Yes, there was a Playboy Club on the 52nd floor of the Playboy Tower at the Palms Hotel-Casino. It opened in October 2006 and closed in June 2012. Initially, it was the world's only Playboy Club, but offspring popped up in Macau, Cancun, and London.
"It was painful, but it was really cute," one ex-Bunny reminisced of her Cavalli couture.
"I worked 9 p.m. [until] 5 a.m. -- it was brutal," recalled another, not quite so fondly.
The boutique casino in the Playboy Club was distinguished by Playboy Bunnies outfitted in Roberto Cavalli uniforms, two vintage Playboy pinball machines, crystal chandeliers, and sweeping views of the Las Vegas Strip. Baccarat and roulette were the games of choice -- mass-market slot machines were spurned.
While the good times still rolled, Hugh Hefner was a frequent presence, celebrating his 85th birthday there, an occasion on which he posed with 31 previous Playboy playmates.
Hefner deferred credit for the design and concept of the club to then-Palms owner George Maloof and to N9NE, whose Moon nightclub occupied the floor above. N9NE paterfamilias Michael Morton had considerable history with Hefner, dating back to the original Playboy Club in Chicago in 1960.
As for the décor, N9NE Group's Scott DeGraff said, "Our biggest challenge was trying to create this Playboy experience without relying on a collection of memorabilia. It was a hyper-luxurious penthouse mansion in the sky. From the black-onyx chandeliers to the nail heads in our couches, everything was custom designed." Seeing the final result, Hugh Hefner was reportedly moved to tears.
However, the Playboy Club was hampered by limited access and by the fading fortunes of the Playboy brand. (The magazine eventually did the unthinkable and abandoned nude centerfolds, in an attempt to go mainstream.)
At the time of parting ways, the Palms announced that Playboy Enterprises would "pursue new brand opportunities in Las Vegas nightlife," but nothing came of it.
The Playboy name on the Palms tower has been changed and the huge bunny head has been removed from the tower's eastern façade, though Hugh Hefner Drive remains the name of the side street on the east side of the Palms.
Playboy in Vegas turned out to be an idea whose time came and went.
