Coming in November for a 21st bday - Couple questions

[Kayzar]

So first off, let me say I love Jack Colton's site, and I have read through many of the things many times in planning this upcoming trip (Planned since May). Now that it is getting closer and more things are getting set in stone, I wanted to ask a few questions and hoped this would be a good place to get answers.

Let me also say while I am no Vegas veteran, nor do I have any (or many decent at least) contacts at any of the clubs. I do know a few people and I have been to Vegas at least 8 times in the past 3 years, so I know a bit about how things work there. (Just got back from the last trip on Sunday 9/19 actually).

Here's the thing: I have never been the one to actually plan the details of the trips and they have either been left to chance or left to be planned by someone who is a poor planner. This trip is for my girlfriend of two years' 21st birthday and I want to make sure it is done right.

TL;DR

Here are my questions:

1) We are staying at the Luxor in the middle of November (reason for the Luxor: best deal we could find, so far, at a reasonably located hotel and reasonable quality hotel). What I'm curious of is if anyone knows what the discounts are (if any) for hotel guests going to Believe and/or LAX. I know that some of the casinos give free "VIP" entry to hotel guests before a certain time. This question may be better asked straight to Luxor but I figured I'd post it here.

2) More than likely we are going to be a group of 6 to 8, completely even in girl to guy ratio. Is it worth getting a table with bottle service anywhere, or should I just figure out where we all want to go and call the hosts on the lists and see if we can get on a guest list (and if not, just show up early enough not to get stuck in line forever).

3) While I have been to Vegas many times, every time I've gone to "party" it has been early fall or late spring, so it is still very hot outside during the day, and fairly decent at night. November looks to be perfect during the day, but fairly cold at night. Which leads me to ask: For a group of (let's say 6, since that's all who are sure they are going) for a girl's b-day party during the cold of November, what clubs/activities would you all recommend? If it winds up being the 3 couples instead of just 2 I already promised the 3 girls I'd send them to Thunder Down Under or Chippendale while the boys go gamble or something.

Clubs I have been to there:
Pure - twice, each time as normal GA. This has been one of my favorites, though the last time I was there I blacked out after too many AMFs... So not the best of memories there, literally. Still hazy on how I wound up outside the club, but a friend had to come find me and help guide me back to PH where we were staying.
XS - once, skipped the line, friend convinced someone to let us in with tips. Last trip we tried a myriad of ways to get in, the few friends who stayed and decided to wait in the GA line got screwed with $100 per guy cover and $20 per girl cover. It's a cool club, but not that cool.
LAX - once, already pretty trashed, friend hooked us all up so we didn't pay cover, and I don't recall a line either
Vanity - Twice, both times VIP with discounted bottle/table service through a friend knowing someone, likely to try going this route again because it is a pretty fun club. Waited in line only long enough to tell them we had a table (which wound up being like 20 minutes both times).
Christian Audigier - twice, both on the same trip, we were staying at TI so we got in for free. Totally overrated club and I wouldn't go back there again (Salt Lake seriously has better clubs).
Jet - Once on my first trip to Vegas, seemed like a nice club at the time, but not the greatest for sure.
The Hawaiin Tropical thing at PH - Once, after not getting in at Pure due to someone's wardrobe failure (see cheap friend below) we went here. Better than Christian Audigier IMO, but not by much.

Haven't been anywhere else, though we did almost get in to Mix the same night we went to LAX with only buying a discounted bottle and table for 10 people since it was later... Till the bouncer realized how smashed most of our party was.

Also, an addendum to that. One of the people who is going is a fair bit of a cheap-ass. So while I want it to be a nice place for my girlfriend, if it can also be fairly inexpensive for my cheap-ass best friend, that'd be great too. Also one of the couples meeting up with us are Las Vegas locals, though the rest of us will be from Utah, in case that changes anything.

And to anyone who actually read all of this and is going to give a fairly educated answer. Thank you.

[Breeze]

Best advice is to solidify your party before you make plans. Have a rock soild number for your host so you don't end up flipping plans on them.

