Michael Ault is one of the preeminent nightclub operators in the world having designed, built, and owned over twenty-five nightclubs between New York, The Hamptons, Miami Beach, Los Angeles, Aspen, Bermuda, Sao Paulo – Brazil, Marbella – Spain, and London. His clubs dominate each market in which they operate and are famous around the world. Such household names as Pangaea, Spy Bar, Chaos, Tatou, Merc Bar, Prive, and the Surf Club combine to create an over 30 year track record that is without equal.
Michael Ault is universally credited with inventing the two most significant industry innovations since the 1980’s: the international lounge craze (SpyBar, NYC, 1995), and bottle service (Chaos, NYC, 1996). Since then, he has literally dominated the industry with Chaos South Beach, Chaos Sao Paulo (Brazil), and Pangaea NYC; which were considered the country’s top nightclubs for years. Ault’s clubs have achieved a celebrity saturation that rivals that of its infamous predecessor Studio 54.
Prior to his role as owner and operator, Ault spent over a decade promoting such venues as Studio 54, Area, The Tunnel, Maxime’s, The Palladium, Regine’s, Club A, Mars, Zulu, and The Tavern On The Green. Ault’s compelling promotional prowess continues to serve as a key ingredient in attracting la crème de la crème of the country’s beautiful, rich, and famous.
Raised on the “charity ball cocktail” circuit between Palm Beach, New York, London, and Gstaad, Ault’s social credentials make him a great rarity in the industry. From an early age, Michael’s highly social parents (Dean Witter and Faith van Cleef) instilled the importance of combining a sense of style, and a flair for entertaining, with a potent phone book. Not surprisingly, Ault began to construct his own address book, which by today reaches a million.
After graduating from Oxford and The London School of Economics, Michael began his career in finance on Wall Street. His nearly six years in banking included; Hong Kong Bank, Barclay’s PLC, and The Bank of New York. The financial experience and training continues to be of invaluable service in all aspects of a nightclub’s operation; from raising and managing capital, maximizing revenue, analyzing and controlling expenses, and calculating working capital requirements.