Marketing director Brea Moore was direct about the design intent behind the revamped Clique Bar & Lounge at the Cosmopolitan. The groovy, disco-era accents were fully intentional. When the space reopened in August 2024 after a complete overhaul, it was not trying to be subtle about its aesthetic influences. The sunburst backdrop behind the bar, the illuminated mirrors, the rich golds and deep hues, the velvet seating under an ornate chandelier – all of it screamed 1970s nightlife glamour filtered through a 2024 lens.
The question was whether anyone would actually care. Nostalgia-driven concepts are everywhere in entertainment, and most fall flat because they mistake mimicry for substance. But Clique Bar was not just relying on aesthetics. It was launching “Monday Night Fever,” a recurring party designed to activate what is traditionally one of the deadest nights in Las Vegas nightlife.
Six months in, the answer appears to be that people do care, and the reasons why reveal something important about where Las Vegas nightlife is heading.
The Monday Problem Revisited
We have already examined how Marquee is attacking Monday nights with locals programming and major DJ bookings. Clique Bar represents a different approach at the same property: smaller scale, lower overhead, and a bet that disco as a genre and aesthetic can draw crowds without requiring six-figure talent budgets.
The Cosmopolitan is uniquely positioned to experiment with this strategy. The property has multiple nightlife venues including Marquee Nightclub, which operates at a massive scale, and several bars and lounges that can be programmed more flexibly. This portfolio approach allows them to test different concepts without putting all their Monday night resources into a single format.
Clique Bar fits into the portfolio as the accessible, mid-tier option. Guests who are not ready to commit to the full nightclub experience at Marquee can ease into the evening at Clique. The space is intimate enough to feel approachable but polished enough to meet Cosmopolitan standards. Cover charges and drink prices are lower than the nightclub, reducing the barrier to entry for tourists who might be hesitant to drop $500 on a Monday evening.
The Monday Night Fever programming leans into disco music and aesthetics without requiring expensive headline talent. DJs can spin disco, funk, and nu-disco tracks that are inherently danceable and create an energetic atmosphere without needing to be household names. This keeps entertainment costs manageable while still delivering a compelling musical experience.
The Disco Thesis
Disco is having a genuine cultural moment in ways that go beyond predictable nostalgia cycles. Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia” album brought disco influences back to mainstream pop. Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” explicitly celebrated disco and house music. Fashion has been mining the 1970s for inspiration. And social media has created viral dance trends around disco and funk tracks.
This cultural context gives Clique Bar tailwinds that a similar concept might not have had five years ago. The venue is not introducing disco to an audience that has never heard of it. They are capitalizing on existing cultural interest and providing a physical space where people can engage with the aesthetic and music in ways that go beyond streaming playlists.
The genius of the disco format for a venue like Clique Bar is that it solves several problems simultaneously. First, disco is broadly accessible. The music is designed to be danceable and fun, which means it works for a wide age range and does not require deep musical knowledge to enjoy. Second, disco aesthetics photograph exceptionally well. The sunburst mirrors, the velvet, the gold accents – all of it creates Instagram-worthy backdrops that generate organic social media content. Third, disco carries associations with glamour and dressing up, which aligns with the Cosmopolitan’s brand positioning without requiring the intimidating dress codes of high-end nightclubs.
The “Shroom Sirens” and Service Theater
One detail from the Clique Bar experience deserves specific attention: the enthusiastic waitresses known as “Shroom Sirens” who deliver colorful specialty drinks with evident personality and energy.
This is service theater, and it matters more than operators often appreciate. In an era when much of life is mediated through screens and self-service technology, human interactions that feel genuine and energetic create outsized impact on customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth.
The Shroom Sirens are performing a role, obviously, but the performance adds value. They create moments that guests remember and talk about. They make the bar feel more like an experience and less like a transactional beverage purchase. And they provide content – watching someone get served an elaborately presented drink by an enthusiastic server is more interesting than watching someone pick up a cocktail from a bar.
The economics of service theater are tricky. Training staff to perform consistently at this level requires investment. The specialty drinks that provide the canvas for these interactions typically have higher pour costs than standard cocktails. And not every customer will appreciate or value the performative aspect.
But for venues competing on experience rather than just price and convenience, service theater can be a differentiator. If Clique Bar feels more fun and memorable than other hotel bars at the Cosmopolitan, some of that is the disco theme and the design, but some is also the human element of how service is delivered.
Design as Destination
Peter Max Bowden, the designer behind the Clique Bar renovation, created a space that functions as its own attraction independent of programming. The design is not background. It is foregrounded in a way that makes the physical space part of why people come.