You are in a group. Spring for a comfortable (doesn't have to be fancy) hotel. The ladies are ALWAYS in a better party mode when they have had a comfortable place to get beauty sleep and a big fat vanity mirror to get all dolled up for their gents.

Then start asking around. This site is great. All the contacts are there for you.

These hosts are not made of stone. They want their clients to have a good time.

Tell them your goals for the evening. Ask if you can schueduel a phone call to go over the details (the texing does get crazy)

You will get the best deal by being honest with your host about your expectations.

Treat him/her with respect and courtesy.

Now go make it YOUR weekend!

[AK2Vegas]

I don't think Breeze likes the luxor. I second, as it reminds me of a tomb.

Why not try Tryst or Tao? For your cheap ass friend, have him wait in line while the rest of you get a table? That'll teach him (I'm just kidding).

Put the girls on the GL and try for a one bottle min table (and have the girls meet up inside). That should satisfy both the group and the cheap friend.

I assume that dinner would be involved too, you could eat at Tao and then stay there and party. Also, since there is a lot of fun to be had north strip, and there is six of you, and it's a birthday, and you'll be far south (at luxor) I would get a limo. I think they're about $70 one way and when we went we got a cheap bottle of champagne too. For a birthday it would add to the fun. But I have to second Breeze again, better property equals better trip IMO. Suite split 4 ways are more affordable and many of them are large enough to accommodate.

[Kayzar]

I understand, personally Luxor wouldn't be my top pick either. Originally we had Hard Rock booked, and for a group of friends who don't mind sharing a room we always stay at Platinum.

However, seeing as how she will want... certain services... for her birthday. We decided it would be best to have our own separate rooms. We booked rooms back in May at Hard Rock for a pretty decent deal, but only booked two since the rest of the group seemed flaky. I'm on many of the hotel's email mailing list for special offers and Luxor had one that wound up being 260 total for all 3 nights for each room. I have never stayed there, but I have heard more than a few people say they aren't the best rooms; however, I have also heard they are better rooms than Circus Circus/Excalibur/etc... And for that price I bet it'd be hard to beat on the strip. While I'm not looking for sketchy motel quality here, the quality of the hotel can be skimped on so that the quality of other activities can be higher (renting a limo, for example, we are all college students). However, if a deal comes up before the 48 hr cancellation deadline, you can bet I will book it and cancel the Luxor.

Any recommendations on where to find better hotel rooms as you suggest? We've looked at houses for trips before, but they wind up being totally not worth it for how far they are off the strip and the price. And orbitz/expedia/etc are only so great. Thus far I've had the best of luck with email offers from the individual hotel companies. With rooms like this too that assures us that everyone will have a bed, we've done "floor" Las Vegas trips before and someone is always very unhappy.



I've heard great things about Tryst and Tao. So we could put the 3-4 girls on a guest list and go inside, see if we could get them to agree with a single bottle and table for our group, and then the guys just wait in the GA line and pay normal price? Or what? Sorry, like I said, I'm not used to doing this stuff on my own for Vegas.

A limo is almost definitely going to be a must. Especially with how I'm (hoping) Vegas works out where I can book them for the trip to and from the club but not have to reserve the hours in between (the few limo companies here allow that when they are busy).

Dinner will definitely be involved. At least one of the nights it will be at Hot and Juicy though. Then another will be at House of Blues. So that only leaves one more night, perhaps we could do Tao if it isn't too pricey.

As it gets closer I'm also going to see if the one friend who has a few minor hookups can help with Vanity and limo. It really depends on who else comes that has been invited as well. I'm just trying to get things organized and planned now so that come the end of October or so I can start getting in touch with the hosts and what not and taking care of stuff.

[AK2Vegas]

Well, seeings as noone else has jumped in here...

I'm just busting balls about the Luxor. Just keep doing what you're doing, keep looking, and STAY ON THIS SITE. A bunch of us just booked Halloween (4 nights) at the Palms for 175 total, with taxes and fees. This was thanks to the great work of people on this site.

