Spot the celebrities at Las Vegas' hottest new clubs

By Joe Vegas

Just saying
you’re the "new" kid in Las Vegas doesn’t mean much. In this city, everything
not only looks like it was built last week, in many cases it was.

In a city
with three dozen clubs — all of which are relatively new, if you consider that
a decade ago, there were one or two — you need more than a new glitter ball
and sparkly lights.

Prive and LAX, two of the newest, just happen to fit the bill.

After
opening in late 2007, Prive, at
Planet HollywoodResort & Casino, immediately billed itself as a place that perfected "the quintessential Miami vibe." Indeed, there is a humid South Beach feel to
the place, which opens at 10 p.m. and presses on until whenever. Striving to
make its mark, Prive operators are keen to be sure celebrity sightings are a
regular part of the regular club decor.

Less than
six months old, LAX, which
replaces RA in the Luxor — the black glass pyramid among the Las Vegas hotels on the Strip — is
another celebrity-spotting hot spot. It opened in the fall, hosted by no less
than tabloid-cover queen Britney Spears, then had the Hilton sisters, Paris and
Nicky, as hosts of its New Year’s Eve party.

But this is
a club that, far and above so many others, made its name with the opulence and
grandeur of two winding staircases and mile-high curtains for the VIP entrance — made intimate and cozy with the contrasting flavor of small nooks and
crannies throughout.

Make no
mistake, in the confusing war that pits club versus club on the Las Vegas Strip, LAX will weekly play host to A-list celebrities. Even without the
eye candy, though, this is a place well worth visiting until sunrise.

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