Tipping a host you never see for bottle service

[CLoftis]

As far as Patrick frank, don't feel bad. Do a search on him on the forums and you'll lose any guilt you were feeling. There's several good host for XS and Tryst mentioned on here you should use. Ryan Perrings and Jared Garcia are my first choice.

Learned my lesson the hard way. But I wouldn't have used Patrick if he wasn't listed at the recommended host for Tryst on the main page. I would have switched to Ryan later on, but I knew that I would feel bad canceling with one host just to use another. Now I know better. Just wish I hadn't learned these lessons on a $12,000 trip. lol

[dlo1975]

The hosts job is to set up the table and make sure your reservation doesn't get dropped. Sounds like he came through for you despite not being there. As for the tip...$300 for a two bottle tab...wow that is high!

[gmjoe]

There are many points in this thread that i have to agree with. I do bottle service in Vegas every time I am there, and I am finding that most hosts only want the booking and actually getting you a certain table location is all about a "re-negotiated" deal at a much inflated price. I do not think I am going to be tipping before seeing my table any more as once tipped they hand you off and are rarely seen thereafter. It is frustrating as a customer to not know the actual cost of something, they sure are not up front about the true cost of a good table until you are stuck in the far corner of a club squinting at the action far far away!!!

[dave742]

I think you were more than generous. Glad you had a great time and now you know to use another host.

Another question along the same lines:

I meet the host I've been organizing the table with at the front door and I tip him $150 on a $1500 table min. He then hands me off to another host who actually walks me to my table. Do I have to tip the guy that actually walks me to the table? Mind you, all he did was walk me there and didn't see him the rest of the night.

[Drew]

I think you were more than generous. Glad you had a great time and now you know to use another host.

Another question along the same lines:

I meet the host I've been organizing the table with at the front door and I tip him $150 on a $1500 table min. He then hands me off to another host who actually walks me to my table. Do I have to tip the guy that actually walks me to the table? Mind you, all he did was walk me there and didn't see him the rest of the night.

Just wing it. Depends on the situation/relationship with the hosts, how you feel you've been helped. Say like the first host was really helpful setting everything up or you've got a good relationship etc, I'd give all or most to him. Maybe slip $20-50 to the next guy if he seems cool, maybe more if he seems potentially helpful throughout the night. It could be the other way around, if you felt the first guy didn't really seem interested and the 2nd guy is cooler, then maybe slip him more and the first guy less.

[MikeyTantalo]

The hosts job is to set up the table and make sure your reservation doesn't get dropped. Sounds like he came through for you despite not being there. As for the tip...$300 for a two bottle tab...wow that is high!

he better make your location gold!

[MikeyTantalo]

I'd like to get everyone's opinion on something real quick. What's your opinion on the host tip when you order bottle service and never actually see your host? Let me give a little more info on the backstory here...

I used Patrick Green (listed on this site at Patrick Frank for some reason) to book a table for 8 at Tryst on Friday night and XS on Saturday night. I was told I would need 2 bottles at Tryst and 3 at XS, and I agreed. I pointed out that I would prefer an indoor table if at all possible, because half of my group would be girls, and they wouldn't exactly be layered up with clothes. Friday rolls around (I booked the table 3 weeks out) and I text Patrick. He texts me back that he won't be walking us in at Tryst because he's sick, and that he's have to be at XS even if he wasn't sick. I agree and get a person to ask for at Tryst.

We get to Tryst, I tell them who my original host was, and who I was suppose to ask for. They have some lady (not who I was suppose to ask for) seat us, and luckily we got a nice booth inside. But since about half the tables/booths were empty all night, I'm not surprised. I went ahead and gave $300 (on a 2 bottle table) to the lady that seated us, and told her that Patrick was my host contact, and to be sure he was taken care of. I also tipped just over 20% to our waitress and $40 each to our runner and bouncer. Waitress, bouncer, and runner were all amazing. Some other head of security guy not so much, but that's a whole other story.

So Saturday night rolls around and I text Patrick a couple hours ahead of time to reconfirm our reservation. He's texts back to just let him know when I'm there. We arrive at the club at the designated time, and I shoot him a text. He texts me back that one of the guys will take us in, because he's working the guest list line. So someone comes and gets us (the guy working the line cuts off the last person in our party and it takes a couple minutes just to get them to let him in with us for some reason) and then we head in. They take our group of 7 (4 guys/3 girls as we were down one person this night) to an outside booth in the far corner of the club that has about enough space to squeeze 4 people into. As soon as we're standing there I look over and can tell the girls are freezing. There's a heater next to the booth, but the breeze is completely ruining any good that it's doing.

