Background
Drai was born in Casablanca, Morocco to Jewish parents.
Drai was born in Casablanca, Morocco to Jewish parents.
Drai rose to prominence in the 1980s, producing the movies The Woman in Red and Weekend at Bernie"s before leaving the industry to open a string of high-profile restaurants and nightclubs. He dropped out of school at 14 to move to Paris, France, with his family. In 1968, he launched a ready-to-wear line called Vicadam, which featured velvet jeans.
In 1974, Drai met Jacqueline Bisset on a non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Paris and the two began a transatlantic relationship.
Drai sold the fashion line and relocated to the United States to be with Bissett and began a new business flipping Beverly Hills mansions. He contracted French chef Claude Segal, who"d replaced Wolfgang Puck at the upscale restaurant Ma Maison in 1985.
With Segal, he opened the restaurant Drai"s in the L"Ermitage Beverly Hills hotel and it quickly became an iconic success. In 1995, Drai decided to open a second Drai"s in Las Vegas.
A couple years later, he started an afterhours club, "That started everything,” Drai stated.
In December 2013, he opened a steakhouse on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles called Rare by Drai"son Drai owned a now-closed venue in March 2010, Drai"s Hollywood. A rooftop restaurant, pool, and nightclub at the West Hotel in Hollywood.
In 1997, Drai opened Drai’s restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip.
Two years later, Drai added a nightclub to the restaurant, re-branding it Drai’s After Hours. He currently operates Drai’s After Hours nightclub at The Cromwell Las Vegas.
In 2007, Drai took over Louisiana Bete at Wynn Las Vegas and re-branded it Tryst. lieutenant has a 90-foot waterfall and lake in the middle of the club
In 2013, Tryst placed #8 in the Top 100 Nightclub & Bar Roster for Nightclub & Bar Magazine.
Drai opened XS nightclub at Encore Las Vegas in 2008. " In 2013, Nightclub & Bar Magazine awarded XS the "Mega-Club of the Year. " Technomic, the Chicago-based hospitality market research firm that partners with Nightclub & Bar magazine on The Top 100, named XS number one nightclub in the nation for 2010.
Drai opened his latest Las Vegas club project, Drai’s Beach Club & Nightclub, on Memorial Day Weekend 2014, at The Cromwell Las Vegas.
This 65,000-square-foot venue has a party pool and an indoor/outdoor club spread out over two levels on top of the new Cromwell Hotel. Drai is one of sixteen Professionals listed in the Nightclub Hall Of Fame.