by Cara van Miriah, The Straits Times
09 March 2010
Keywords: marina bay sands, club, pangaea club, micahel ault
Entrepreneur Michael Ault’s ultra-luxe nightclub brand will open in Marina Bay Sands.
The high-profile addition to Singapore’s club scene will be located in the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort (IR).
Marina Bay Sands will partially open on April 27 with 963 hotel rooms, part of the shopping mall and convention centre, casino and several dining outlets.
Mr David Sylvester, vice-president (retail Asia) of Las Vegas Sands Corp, says: “The goal is to attract the biggest, the best and the most exclusive brands to our property to create once-in-a-lifetime experiences for visitors.
“Pangaea is a legendary brand and it will offer Singapore a high-energy nightlife.”
The upscale 650 sq m Pangaea lounge will roll out the red carpet for guests at one of the IR’s two “floating” crystal pavilions.
These are striking glass-and- steel structures that will sit on the waters of Marina Bay.
The lounge will take up part of the space in one pavilion. The other pavilion will house luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton.
Pangaea Singapore is the brand’s first venture in Asia.
It will be the third high-profile foreign club brand to open in Singapore in recent years after the Holland-based Supperclub in Odeon Towers and the now-defunct London-based Ministry of Sound in Clarke Quay.
News that the famous Pangaea name is coming here was announced during an interview with American entrepreneur Michael Ault, who is a household name in the nightlife industry in the United States, having been in the business for 27 years.
Mr Ault is the operator of Pangaea.
Casually dressed in a polo tee and pants for the interview at the Swissotel The Stamford, he told Life!: “I was approached by Marina Bay Sands if I were keen to open a club here. They were looking for a Western-themed brand.
“Having read so much about Singapore and the upcoming casinos back home, I became more interested.
“The club at the pavilion offers a unique clubbing experience.”
Mr Ault, who is in his 40s and is known as the international king of clubs, hopes to attract IR high-rollers to Pangaea.
On what to expect at Pangaea Singapore, he says: “The entertainment will be interactive. We could have an opera singer performing or even a musician popping out from the bar playing the electric violin, for example. But the energy at Pangaea would be completely different from anyone.”
Still, Supperclub is already known for its live performances in between deejay sets.
Pangaea will impose a cover-charge and sell different tiers of membership, which works like a concierge service.
Mr Ault, who is based in Palm Beach and New York, explains: “We will take care of the needs of our VIP members and their guests. Members may have their own waiter or bartender at the club.”
The perk includes getting past the velvet rope without any fuss.
Pangaea will also “pick and choose” customers in the queue giving them priority entry.
Mr Ault emphasises: “We recognise the clientele who will add diversity to the club.”
And he speaks of an ideal mix, without denying the preference for the well-travelled and discerning set, celebrities, creative types, models and, of course, the rich and famous – all of which have proved a magnet for the paparazzi at Pangaea’s lounges elsewhere.
In 2001, he opened Pangaea lounge in New York.
In 2002 and 2003, he licensed the brand to other operators in Spain and London.
However, the lounges in New York and London have closed.
He currently runs the five-year-old Pangaea at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Florida, and the Phoenix club in Austin, Texas.
The latter is named after his 1 1/2-year-old son.
Mr Ault got his start on the charity ball circuit in Palm Beach, New York and London before promoting clubs such as the legendary Studio 54 in the 1980s.
The club king is no slouch in the academic department either – he attended Oxford University and earned a master’s degree from the London School of Economics.
Married to model Sabrina Randall, the family of three will move to Singapore in September so he can oversee the club project here.
“My last visit to Singapore was in 1985,” he recalls.
“Then, there were not many skyscrapers. Today, it has grown to become a vibrant, cosmopolitan city and that is also the reason why I decided to open Pangaea in Singapore.”
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
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