So I ask the lady seating us if there's any tables inside that we could switch to. I wasn't worried about location, I just didn't want the girls to be uncomfortable. I also tell her that Patrick was our host, and that he's apparently outside working the guest list line in case they need to grab him to help us out. Instead she goes and gets some other guy, who comes over and tells me that they have over 100 table reservations for this night, and so there's no other table available. So I ask if that would still be the case if I was buying more bottles (I'm buying 3 already). His exact response was that "inside tables are a $2.5k minimum". So I ask, does that mean if I bought 2 more bottles I could get an inside table? He contemplates for a minute, and then asks if I'd like to see the table. I told him that I didn't really care, as long as it's inside, but I'd take a look at it anyway. He walks me in, and as soon as he shows me that it's a real table inside, I said I'd take it. We ended up ordering a Magnum Grey Goose, 2 regular Grey Goose bottles, and a Captain Morgan or something to meet the $2500 minimum. I tipped the waitress just over 20% (was about $550), gave the bouncer $80 (and another $20 later when I asked if he could escort us to the restroom), and gave the runner $80.

But our host didn't meet us or walk us in, nor did he let me know ahead of time they wouldn't be able to get me an inside table like I requested, nor did he come help me when I was having a problem with our table, nor did he ever come ask us how the night was going. So after tipping him $300 for 2 bottles the night before without seeing him, was it wrong to not bother tipping him on Saturday night? I'm usually a very generous tipper, and hate stiffing people. But I couldn't bring myself to give him more money when I already got hustled out of an extra $1300 to get an inside table like I requested 3 weeks ago.

On a side note, I felt really bad when half the people in my group got sick the next night and I wasn't able to do bottle service at Lavo. I can tell that Donnie would have taken much much better care of us there.

Donnie Sure would have... All of my tables I see persoally.. (unless u hit me this past month where I was on medical leave) and make sure they are set... stand with them for a bit.. and chit chat.. then txt them through the night and see if they are ok.. go in once I can get off the door and say whad up.. ask Vadim.. or some of the guys.. they will tell ya..

Donnie does same.. all good host do..

[Vadiksf415]

Donnie Sure would have... All of my tables I see persoally.. (unless u hit me this past month where I was on medical leave) and make sure they are set... stand with them for a bit.. and chit chat.. then txt them through the night and see if they are ok.. go in once I can get off the door and say whad up.. ask Vadim.. or some of the guys.. they will tell ya..

Donnie does same.. all good host do..

Mikey T is good people. Took care of my group back on our November trip. Came by numerous times to see how we were doing and texted me throughout the night as well to make sure the night was going well. You won't go wrong with having Mikey as your host.

Haven't worked with Donnie yet, but all the reviews I hear about him is that he is as solid as they come. Look forward to working with Donnie on my next trip, which hopefully will be in May for mAyOD.

[Andrew@LasVegasNightclubs]

Changing the listed host for Tryst after seeing this. Thanks for letting us know!

[Breeze]

Changing the listed host for Tryst after seeing this. Thanks for letting us know!

Thank you!

He is not the only one who has hand a bad experience with that guy (hand goes up)

[CLoftis]

Changing the listed host for Tryst after seeing this. Thanks for letting us know!

Thank you very much Jack. This site has been extremely helpful to me, and I can honestly say that the only bad information I have gotten from it was Patrick's contact info as a host for Tryst. I'm very glad to know that no one else will have this experience in the future. Aside from that, this site has been the single most helpful place for finding information about making a Vegas trip fun and memorable.

I'm extremely sad that so many of us were feeling under the weather on Sunday night and thus we didn't make it to Lavo. Donnie even texted me today after he saw this post just to assure me that he'll be more than willing to help me out next time that I'm in Vegas. No matter what else I do next time I'm there, Lavo will be one of my destinations.

[WarreN]

As people have said already, don't feel bad. You were more than generous.

More importantly, thank you for letting the community know about your experience, THIS is what makes this the best Las Vegas forum I know of. We keep each other informed, don't hold punches when needed and give our honest advice and opinions!

Viva La JackColton.com! haha

[roknroll]

Got any recommendations for a Tryst contact for Superbowl Sunday? Does Ryan Perrings also do Tryst? I also so some posts on the host appreciation thread about Jared Garcia for Tryst (but it said he doesn't work Sunday).

[Drew]

Got any recommendations for a Tryst contact for Superbowl Sunday? Does Ryan Perrings also do Tryst? I also so some posts on the host appreciation thread about Jared Garcia for Tryst (but it said he doesn't work Sunday).

Are they open as a special for superbowl? Tryst doesn't open on Sunday nights normally.

[Vadiksf415]

Got any recommendations for a Tryst contact for Superbowl Sunday? Does Ryan Perrings also do Tryst? I also so some posts on the host appreciation thread about Jared Garcia for Tryst (but it said he doesn't work Sunday).

Tryst is closed on Sundays. XS would be your best choice and Ryan Perrings is the man you need to get in contact with.