Where can New York’s nightlife kingpins turn after they’ve conquered West Chelsea and the Hamptons? The Middle East, of course. “Dubai is right now what Las Vegas was ten years ago,” says Josh Kaiser, an owner of Pink Elephant, the 27th Street megaclub. He recently returned from Dubai, where he learned that a chic sheikh might drop up to a quarter-million dollars in a night; he and his partners are planning a branch in a hotel to open there next year. (The emirate permits alcohol within licensed hotels.) “And you’re only a few hours from Europe and Asia,” Kaiser adds, “so the crowds will be very international.” Charles Ferri, owner of Chelsea’s Star Lounge, spent most of June in Dubai and plans to open there by late next year. “They’re finding a balance between religion and entertainment and tourism,” he says. “Things are just blowing up out there.”

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