People crowd around the bar at Body English in the Hard Rock Hotel in October. The resort made international news several years ago when it booted an underage Britney Spears from its nightclub. Photo by K.M. Cannon.

Two Las Vegas hot spots were put on notice last month by the Clark County Business License Department after they allowed celebrity Paris Hilton's underage boyfriend into their nightclubs.

The county issued warnings to Tao Asian Bistro in The Venetian and Body English at the Hard Rock Hotel after investigators determined that 19-year-old Stavros Niarchos was allowed into the clubs on New Year's Eve.

Both clubs were informed they had violated county code. According to letters sent to the clubs, the county decided not to issue citations because operators had cooperated with county agents.

Hotel-casinos -- and the nightclubs housed inside them -- have privileged liquor and gaming licenses. The County Commission can opt to revoke those licenses in response to repeated code violations.

Jim Bowen, vice president and chief financial officer for the Hard Rock Hotel, said a security guard was fired after surveillance video showed him escorting Hilton, who turned 25 on Feb. 17, and her entourage, including Niarchos, into Body English.

The doorman at the club did not ask for identification because he assumed the security escort had already checked. The doorman was suspended but has since resumed working at the club.

"I think what happens is celebrities muscle their way past (the doorman)," Bowen said. "The security guard was terminated because he had body-guarded them before while they were on the property and should have known he (Niarchos) wasn't allowed in there."

Bowen said the Hard Rock would never risk losing its license to accommodate underage celebrities. In fact, several years ago the resort made international news when it booted an underage Britney Spears from its nightclub.

"We have a nasty reputation for kicking celebrities out. We don't bend the rules for anybody," Bowen said. "If you're not 21, see you later. I personally have no problem kicking them out."

Before heading to Body English, Niarchos accompanied Hilton to Tao, where she reportedly was paid $100,000 to host a New Year's countdown bash.

Niarchos was denied entry into the nightclub and instead hung out in the adjoining bistro, according to business license investigators. The problem was the restaurant was closed. Tables and chairs were removed, and a disc jockey entertained revelers.

"A DJ played music to allow for dancing, which effectively created a nightclub environment within the Bistro," Business License Director Jacqueline Holloway wrote in her memo to Tao co-owner Rich Wolf.

Tao's special license allows minors to enter the restaurant; "however, if the location is not operating as a restaurant, no one under the age of twenty-one should be allowed admission into the establishment," Holloway wrote.

Tao, in the Grand Canal Shoppes, is not owned or operated by The Venetian hotel-casino. Representatives for the nightclub could not be reached for comment Friday.

However, the club released a statement through its public relations firm, Preferred Public Relations & Marketing: "Tao maintains a strict door policy and the staff never allows patrons under the age of 21 into the nightclub, regardless of their celebrity or status."

Niarchos and Hilton, an heir to the Hilton Hotel fortune, also tried to get into Pure in Caesars Palace early New Year's day. The owners of the club refused to allow Niarchos inside, triggering a Hilton tirade, according to news accounts. She later apologized to the owners of Pure.