\n\tWhat do Annabel\u2019s, Sexy Fish, Delilah and the Bird Streets Club have in common \u2014 besides serving as Leonardo DiCaprio\u2019s natural habitat? They\u2019re all now controlled by investment interests tied to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Abu Dhabi royal who has been snapping up trophy properties across L.A. \u2014 and whose acquisition spree recently sparked rumors up and down the strip that the Sunset Tower Hotel and Jeff Klein\u2019s San\u202fVicente clubs might be next.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe buying began here in September, when DIAFA, an Abu Dhabi hospitality company affiliated with Tahnoon\u2019s sprawling IHC investment empire, acquired a majority stake in John Terzian and Brian Toll\u2019s h.wood Group, whose holdings include Delilah, the Bird Streets Club and The Nice Guy. Then, in April, DIAFA acquired a majority stake in British restaurateur Richard Caring\u2019s hospitality empire, which includes Annabel\u2019s, Sexy\u202fFish, Scott\u2019s and The Ivy.<\/p>\n
\n\tTahnoon isn\u2019t merely some fabulously rich dude who woke up one morning with a taste for bottle service. In addition to assembling a sizable collection of the world\u2019s most celebrity-clogged watering holes, he happens to be the UAE president\u2019s brother, the country\u2019s national security adviser and deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi. His investment universe extends well beyond IHC: He also chairs the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and AI giant G42.<\/p>\n
\n\tBut the sheikh must really love a red velvet rope because apparently his nightlife shopping spree isn\u2019t over. According to a source familiar with the discussions, DIAFA recently approached Klein about buying the Sunset Tower and his San Vicente clubs for the princely sum of $700 million.<\/p>\n
\n\tHow rich was that offer? When the Sunset Tower was on the market in 2017, it was valued at $90\u202fmillion \u2014 considered stratospheric at the time, more than $1 million a room. San Vicente has since grown into a valuable empire of its own, with clubs in Santa Monica and New York in addition to the original West Hollywood location. Still, $700 million would have represented an astonishing payday.<\/p>\n
\n\tBut Klein turned it down. A source close to him said that while the money was tempting, he feared folding the Sunset Tower and San Vicente into a sprawling hospitality conglomerate would eventually dilute the exclusivity he had spent years cultivating. Klein himself declined to comment on the offer. But for now, at least, a couple of velvet ropes remain beyond the sheikh\u2019s reach. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t***<\/p>\n
\n\tAlso in Rambling Reporter:<\/p>\n
\n\tAs bougie grocery chain Erewhon is expanding<\/a> with more locations, it may soon have to start displaying calorie counts for its $21 fruit shakes.<\/p>\n