SBE, Sam Nazarian Launch New Hollywood Hotspot, ‘The Colony’

Iranian-born mogul and SBE CEO Sam Nazarian (pictured above, left, alongside actor Edward Norton), whose success in assembling an eclectic stable of Los Angeles-area nightclubs and restaurants have catapulted him to the top of the Hollywood nightlife hierarchy, is at it again.

SBE has finished a 6-month renovation on the venue located at the 1700 block of North Caheunga Blvd. in Hollywood (formerly owned by the Sunset Entertainment Group under the names White Lotus, Ritual and Halo), and is slated to unveil the new 13,000-square foot club in late May.

The Colony, as the venue will be known, derives its name from the winning entry in a ontest SBE held through the website, nameyourclub.com and promoted  virally through the Facebook profiles for its four Katsuya sushi restaurants.

The winner, who won $1000 and exclusive entry to the club’s grand opening, spent some time in the Hamptons and after reading the description of the venue (SBE described the venue’s aesthetic as “the spirit of the exclusive Hamptons’ lifestyle”) and its amenities, he was reminded of the exclusive beachside community know as the Summer Colony, a gathering place for the trendsetting elite from all over the world which reminded him of Hollywood and inspired him to choose Colony as the new name.

The Colony is SBE’s largest club to date, replete with oversized wood shutters, a dance floor and cabanas in a beach house setting. It’s likely that Persian event industry leader One Group Events, which has produced events at all of SBE’s venues during the past 5 years, will host an event at the venue soon.

NYLAMAG.COM correspondent Amir Zomorrodian captured some images of the nearly completed venue’s exterior earlier this week.

Nazarian, who reportedly recently split with girlfriend and reality television star Kristin Cavallari of MTV’s The Hills, hasn’t missed a step since splitting with resident SBE promoter and longtime Hollywood nightclub-circuit staple Brent Bolthouse Productions last September.

Nazarian followed up the success of Hollywood’s uber-exclusive Hyde Lounge with 2 more venues with the same moniker, one at Staples Center in Downtown, L.A. (which opened, ironically, on the same night Iranian-born center Hamed Haddadi and his NBA club, the Memphis Grizzlies, played the Los Angeles Lakers last November at Staples) and another in Mammoth Mountain.