Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan has, through investment vehicles tied to his conglomerate, quietly become the controlling force behind several of Los Angeles's and London's most celebrity-favoured nightlife venues, including Annabel's, Sexy Fish, Delilah and the Bird Streets Club. The buying spree, conducted via the hospitality firm DIAFA, matters because it places some of Hollywood's most exclusive social spaces under the influence of a figure who also holds major political and financial power in the UAE, raising questions about the scope of his growing footprint in the entertainment industry.

DIAFA, affiliated with Tahnoon's IHC investment empire, first took a majority stake in John Terzian and Brian Toll's h.wood Group last September, gaining Delilah, the Bird Streets Club and The Nice Guy, before acquiring a majority stake in Richard Caring's hospitality empire in April, adding Annabel's, Sexy Fish, Scott's and The Ivy. Tahnoon, brother of the UAE president, the country's national security adviser and deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi, also chairs the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and AI firm G42. Sources say DIAFA subsequently offered Jeff Klein $700 million for the Sunset Tower Hotel and his San Vicente clubs, far exceeding the Sunset Tower's $90 million valuation in 2017, but Klein turned it down, reportedly fearing the deal would dilute the exclusivity he had built.