I haven't stayed in too many hotels that were much different (a bed, bathroom etc), but we stayed at the Venetian last year and I was totally impressed. I would love to stay at Wynn/Encore. One thing to be careful of is the resort fees, they're usually not included with the price.

What I meant about the bottle service, is usually for two to three people you can get one bottle minimums (depending on many things, the night, the venue, who you use to book, etc). It might not be the best location, but the party is what you make it. Once the guys are inside and situated at your table, it's not unheard of to bring back the ladies...and your girls will already be inside thanks to being on the GL. If you're unsure, just check in with one of the hosts on this site. If you get bottle service, you'll (mostly) skip the line and you won't pay cover. Just make sure to take care of your host (and your runner and your waitress).

As far as the limo, I meant just take one of the ones that's waiting there at the hotel. They're near the cab lines, no waiting, and its usually a set fee. This would be better than taking two cabs and since you'll be far south, it'll be a good ride. They won't stay until you're done partying, but at that point I don't think the limo will impress as much lol.

A few final points, twitter Tuesdays at hard rock can be a really good deal. As can boutique sites like gilt and jetsetters. They have pretty good deals sometimes. It pays to be consistent with your search. dealnews.com, fatwallet,com, smartervegas.com all have pretty good deals sometimes. Having done it now, I can also vouch for priceline/hotwire at least for 5* north strip vegas. There are sites like betterbidding.com (I think) that can help narrow down the offers they give you. Having stayed at the Venetian and reading many of the TR's about Wynn, I can honestly say that it's badass.

One more thing, the sandwich trick. Check out www.frontdesktip.com for more info. Some people really really luck out. I'd totally play it up too, we're newlyweds, it's her first time in Vegas...you might be surprised. Scour this site. And good luck. The forum members here will help.

[Breeze]

Might be true.

That end of the strip is kind of far away from all the action.

If you are at Mandalay you can kind of sequester yourself away and still have fun but not so for the rest of the "tip of the spear" as I call it.


Kayzar, listen to this guy. He is giving you good advice.

[Kayzar]

Wow, first off, thanks for the great tips so far. I'm so used to car forums where someone who comes on asking a bunch of questions gets turned down.

Second, let me explain my reasoning behind Luxor in a few basic steps:
1) Both my girlfriend and I really want to see Believe, we'll save time and money by staying there since they offer hotel guests discounts (how much, i don't know, but we will still save time)
2) We will have a rental car so during the day it will be no big deal to drive around, at least not big enough to pay extra for a centralized casino.
3) As I recall LAX wasn't half bad, and as with one of my first questions I have been lead by others (and our stay at TI) that we will at the very least get discounted entry to the club.
4) House of Blues is in Mandalay Bay and it is a requirement we go there to eat one night, again saving at least a chunk of time.
5) 9 out of 10 cabs I have taken have been smart and taken back roads, which winds up saving a lot of money, which gets them a better tip, but still costs less than a cab who sits on the strip. We've typically stayed at Platinum (3 times) so we pretty much always have to take a cab at night (or two) and it rarely has cost more than 10 bucks.
6) It's close to Excalibur that has Thunder Down Under for the girls. Saving time, and saving the guys having to drive the girls there.

I will (and always do, like I said) keep checking for steals of deals and what not, and thank you for the additional sites. Is there any where in particular I should be looking on jackcolton.com for the deals?

So the way I understand it is this: Get the girls on the GL so they can get in, mostly skip the line, and do it for free. Then get the guys a bottle and a table if we can and meet up with the girls inside? Of course, from what I have read and understand, I'd have to make sure this was okay with the host, seeing as how I have read things where they see that the party is bigger than the bottle accounts for and they want to charge more. Splitting 1 bottle between 6-8 people would be a piece of cake, even for the cheap friend.

