By Jacquelynn D. Powers, Photographs: Tomas Muscionico

ightlife guru Victor Drai doesn't believe in VIP rooms or rude doormen. The owner of Drai's and Tryst also allows mere civilians to sit at reserved tables and banquettes when they aren't in use—a practice shunned by other Strip nightclubs. And you don't have to be a high roller to gain admittance to his establishments. Nor does he pay celebrities appearance fees in order to land in the local gossip columns. This nonchalant attitude comes partly from his exotic upbringing (he was born in Casablanca and raised in Paris). There's also his brush with Hollywood fame—both as a producer and leading man (off-camera) to Jacqueline Bisset and Kelly LeBrock. He has an aura of mystery and experience, seemingly a man who has walked many paths.

It is this presence that Steve Wynn enlisted in July 2005, when he partnered with Drai to pump life into his beleaguered nightclub at his nascent Wynn hotel. Then called La Bête, it was less than the successful watering hole he hoped it would be. "They did not have a nightclub operator," Drai recalls of the first incarnation. "There was no personality behind it. They thought it would work because it was at Wynn and everyone would just line up. But it was totally wrong. No one knew how to run the place. They realized they needed a real operator." And that's when Victor, whose eponymous restaurant and after-hours club at the Barbary Coast has been running smoothly for the last decade, entered the scene.

Drai had initially met with Wynn to discuss the club prior to its April 2005 launch, but he wanted full control, and they could not reach a deal. However, the second time around, Wynn was eager to work with Victor and grant all his requests. "I said I would only come on board if I could totally do what I wanted," Drai says. "Steve is a great partner, and he has been very supportive. I was worried at first because I never had a partner." The most immediate, pressing alteration was the removal of the "beast" feature from the middle of the lagoon. The lighting was also retooled and the windows extended from floor to ceiling to afford patrons a panoramic view of the beast-free, 90-foot waterfall. These were all temporary fixes, though. The real overhaul, including a name change, was to come a few months later.

When Tryst reopened last New Year's Eve, the space was resplendent in red, dark brown and gold. It was moody and sexy with crimson leather banquettes and a dance floor hugging the waterfall. The layout of the floor was redesigned to adjust the flow. The entire renovation cost $4 million—and you can see every chip of it in the luxurious, open room. Victor also recruited two nightlife pros to assist him: twin brothers Jesse and Cy Waits. Jesse worked at Drai's for years running the door, while Cy is a veteran of Tabu at the MGM Grand. Both inject a youthful, playful vibe into the project ...

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