Paul Montgomery manages a different type of nightlife experience in Las Vegas. “It is something that is absolutely new,” says the Chicago native. “The best way to explain it is once they walk in they’ll go, ‘Ooooh, now I get it!’ But until they walk in it is a tough thing to explain.”
The “it” is Illuminarium After Dark at the all-new Illuminarium at AREA15, and Montgomery serves as nightlife manager for the 21-and-over experience. The “walk in” is two separate spaces called “Chapters.” There’s Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, and each serve as an immersive nightlife experience with “4K interactive projection, 360-degree audio, in-floor vibrations and scent systems.”
“Chapter 1 is very much like an ultra-lounge—more laid-back, smaller,” Montgomery says. “Your environment changes from an underwater scene and then it takes you to Shibuya Market. It jumps environments, which is just really cool and unlike anything being done out here. Chapter 2 is more the club room—DJs play, people dancing.”
Montgomery, a longtime veteran of the Vegas nightlife industry, brings all his experience to After Dark. He curated the specialty cocktail program, creating the cocktails himself. He helped design the layout of the rooms and oversees the adjoining patio bar. He grew up working in both his grandparents’ bars in Chicago. When he moved to Vegas in 2005, he joined Palms during its heyday and managed hot spots Rain, Moon and Playboy Club. When he saw the job opening for Illuminarium he applied, and has been with the company since it was under construction, opening this spring.
“Every time you walk in to the Chapters, you get overwhelmed by how cool it is,” he says. “I love the underwater experience—it’s like being submerged in the bottom of the ocean while you’re listening to great music and having great cocktails. It’s pretty cool.”
Libation: Red Canna
In the Chapter 2 area, guests are immersed in the art of Georgia O’Keeffe. Montgomery used the different experiences in both Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 to create each specialty cocktail. “I tried to take what (O’Keeffe) did on canvas and replicate that in a cocktail form,” he says. What he created was the Red Canna, a blend of Grey Goose vodka, St-Germain and elderflower tonic water with an edible flower. Montgomery’s other cocktails were inspired by immersive experiences, including outer space and the savannas of Africa.
Benefit: When ordering a specialty cocktail, ask to “illuminate” your drink with edible iridescent shimmer.
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. In addition to the latest edition emailed to every week, you’ll find plenty of great, money-saving offers from some of the most exciting attractions, restaurants, properties and more! And Las Vegas Magazine is full of informative content such as restaurants to visit, cocktails to sip and attractions to enjoy.
