In its heyday, Tiger Tiger attracted thousands of revelers a week eager to listen to the latest club DJs perform their magic live. At one point, it was frequently mentioned on national radio shows as DJs talked up the latest big night there, often turning up there themselves to play a set.
Now the famous venue is set to make way for a luxury boutique hotel, just off Picadilly Circus, as the building’s new buyers seek to take advantage of its world-class location.
The change is a blow for the city’s nightlife and many former customers have taken to social media to express their sadness at losing one of their favourite places.
The downfall of London’s club scene
Tiger Tiger’s demise is the latest setback to the capital’s nightlife after several other high-profile closings since the pandemic. Changing social habits means that it’s not just club venues suffering: traditional casinos are struggling against the ever-popular casino websites like Casino Meter, while cinemas continue to battle against streaming services like Netflix and Amazon.
Over 3,000 nightclubs, bars, and pubs have closed their doors in recent years, owing to an unprecedented combination of factors, including the lockdown and restrictions, staff shortages caused by post-Brexit immigration changes, and the cost-of-living crisis.
Iconic venues like G-A-Y Late, the Borderline, The Coronet, and Club 414 have fallen victim to what experts have termed a ‘perfect storm’. Even larger establishments like Printworksfaced closure, although this may soon be repurposed as a cultural centre.
The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) sounded the alarm recently, warning that the continued closure of nightlife venues could have broader economic consequences, affecting jobs, tourism, and the city’s vibrancy.
Yet with iconic venues like Tiger Tiger biting the dust, their warnings appear to be futile.
From club to luxury hotel
Tiger Tiger was famous for its four floors, stacked on top of one another with blaring music echoing throughout. It often attracted hundreds, if not thousands of party-goers on big nights, and hosted some of the world’s biggest DJ names.
However, it wasn’t without controversy. Despite boasting “incredible memories” on its website, Tiger Tiger also had a checkered past. Fined £120,000 for mistakenly serving caustic soda with tequila shots, the club was lucky to escape without harsher punishment after four women suffered significant mouth burns.
Plans are underway to transform the venue into a luxury hotel. This reflects a broader trend in the city, where former nightclubs and entertainment venues are being repurposed for hospitality purposes. In an economic sense, it stacks up: London is still one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations and there’s always demand for high-scale accommodation.
A luxury hotel could contribute to the local economy by creating jobs in the hospitality industry and attracting an upscaleclientele. The hotel might provide a boost to tourism and revitalize the surrounding neighborhood.
Yet the overall feeling is that the loss of Tiger Tiger is another stab in the heart for the capital’s nightlife scene, something which it may lose and struggle to get back.
Could more famous nightclubs go the same way?
London might be an extreme example of what can happen when various negative cultural and economic factors combine, but there are fears that major night venues around the world could go the same way as Tiger Tiger.
From the height of the pandemic when a report announced that up to 90% of venues were at risk of closure, major clubs have been battling to keep up public interest in a bit to survive. From New York City to Berlin, iconic nightclubs and bars are facing increasing difficulties, including rising costs, shifting demographics, and competition from other forms of entertainment.
In the UK, even the country’s biggest club operator Rekom UK announced that it was under threat earlier this year.
With even successful brands struggling to return to the peak, the future of nightlife is uncertain across several countries. As more venues close, it raises questions about whether the industry will survive long term.
The loss of iconic nightclubs has an enormous impact on local economies, culture, and tourism. If businesses and governments can’t work together to solve this huge issue, then partying till the small hours will never be the same again.