The limo is a good idea, I've never stayed somewhere that we needed a car that has a big limo/cab area (TI, PH) because they were within walking distance of everywhere we were going. I haven't even noticed the Limos but that would work. And then everyone can take a cab home after when they feel like heading home.

As for the sandwich trick, good idea and I will read on that site. But also even got told by the reservationist at Luxor when I booked the rooms that when I check in (since we have 3 rooms, and it is her 21st and all) to tell them it is her birthday and her 21st and see if they have any upgrades available, I imagine with doing the sandwich we may luck out even better. She also said to be sure to get a player's club card for my girlfriend and find out if they do anything special for birthdays, especially a 21st.

Twitter... egh... If I have to I guess I will follow Hard Rock on there, I hate Twitter, I was on there before it exploded and still hated it. Just hard rock hotel?

And lastly, the cheap friend and his girlfriend stayed with family at the Wynn, so I can vouch that it is very nice. But, as you know, very pricey.

Again, thanks for all the help so far.

[Vadiksf415]

Kayzar,
I think a better choice for a hotel would be the PH Towers 2br suite. You can probably fit 6people easy, maybe even 8 in to it. They are really affordable at around $300/nt and that is weekend rates too, from what I saw. Also, if I were you the I would not go to LAX on a weekend...so many other better places to go to. On Friday and Sat if I were you, I would either go to (in NO particular order) Tryst, XS, Surrender, Tao, Vanity, LAVO (possibly). Break your group up...have the girls go on GList through one of the hosts listed on this site and have guys do bottle service...most places will have at least a 2bottle min on Friday or Sat, but amongst 6-8 people that isn't bad.

[WarreN]

Very good input by our Alaskan party animal & others

I would like to ask, why rent a car? DUI's aren't worth it and you don't really want to worry about having to go back to get the car nextday, gas, who's going to drive, how to get to places, etc. Taxi's/walking/shuttles should get you where you need to go pretty easily, so you can save money right there. Besides that, I think cabbing around is an adventure on its own :P

Also, if you're getting bottles, you should always text your host when you're on your way and as soon as you arrive, you shouldn't be waiting in line for 20 minutes if you have BS. Bringing girls back to the table is expected...I wouldn't ask permission, you might screw yourself. (girls USUALLY don't count)

[Drew]

I think Luxor is fine for what they need.

[Kayzar]

Kayzar,
I think a better choice for a hotel would be the PH Towers 2br suite. You can probably fit 6people easy, maybe even 8 in to it. They are really affordable at around $300/nt and that is weekend rates too, from what I saw. Also, if I were you the I would not go to LAX on a weekend...so many other better places to go to. On Friday and Sat if I were you, I would either go to (in NO particular order) Tryst, XS, Surrender, Tao, Vanity, LAVO (possibly). Break your group up...have the girls go on GList through one of the hosts listed on this site and have guys do bottle service...most places will have at least a 2bottle min on Friday or Sat, but amongst 6-8 people that isn't bad.

300 per night is nearly what we are paying now, so that would be excellent. Especially since PH is a nice hotel. Where do I book multi-room suites? I can never seem to find them on the hotels' websites. Just the massive single room suites (which, imo, is funny, since it should be the other way around)

Also, 2 bottle may be pushing it, it seems the average bottle at the bigger clubs is around 400, that means 100 per person for two bottles. Plus tips and all that crap. Keep in mind, like I said, we are all college students. I don't have 3k to drop on a single trip. And while the clubs are fun, I want some money to spend elsewhere. Mainly thinking of a helicopter tour.

I am not attempting XS again for awhile, with how ridiculous they were this last Saturday ($100 cover for guys), they're just way too crowded to be worth it, unless we go early and we have everything well organized well before we go (perhaps that is where we will try for bottle service). I've heard good things about Tryst and Tao and I've really wanted to try Tao.

Vanity is pending what is going on that weekend as it gets closer, more so who is DJing the nights we are there.

I've heard good things about Moon as well.

What are your thoughts on where to go Thursday when we arrive?



