Q&A: Marco Battisi, the manager of the Chameleon Club, explains the concept
Coming up with a giant chameleon in lights requires quite an imagination. Whose idea was the lizard? The chameleon idea came from our designer Italo Rota, who designed Cavalli Club. We wanted a big statement because we eventually want the concept of the Chameleon Club to become a chain.
What music are you playing in the club? We market it as commercial house with some R&B nights thrown in.
Quite mainstream then? Dubai is not a market that you want to bring something different or weird. If you go into London, there's 7 million people, so you can open anything and it can work. Here it's very limited and people do not like the risk. People want their investment back quickly so they play it safe.
What is the first thing you look for in a night club?
Is it the chance to dance under 65,000 LED lights and buy a beverage from a giant lizard with a tongue that glows in the dark?
As far-fetched as that night spot might sound, it is now a reality, after the Chameleon Club was opened last month at the Byblos Hotel in Dubai's Tecom free zone.
It boasts not only a giant lizard and an unjustifiable number of flashing lights, you can also book a VIP room for as little as Dh15,000 (US$4,085) during the week and Dh20,000 at weekends.
VIPs get as much food and drink as they and 79 friends can consume up to the amount paid for the room.
"Italo Rota, who designed Cavalli Club, came up with the whole theme," says Marco Battisi, the club's manager. "We want to attract high quality of customer, so we made a statement."
Giant chameleons do not come cheap and the total cost to fit out the night club was US$7 million, which Mr Battisi says will be recovered quickly because the club does not have to rent the space from the Byblos Hotel. For food lovers, the pre-club dinner menu is a mix of Japanese and Italian cuisine, designed by two chefs, Alessandro Miceli, a Michelin-experienced cook, and Myo Zaw Aung, a high roller in sushi circles. He was previously at Buddha Bar at Dubai Marina's Grosvenor House.
The Chameleon Club was launched to much fanfare last month, with a glamorous red carpet leading from taxis to a dedicated lift inside the building.
Eager party-goers are transported to the Penthouse floor of the 15-storey hotel and plunged into the weird and wonderful world of Milanese interior architect Mr Rota. The decor is a little overwhelming, with tiles, chairs and tables in pink, black, white and more pink. And of course, there is also the 6.5 by 5.5-metre chameleon sitting over one of the club's bars.
Top 5: Night clubs in Dubai
1 Kasbar - The Palace
2 Apartment Lounge and Club, Jumeirah Beach Hote
3 Trilogy - Madinat Jumeirah
4 Lotus One, World Trade Convention Centre
5 Al Pasha Restaurant & Keyclub, Airport Road
Source: HotelsinDubai.com
The Quote: It's like people call me a rock star or this or that. And I go, 'don't call me that. I don't think of myself in those terms. If you have to call me anything, call me a chameleon. - Meat Loaf, the American singer