This approach represents a shift from how many casino operators have historically thought about non-gaming spaces. For decades, the conventional wisdom was that casino bars and lounges should be nice enough to attract customers but not so distinctive that they became destinations that pulled people away from gaming. The goal was to support gambling, not compete with it.
That calculus has changed. Modern casino customers, particularly younger demographics, are less interested in spending hours at slot machines and more interested in experiential dining, drinking, and entertainment. Properties that do not provide compelling non-gaming amenities lose customers to competitors who do.
The Cosmopolitan has been ahead of this curve since it opened in 2010. The property positioned itself as a lifestyle brand rather than just a casino, and that positioning has allowed it to charge premium prices and attract customers who might not otherwise be drawn to Las Vegas. Clique Bar fits squarely into this strategy.
The renovation signals to guests that the Cosmopolitan is willing to invest significant capital in refreshing spaces that most operators would consider perfectly functional. The original Clique Bar was not broken. But it was not distinctive enough to be a destination. The new version is.
The Integration Question
Clique Bar does not exist in isolation. It is part of the Cosmopolitan’s broader Unlock Your Mondays promotion, which includes drink and dining deals, discounted room and spa packages, and free parking perks for locals. This integration is critical to understanding whether the Monday Night Fever concept can succeed long-term.
A standalone disco bar trying to draw Monday night crowds would face brutal economics. But Clique Bar can benefit from customers who are already at the Cosmopolitan for Marquee Mondays or other Monday night activities. The venue serves as a pre-party space, a less intense alternative, or a wind-down option for people who are not ready to go home after the nightclub closes.
This portfolio effect is difficult for independent operators to replicate. You need multiple venues in close proximity, ideally under common ownership or management, to create the kind of integrated programming that keeps guests on property across multiple hours and multiple spending occasions.
The data on cross-venue traffic will be telling. If guests who attend Monday Night Fever are also attending Marquee or using other Monday night promotions, that validates the integrated strategy. If Clique Bar is drawing an entirely separate customer base that does not engage with other Cosmopolitan offerings, that might still be successful but suggests the integration opportunity is not being fully captured.
What Happens After the Novelty Fades
The real test for Clique Bar comes six to twelve months from now when the novelty of the renovation has worn off and the disco theme is no longer fresh news. Will people keep coming?
The answer depends on execution consistency. If every Monday night delivers a reliable experience – good music, strong drinks, attentive service, and the distinctive atmosphere that makes the venue special – then Clique Bar can become a habit for the right customer segments. Habits are valuable in the nightlife business because they reduce customer acquisition costs and create predictable revenue.
But consistency is hard to maintain. Staff turns over. Managers get distracted. Small operational details start slipping. The disco concept that felt fresh and well-executed in month one can feel tired and poorly maintained by month twelve if the team does not stay focused.
The programming will also need to evolve. Monday Night Fever cannot be exactly the same every week indefinitely. Successful recurring parties find ways to introduce variation within a consistent framework. Different guest DJs, themed nights within the broader disco concept, or special events that break the format occasionally without abandoning it entirely.
Key Insights
Disco as a theme and musical genre provides accessible, photographable, and currently relevant content that works well for mid-tier venue positioning. Service theater through performative staff interactions creates memorable moments that drive word-of-mouth and social media content. Design investment in non-gaming spaces signals brand positioning and creates destination value independent of programming.
Integration with broader property promotions allows Monday night programming to succeed where standalone venues would struggle. Smaller scale disco bars can activate difficult nights without the six-figure talent costs required for major nightclub programming. Consistent execution after the novelty period determines whether themed concepts become sustainable businesses or temporary attractions.
Notes on Scalability
The Clique Bar disco revival model is harder to scale than it might appear. The concept depends heavily on the specific context of being at the Cosmopolitan with access to integrated promotions and portfolio effects. A standalone disco bar in a less favorable location would face much tougher economics.
Additionally, the design investment required to make this work is substantial. The Peter Max Bowden renovation was not a budget refresh. It was a complete reimagining of the space with high-end finishes and custom elements. Operators without access to similar capital will struggle to execute at this quality level.
That said, the broader principle – that well-executed themed spaces with accessible programming can activate difficult nights – applies across different scales and markets. A regional casino operator could adapt this approach with local design talent and lower construction costs while still capturing the essential value proposition.
The service theater element is actually more replicable than the design. Training staff to deliver drinks with personality and energy does not require massive capital investment. It requires management attention, clear standards, and cultural commitment to making service feel special. Properties that nail this aspect can create differentiation without major capital expenditure.
The real challenge is maintaining consistency over time. Opening strong is relatively easy. Staying strong after two years of operation is where most concepts fail. Whether Clique Bar can maintain the energy and execution quality that makes Monday Night Fever work will determine whether this becomes a case study in successful nightlife repositioning or just another renovation that looked good in the opening press release.
