Question of the Day - 13 May 2024

We don’t know if Ms. Sinclair quite rises to the level of “famous,” even among Las Vegas ecdysiasts. In a town where strippers have ranged from Gypsy Rose Lee to Carmen Electra, Sinclair’s fleeting celebrity doesn't seem to qualify. But we’ve looked into her Sin City moments of renown.

At the tender age of 19 in 2010, Claire Sinclair, who now goes by her birth name of Clairissa Irene Riccio, was named Playboy magazine’s Playmate of the Year. In 2012, Sinclair was the victim of domestic assault (not in Las Vegas, but in Pasadena) at the hands of Playboy heir Marston Hefner and she filed for a restraining order against him.

A year later, she took her turn in the Vegas spotlight, when she starred in then-Stratosphere’s short-lived show Pin Up.  

As for her Clairbnb business venture, its Facebook page touted it as “a lavishly themed bed and breakfast by Pin Up icon Claire Sinclair.” Its plush furniture and promotional style suggested a retro upscale bordello. 

The curious can see it from the outside at 427 S. 11th Street in downtown Las Vegas. It’s a fairly nondescript, multi-family, two-story domicile, roughly equidistant from Atomic Liquors and Sinclair fave hangout Tacos El Gordo. One Yelp review noted, "The property is gated and secure, but the outskirts of the neighborhood can be a bit rough.” 

To our knowledge, Sinclair never explained why she got into hostelry, but it seems to have resonated fairly deeply. Entire paragraphs can be and were filled with descriptions of the design scheme, wildly different from room to room. Reported Conde Nast Traveler, “Sinclair’s hands-on approach was likely what won over cautious neighbors, spending five months knocking on their doors, ginger snaps in hand, to explain her plans and solicit support.”

The over-the-top decor was inspired by Jayne Mansfield’s Pink Palace. As one guest wrote, “Not only are the rooms perfect photo ops, the people running it pay close attention to detail in design and cleanliness.” It was also pot-friendly, which earned it additional stars.

We couldn't find any coverage of Clairbnb closing, so again, we don't know the why. But we suspect it was the reason that 9 out of 10 small businesses go belly up in a few years, namely, lack of capital. A Kickstarter financing campaign was mooted, as was an audition for “Shark Tank.” There was even talk of a mysterious investor who was willing to fund expansion of the Clairbnb concept to other cities. Nothing panned out.