A major shift in nightlife happened in 2005 when TAO Nightclub and Bistro opened its doors at The Venetian. The all-encompassing night of dinner and dancing inside a multistory, 60,000-square-foot ornate and luxurious “Asian City” was an instant hit with the celebrity and jet-set crowds.
Inside the restaurant—which continues to be the highest-grossing restaurant in the U.S.—guests begin their evening with specialty cocktails in the lounge followed by dining on elevated Pan-Asian cuisine under a towering 20-foot Buddha.
Then guests are whisked just mere steps away to a night of revelry inside the 10,000-square-foot nightclub that houses exclusive VIP sky boxes. TAO added to its portfolio by opening an 18,000-square-foot, Balinese-inspired oasis, TAO Beach, in 2007, and now guests can party by day and transition into night all under the TAO umbrella. TAO’s influence on a new generation of nightlife operators helped create a new nightlife landscape where a cuisine-and-club format continues to be a hugely successful draw.
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