'Stayin alive' might just be the favourite number for members of the exclusive nightclub 'Gatsby 2000' at the Park Sheraton Hotel & Towers, run by the Welcome Group of hotels in Chennai. That's because, the atmosphere at this classy discotheque gets electric on most evenings, with a virtual blitzkrieg of close to 1,000 watts of foot-stamping music, that would make anyone come 'alive'. Being one of the first discotheques to start-off during the eighties in the city, Gatsby has been around for a long time now. At the time, it was known to anybody-who-was-anybody as 'the' boogie-woogie spot in Chennai. However, with increased competition coming from the many dance-floors opening up at the other city hotels, the Sheraton Group decided that it was time to get a little selective. It was renovated and launched at a huge investment as the nightclub 'Gatsby 2000' during February'96.

The discotheque was conceptualized as, a nightclub with international standards that would cater to select members and residential hotel guests only. While there is no defined criteria, the selected members are usually from the hotel chain's list of corporate clients and come with a membership tab of Rs. 20,000 per annum. The nightclub, which provides international quality service, was targeted at the city's thirty-plus well-heeled elite crowd who have 'arrived' and experience the need to rub shoulders with their peers in an exclusive ambience. The mood is mellow during the early part of the evening, when members socialise among themselves over a couple of drinks or bring in their guests for what could probably be a business discussion.

The lights are on full and the look of the place resembles more of a regular restaurant. As the evening wears on, things begin to warm up! At around 10.30 p.m. the lights get dimmer as the discotheque lights take over and the place starts transforming into a regular nightclub with the guests getting into the mood to boogie-woogie. On a full night when the action really heats up, the proceedings could continue into the wee hours of the morning till around 3.00 a.m. "The nightclub was swinging and a huge success from the day it kicked off," says George Mathew, entertainment manager and resident D J of the 'Gatsby 2000'.

The nightclub has been designed at split-level with elegantly decorated interiors. The lower level accommodates the electrifying dance-floor, which boasts of hi-tech state-of-the-art branded electronic equipment that include speakers, strobes, laser and other lights and a video projection system. The heart of the place is George's cabin that is stacked with CD players, amplifiers, microphones, scratch and regular turntables, video text typewriter, graphic equalisers, apart from CDs, records and other audio paraphernalia. Initially, DJ George, a Mumbaiwallah who was previously working at 'Fireball' in New Delhi, was himself amazed that a place like this could come up in Chennai!

Most disco-hoppers around the city would give anything to get invited into this select place as the guests of any of the members. But Park Sheraton is not into the numbers game and in no hurry to play to the galleries, as they know they have a 'groovy thing going'. They also have to maintain the high service standards that they have set for themselves. In fact they have to restrict the numbers, as they need to maintain a surplus capacity to accommodate the residential guests, the numbers of which could swell up at any given moment without notice. While each discotheque in Chennai has its own USP, 'Gatsby 2000' has a distinctive air around it that makes it a special place to be in. The atmosphere is so cool and infectious that its members are living it up and 'Stayin alive' the Gatsby 2000 way!