Andrew Sasson
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| Andrew Sasson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Andrew Sasson Surrey, England, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Founder and Owner of Light Group |
Andrew Sasson is a nightlife entrepreneur and real estate developer.
Sasson is the founder and principal owner of Light Group, a Las Vegas-based hospitality development and management company, whose portfolio includes numerous food and beverage properties at AAA Five Diamond Bellagio Resort and Casino, The Mirage, Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, and MGM Mirage's CityCenter. Sasson helped pioneer the Las Vegas high-rise market in 2004 with the development of Panorama Towers, a group of luxury high-rise condominiums. Sasson is the creative visionary for The Harmon Hotel and Spa,[citation needed] a non-gaming luxury boutique hotel at CityCenter, slated to open in 2010.
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[edit] Background and education
Born in Surrey, England, Sasson made his first foray into the hospitality industry at the age of fifteen when he began working at his family’s restaurant business in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. There he learned about the hospitality industry, from food service to day-to-day operations.[1]
Two years later, Sasson left Europe to study at Florida International University. During his last semester, he worked part-time as a doorman at the Miami nightclub, Velvet. Miami became Sasson’s training ground in the nightlife industry, and after several years, he emerged as an architect in Miami’s party scene.[1]
[edit] Career
[edit] Early success
In 1995 Sasson moved to New York to open his own nightclub, convincing former employer and Wall Street executive Gregory Brier to invest $100,000. In June 1996, Sasson made his New York City debut with the opening of Jet Lounge, a plush nightclub and lounge in the chic neighborhood of SoHo. In the summer of 1997 he unveiled Jet East in New York’s summertime playground, Southampton, New York. Jet East’s opening introduced a setting unique from the traditional Hampton's nightlife scene, and became a popular club on the East End.
In September 2000, Sasson opened Light, a restaurant-lounge in midtown Manhattan, which quickly became New York City’s premiere after-work and late-night destination.[2]
[edit] The Light Group
In 2001, Sasson moved to Las Vegas and founded The Light Group with partner Andy Masi, aiming to set a new standard in the region’s high-end hospitality market.[citation needed] Committed to environmental sustainability,[citation needed] Sasson insisted that The Light Group be the first lifestyle development company to fully embrace green practices,[citation needed] setting the bar for responsible design and development in the industry. In December of that year, Sasson opened Light Nightclub at the Bellagio, a partnership with the MGM Mirage. Light was the first legitimately upscale and innovative nightclub to open within a hotel,[1] becoming the first nightclub in Las Vegas to offer its clientele bottle service.[3] The unprecedented success of its debut instantly redefined the landscape of Las Vegas nightlife. The Light Group continued to expand its hospitality portfolio, opening Caramel Lounge and Bar at Bellagio and Mist Lounge at Treasure Island.[4]
In 2004, the Light Group opened its first restaurant venture, FIX Restaurant & Bar at Bellagio. With food and beverage sales at more than $12.3 million, FIX has been included on the annual Restaurants & Institutions magazine’s Top 100 Independent Restaurants list.[5]
In December 2005, The Light Group continued to expand with the debut of JET Nightclub and STACK Restaurant & Bar at The Mirage.
In March 2007, The Light Group opened Bare, an exclusive European-style poolside lounge at The Mirage.[6] Later that fall, Brand Steakhouse and Diablo’s Cantina at the Monte Carlo Resort opened. In 2008, Sasson opened Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant & Bar at Bellagio.
In 2008, Sasson sold a 50% stake in The Light Group to the Dubai firm Zabeel Investments.[7]
Sasson's four most recent venues, all located within Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter, debuted on December 16, 2009: Union Restaurant & Lounge (Which is now closed), Haze Nightclub,[8] The Deuce Lounge, and GOLD Lounge (in partnership with Cirque du Soleil).
Sasson is now in development of The Light Group’s first luxury boutique hotel venture, The Harmon Hotel and Spa at CityCenter.[citation needed]
[edit] Real Estate
In 2003, Sasson developed and assembled a 25-acre (100,000 m2) home site in Nevada, which was later sold to homebuilder D. R. Horton.
In June 2004 Sasson along with partner Laurence Hallier broke ground on Panorama Towers, a 300-unit luxury high rise condominium tower in Las Vegas.[1] The condos, priced from $350,000 to $3 million, sold out in eight weeks.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2004/0510/169.html
- ^ http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/3548/
- ^ http://www.bmivoyager.com/2007/01/01/brit-of-glitz/
- ^ http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2002_4th/Dec02_VegasClubs.html
- ^ http://www.rimag.com/article/CA6556332.html
- ^ http://www.vegashotelpools.com/news/?p=18
- ^ http://www.hotelsmag.com/article/362795-Zabeel_Takes_Light_Group_Global.php
- ^ http://www.lightgroup.com/las-vegas-restaurant-union/
