Mahiki

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Outside of Mahiki, June 2008.

Mahiki is a London nightclub in Dover Street, near the Ritz Hotel, well known for its celebrity clientele. It is named after the Polynesian path to the underworld.[1] Mahiki was opened in October 2006 by Piers Adam and Nick House.[2][3] The club has attracted media attention as a favourite haunt of royals including Princes William and Harry to celebrities such as Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Kelly Rowland, Paris Hilton among many more.[1] It is regularly referred to in the press as one of London's most popular clubs. Its themed Thursday nights, hosted by socialite Henry Conway, are particularly popular, with rival club owner Charlie Gilkes saying "Thursday nights at Mahiki ... are the night in London, there are queues going round the block."[4]

Location and decor

Inside of Mahiki, June 2008.

Mahiki is located at the corner of Dover Street and Piccadilly in the Mayfair area of London. The interior, designed and fitted by CheekyTiki Ltd [5] has a Polynesian inspired theme.[1][2] Its decor is intended to look like a tropical island paradise, where you get your drinks served in bespoke Tiki mugs.[6] The club typically plays older music and has a retro feel.[2]

Reputation and clientele

Mahiki claims that it adheres to a mostly open door policy. Co-founder Nick House has said "The vision with Mahiki is that whether you're fat, thin, bald, ugly or old, you can get in. Admittedly, when it gets to 11pm, it might be more difficult. But certainly, until it reaches capacity, anyone can get in."[3] Anna van Pragh of The Daily Mail, however has argued that while it may technically have an egalitarian door policy, in practice it has "a cross-section of the pages of Debrett's."[1] Some papers have attributed its popularity with London's upper class in part to promotions manager Guy Pelly, who is a close friend of Princes William and Harry.[3][7] However, many reviews on popular travel websites such as TripAdvisor reveal an apparently racist door policy that may exist in reality, with anecdotes of customers being turned away due to skin color.[8]

Incidents

During the 2012 Summer Olympics, Belgian cyclist Gijs Van Hoecke, who competed in the Men's Omnium event, was sent home by the Belgian Olympic Committee after pictures of him exiting the club drunk with liquid covering his clothes and being helplessly carried into a taxi by his teammates had surfaced in newspapers.

In October 2012, the Olympic medals of Hannah Macleod and Alex Partridge were stolen along with their jackets during a night out.[9]

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The madness inside Prince Harry's favourite new bar. Daily Mail. Anna van Pragh. 12 February 2007
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Say Cheese. Daily Candy. 25 October 2006.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Mahiki opens Park Lane whisky club for bankers in their 40s. Evening Standard. Benedict Moore-Bridger. 6 September 2008.
  4. ↑ Hooray Henry! Loving the limelight. The Independent. Henry Deedes. 8 May 2008
  5. ↑ http://cheekytiki.com/Interior.htm
  6. ↑ Revealed: The Royals' favourite nightclubs and a culture of rampant drug abuse. Daily Mail. Natasha Pearlman. 13 October 2007.
  7. ↑ Model 'raped' at nightclub popular with young Royals. The Telegraph. Aislinn Simpson. 9 July 2008.
  8. ↑ Mahiki Restaurant Reviews, London, United Kingdom - TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor. Retrieved: 26/5/2013.
  9. ↑ "Hannah Macleod's stolen Olympic bronze medal returned". BBC. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2012. 

Coordinates: 51°30′27″N 0°08′29″W / 51.5076°N 0.1414°W / 51.5076; -0.1414

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