While Mike Peña did most of his growing up in Las Vegas, the first time he saw the inside of a nightclub was the first night he started his job as a server assistant at Wynn’s Surrender nightclub. “I had gone from never setting foot inside a nightclub to being the general manager of a club that I first started my career at.”
After spending six years at Surrender and Encore Beach Club, Peña went on to help launch nightclub On the Record at Park MGM and dayclub Kaos at Palms. Asked about how he moved up so fast in an industry known for finding success, in part because it’s about who you know, Peña says, “It’s the willingness to grind. To show up, not complain and get the job done and bust your ass and work hard. That can take you further sometimes than a connection.”
Toward the end of 2019, he decided to take some time off, but by February he got back to work, this time at his current position as the director of pool operations for the new Stadium Swim at Circa. “My very first day on the job was the same day that the governor shut everything down because of the pandemic,” he says. While he worked from home for the first couple of months, he was back on property by July, and since then his focus has been building up Stadium Swim’s reputation as a new hot spot.
“We want this to be the absolute best place in the city for anyone who enjoys any type of sports to be able to come to the pool party, hang out in the sun, enjoy the water, the drinks, and being outside,” Peña says.
Stadium Swim is now Peña’s third successful launch in the nightlife-daylife industry—an industry that, after a dozen years, he says his affections have only grown for. “It beats the hell outta working in a cubicle. Getting to be outside in the fun, in the sun is far more entertaining. It keeps me intrigued. I definitely want to keep advancing—been doing that since day one that I got into this industry.”
Libation: Frozen Grey Goose Watermelon Fresca
We say this cocktail is delicious no matter the season, because it’s that darned tasty. It’s mixed with Grey Goose vodka and watermelon fresca frozen purée, specially made for Stadium Swim. “We have 16 specialty cocktails that touch on nearly every category from rum, bourbon and mezcal to tequila, whiskey and vodka,” says Peña.
Benefit: All the pools are heated to above 98 degrees. Bring a bathing suit and enjoy the game après ski style.
Click here for your free subscription to the weekly digital edition of Las Vegas Magazine, your guide to everything to do, hear, see and experience in Southern Nevada. As part of your subscription, each week via email you will receive the latest edition of Las Vegas Magazine, full of informative content such as restaurants to visit, cocktails to sip and attractions to enjoy.
