By Lyndon Marquez & Clair Koetitz

In 1965, The Moonlight Motel opened its doors at 207 North 11th Street at Ogden Street in Downtown Las Vegas. Flash forward to the Fall of 2023, and the original motel had been renovated and restored with a new wing, heated pool and hot tub, bar with a gastropub dining with seating inside and seasonal poolside seating outside to become the Bent Inn & Pub.

The Bent Inn & Pub is the brainchild of owners Greg Kafka and Mark Hunter. A Gay resort property is not new to these gentlemen; they are seasoned veterans who previously owned properties in Palm Springs.

In 2023, they both hit the ground running, participating in the Las Vegas PRIDE Parade and Festival, with soft opening events that included a New Year’s Eve Poolside Party.

2024 saw the Bent Inn & Pub welcome international participants at the Hustlaball, Monday-Sunday Happy Hour, Trivia Night Tuesdays, Industry Nights, Bent Over Thursdays, Bear, and Brews Fridays. It also partnered with the LGBTQ Real Estate Alliance for a fundraiser to benefit the Glam for Good, an organization that assists homeless youth in Nevada.

The Grand Opening, January 22, had a record number of attendees for the ribbon cutting and reading of a Proclamation from Mayor Carolyn Goodman by Councilman Cedric Crear of Ward 5, and in attendance was Councilwoman Olivia Diaz of Ward 3. Hors de oeuvres by Chef Julianna were passed to mark the official opening of the gastropub menu. Later that evening, the first official kickoff event was a Pajama Party hosted by Mrs. Las Vegas PRIDE Norma Llyaman, with performances by Ty Dupp and music by Deejay Dreamcast.

We sat down on a cold rainy afternoon in Las Vegas but warm and cozy inside the Bent Inn & Pub and visited with Mark Hunter about his and Greg’s project.

Now that you have had your official grand opening, how was the concept born, and what are your plans for The Bent Inn & Pub?

“Greg and I were in a pool in Palm Springs at the time, visiting from Denver, when we thought about getting into the hospitality business.”

“After visiting several stateside and international facilities and owning two resorts in Palm Springs, we saw the need for a gay resort in Las Vegas. We found this perfect location with two vacant lots on either side. One is for parking, and the other is for the pool/bar/restaurant. It is a perfect location because the Inn is blocks from Fremont Street, Downtown Music Festivals, PublicUS, and The Center. We decided to bring the best of what we experienced when we traveled stateside and internationally to our new concept here in Las Vegas. We always loved mid-century, so the area of the city was a perfect place to complete that dream. This Inn is a marriage between mid-century and industrial. The unique artwork is outstanding and completes the theme.”

“For a decorating idea, we created vintage pulp fiction posters that make each of the 33 rooms unique and give us marketing ideas for t-shirts, etc. Each room has king-size beds with all the amenities of a modern inn, high-end products, TVs, in-room safes, and patios on the main floor that open to the pool area. There is also another unique feature, the Bunkhouse.”

Based on the European backpacking experience, three rooms have a shared common area. This area is perfect to use as a place to crash during one of Las Vegas’ many festivals.

Words cannot effectively explain the carefully curated specialty cocktails the award-winning bartenders create. You must experience them. Pair that cocktail with a fresh, made-to-order item from their gastropub menu.

Chef Julianna also joined us to explain her vision behind the gastropub menu that has been bringing in rave reviews.

Chef Julianna is a 3rd generation Michigander with 17 siblings, and she learned early the importance of farm-to-table. The rich soil and environment taught her how fruits and vegetables should taste and the difference they make in the byproducts they make. This is the difference she brings to the Bent Inn gastropub!

Now that the breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus are complete, Chef Juliana explains the nuances of those menus.

Chef Julianna stated, “Everything in my kitchen is made from scratch and made to order, with no frozen or microwaved products. Everything is locally sourced, including the bread, and even the granola and jams are made in-house, which makes a big difference in the taste and experience.”

Mark stated that “the sodas and drafts are also locally sourced.”

Learning all these nuances is what makes this a truly unique Inn. Staying here can be a resort experience from pool/hot tub, amenities, and gastropub; why would a guest want to leave this property? Staycation anyone?

Mark your calendars for Sunday, February 25, 2024 (weather permitting) for the Official Opening of the heated pool and hot tub! Current plans are for a “Splash Back Pool Party” starting with Sunday Brunch with bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Marys available. Doors to the pool will be open to give you that indoor/outdoor feeling you only get in the desert communities in February!

Don’t forget to visit the Bent Inn & Pub to enjoy the delicious food Chef Julianna has prepared. Everything is homemade from the freshest local products, if possible. Breakfast and dinner are currently being served, and plans are being made to increase that to a full restaurant soon.

Since the Bent Inn & Pub has only been open for a few months, stay turned on Facebook and other social media for updates on the interesting, wonderful things coming your way.

Follow them on:
Facebook @BentInnLasVegas
Instagram @BentInnLasVegas
TikTok @BentInnAndPub
YouTube @BentInn

Visit them online at:
bentinn.com

This article was originally published in the 2024 Winter Issue of Las Vegas PRIDE Magazine, and can be read in its original format here.