PS: I am vigilantly searching on SmarterVegas and waiting for the deal at Signature on Jetsetter right now. I love working IT, hahaha.

[AK2Vegas]

I don't think Tha AOD rents cars, period. Personally I'm 'wheels up to wheels up' so ill be dammned if I'm driving, lol.

They're talking about the ph towers, their condo property. The rooms are really cool looking and I'm sorry that didnt jump out at me sooner. Two bedrooms, three baths, new property, six foot HDTV...

Another trick I've been pushing (but not to much avail) is using costcos Vegas.com deal. You can book ph towers and save 20% off the top.

Believe, isn't that jersey shore meets David blaine? Lol

[Vadiksf415]

Kayzar,
I think a better choice for a hotel would be the PH Towers 2br suite. You can probably fit 6people easy, maybe even 8 in to it. They are really affordable at around $300/nt and that is weekend rates too, from what I saw. Also, if I were you the I would not go to LAX on a weekend...so many other better places to go to. On Friday and Sat if I were you, I would either go to (in NO particular order) Tryst, XS, Surrender, Tao, Vanity, LAVO (possibly). Break your group up...have the girls go on GList through one of the hosts listed on this site and have guys do bottle service...most places will have at least a 2bottle min on Friday or Sat, but amongst 6-8 people that isn't bad.

300 per night is nearly what we are paying now, so that would be excellent. Especially since PH is a nice hotel. Where do I book multi-room suites? I can never seem to find them on the hotels' websites. Just the massive single room suites (which, imo, is funny, since it should be the other way around)

Also, 2 bottle may be pushing it, it seems the average bottle at the bigger clubs is around 400, that means 100 per person for two bottles. Plus tips and all that crap. Keep in mind, like I said, we are all college students. I don't have 3k to drop on a single trip. And while the clubs are fun, I want some money to spend elsewhere. Mainly thinking of a helicopter tour.

I am not attempting XS again for awhile, with how ridiculous they were this last Saturday ($100 cover for guys), they're just way too crowded to be worth it, unless we go early and we have everything well organized well before we go (perhaps that is where we will try for bottle service). I've heard good things about Tryst and Tao and I've really wanted to try Tao.

Vanity is pending what is going on that weekend as it gets closer, more so who is DJing the nights we are there.

I've heard good things about Moon as well.

What are your thoughts on where to go Thursday when we arrive?



PS: I am vigilantly searching on SmarterVegas and waiting for the deal at Signature on Jetsetter right now. I love working IT, hahaha.

You can book the PH Towers here: http://www.phtowers.com/. However, this is a condo hotel, meaning NO casino....casino is on the otherside of Miracle Mile inside the PH Hotel. For Thurs, the spot to be is TAO, but once again BS there is a must, since it gets so crowded. Another option is going to Tryst. At Vanity I believe the DJ is Eric D-Lux, I believe he spins every Friday or Sat and he is pretty good. It's really up to you if want to the BS or not, BS will save you time from waiting in line, paying cover (usually $50 for guys and $30 for Girls on Fri and Sat) and it will guarantee you a place to chill out if it gets crowded and Im sure the girls would love to sit down after being on heels for a while. I see where you are coming from about being a college student and all, so I understand its tough. But if I were you I would try to do BS 1night, at least to me that's a must. Also, like Warren posted previously you don't need a car in Vegas...just a waste of money. During the day you want to walk around and check out all the spots and at night take a cab/limo to where you are going.

[Vadiksf415]

Dunno how Moon is on the weekend, but Tuesday's its pretty damn good for a weekday party. Also, if you want dirt cheap rooms look for Twitter Tuesday specials for HRH, for iinstance yesterdays deal was for $25/nt including weekends for Oct-Nov.

[Kayzar]

I found this for the PH Towers by Westgate. They wind up being about 400/night after taxes.

http://www.smartervegas.com/hotels/p...onalcodes.aspx

If I could find a 2 bedroom + sofa bed suite for 300/night after taxes and fees, or close to it, that would be great. Would it be worth calling PH?