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Playboy bunnies return to Mayfair 19/10/2010
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."