
ended abruptly after a series of police raids and the authorities revoked the
club's gaming licence. That killed off Playboy's most lucrative operation and
ultimately brought Hefner's business close to destruction.
"When we
first opened the Playboy Club in London it was one of my favourite times for
the brand," said Hefner, Playboy's founder, editor-in-chief and chief creative
officer.
"With Playboy now more popular than ever, I look forward to
our return to London and again sharing the notions that are celebrated in the
magazine the concept of good food and drink, pretty girls and exciting
entertainment."
Despite Playboy being accused of out-dated sexism in
the past, Silberling was adamant that the brand's bunnies remained part of the
appeal.
"Yes, we will have the bunnies. A Playboy club without the
bunnies is like a martini without an olive."
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