Airia nightclub opens at Wild Horse Pass Casino

Getting ready at Airia. (Credit: Tom Tingle/azcentral.com)

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Wild Horse Pass Casino will bring a bit of Las Vegas to the Valley when its new nightclub, Airia, opens Friday, Nov. 13.

The 6,000-square-foot club will be the first upscale nightclub in Chandler, a place for southeast Valley partiers to check out nearly naked go-go dancers and 65-inch plasma screens that flash an atmospheric array of images and colors.

Chandler is not known for its nightlife. Rather, the city is dotted with laidback watering holes such as SanTan Brewing and Sandbar Mexican Grill. Instead, those looking for a big night out routinely drive 20 to 30 minutes to Tempe's Mill Avenue district or Old Town Scottsdale.

In fact, the club's general manager David Bodzin recently noted: “There's not a lot to do in the area, so I think people will be really excited when we open.”

A Valley first: The club-within-a-casino concept is seen all over the Las Vegas Strip, but this high-end nightspot is a first for a Valley casino.

“The club will definitely be something good for the whole southeast Valley, and for people traveling who are looking for that type of atmosphere,” said Kimberly James, tourism development coordinator for Chandler's Office of Tourism.

The casino hired Las Vegas-based nightlife group Titan to help bring Airia to life. The company has been the force behind big-name nightlife spots such as Tryst and XS, both in the Wynn Las Vegas resorts and casinos, and Tabu at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.

“Las Vegas is arguably the nightlife capital of the world and we are bringing that amenity to the Valley,” said Titan CEO Scott Frost.

“We want to help reach a demographic that traditional Indian casinos don't typically reach.”

Vegas touches: Unlike most Las Vegas clubs, Airia doesn't have a specific theme. Rather, designers wanted it to look sleek and modern, with flashy touches such as iridescent, light-reflecting stones set into the walls, and a bar finished with fluorescent color-changing lights.

Sophistication comes in the form of the cream, bronze and espresso color palate that dominates the rest of the space.

A series of intimate, ebony-colored booths are tucked into a back corner of the club, making up the roped-off VIP section, where table reservations will start at $275 for four people.

“(Bouncers) will be picky at the door because we want people to come here that look like they spent time getting ready,” Bodzin said.

While neighbors and visitors are the club's target audiences, Bodzin said he's hoping to lure Scottsdale and Tempe clubbers with a list of buzz-worthy guest DJs expected in the first few months.

“We've had some celebrities contact us already and some friends from Las Vegas will be flying in...and there will definitely be a few surprises as well,” Bodzin said.