Tipping – the only thread you’ll ever need to read on the topic.

[MangoPort]

I wanted to add my own bit to the conversation but have decided to bite my tongue as I have nothing nice to say. What I can say though is that on my upcoming big night I know a host I won't be contacting, their attitude is all wrong.

Your statements are contradictory even though your point is noted.

I'm curious about independent hosts - since they are getting the same tips for the same service, they are obviously keeping 100% of their tips, correct? So an Indie that walks 40 clients in and pulls something like $6k will end up ... $6k? Minus what he's tipped to other people that are his 'connections'?

So maybe $4k?

[AnthonyHyde]

Yes. Independent hosts keep all of there tips minus tipping out their connections. But if you think about it, as an independent host, you're walking your own clients into a club and making sure everything goes smoothly. The best and most well known independent host may have 40 clients in a month, but it's very rare. Most indi hosts have 2 clients per weekend if they're lucky, but there are times when they have no clients and are not getting paid at all for the week.

[BCEagle]

I wanted to add my own bit to the conversation but have decided to bite my tongue as I have nothing nice to say. What I can say though is that on my upcoming big night I know a host I won't be contacting, their attitude is all wrong.

I disagre, he is giving us insight on a topic most of us don't completely understand. I find an honest anwser very refreshing and will be more inclined to contact him.

[UpperRiver]

I wanted to add my own bit to the conversation but have decided to bite my tongue as I have nothing nice to say. What I can say though is that on my upcoming big night I know a host I won't be contacting, their attitude is all wrong.

I disagre, he is giving us insight on a topic most of us don't completely understand. I find an honest anwser very refreshing and will be more inclined to contact him.

+1 I find this thread to be pretty informative actually.

[Danny Vegas]

I wanted to add my own bit to the conversation but have decided to bite my tongue as I have nothing nice to say. What I can say though is that on my upcoming big night I know a host I won't be contacting, their attitude is all wrong.

Then it would be your loss. I've seen him time and time again offer to help set up people's entire trips. That's a solid host in my view.

I know quite a few people who work in the industry, whether it's in Vegas, NJ, or NYC and like Anthony said, most of their salary comes from tipping.

[Chappy]

My 2 hundy (Cause Vegas doesn't run on Cents) is you find a host who is established and who is devoted to a club. You tip him nice and big and then you get hooked up when you come back. It works for me and it will work for you. I always go with a senior host because those hosts always pull more weight.

[JoeDet]

Anthony,

Thanks for the awesome insight into the life of a host. Actually very interesting stuff. You seem like a stand up guy, ill be in vegas early August and will def hit you up!

[not a vet but no rookie]

Yes. just let the host know up front your intentions of the tip. Say things like "there is $500 in it for you for the best possible spot in the house." by saying how much you take the guessing game out of the equasion. Just the other day I heard "I'm going to take care of you" and when I walked him to the ropes he handed me $20 bucks to skip the line for 4 dude. He had a mildly embarrassing walk to the back of the line.

now that is funny

I wanted to add my own bit to the conversation but have decided to bite my tongue as I have nothing nice to say. What I can say though is that on my upcoming big night I know a host I won't be contacting, their attitude is all wrong.

I disagre, he is giving us insight on a topic most of us don't completely understand. I find an honest anwser very refreshing and will be more inclined to contact him.

+1 I find this thread to be pretty informative actually.

+2

[Drew]

Yes. just let the host know up front your intentions of the tip. Say things like "there is $500 in it for you for the best possible spot in the house." by saying how much you take the guessing game out of the equasion. Just the other day I heard "I'm going to take care of you" and when I walked him to the ropes he handed me $20 bucks to skip the line for 4 dude. He had a mildly embarrassing walk to the back of the line.

Damn that cheapskate Gary Royale... makes us all look bad

Great info Anthony!

[RubySohoPDX]

Yes. just let the host know up front your intentions of the tip. Say things like "there is $500 in it for you for the best possible spot in the house." by saying how much you take the guessing game out of the equasion. Just the other day I heard "I'm going to take care of you" and when I walked him to the ropes he handed me $20 bucks to skip the line for 4 dude. He had a mildly embarrassing walk to the back of the line.

now that is funny

I disagre, he is giving us insight on a topic most of us don't completely understand. I find an honest anwser very refreshing and will be more inclined to contact him.

+1 I find this thread to be pretty informative actually.

+2

+3
Seriously, the insight provided is simply fantastic.

[Guest]

Yes. just let the host know up front your intentions of the tip. Say things like "there is $500 in it for you for the best possible spot in the house." by saying how much you take the guessing game out of the equasion. Just the other day I heard "I'm going to take care of you" and when I walked him to the ropes he handed me $20 bucks to skip the line for 4 dude. He had a mildly embarrassing walk to the back of the line.

Damn that cheapskate Gary Royale... makes us all look bad

Great info Anthony!

Can't help it when I bring girls and they refuse to pony up

[sydneygirl]

Yes. just let the host know up front your intentions of the tip. Say things like "there is $500 in it for you for the best possible spot in the house." by saying how much you take the guessing game out of the equasion. Just the other day I heard "I'm going to take care of you" and when I walked him to the ropes he handed me $20 bucks to skip the line for 4 dude. He had a mildly embarrassing walk to the back of the line.

Damn that cheapskate Gary Royale... makes us all look bad

Great info Anthony!

Can't help it when I bring girls and they refuse to pony up

Yeah they weren't girls gary you might want to start doing an adams apple check.

[floradeluna]

Great info... and as far as im concern... eventhough he has no assurance that I will go through with any booking, Anthony's being helpful, quick and professionnal replying to all my messages...Just for that I'm looking forward to my trip and to visit the places he's a host at!

As far services and all... it is like that everywhere... when I got married it cost me 5K..(plus I gave them tip at the location and a lump sum when I paid my bill) to get what... a DJ, a place to get married, celebrant and ppl on staff making sure my day was fine...(pretty similar no?)

Was it expensive compared to just booking a simple hall and doing it all by myself.. for sure.. 4X-5X more expensive.. but oh so worth it... they made sure my day was flawless and that any questions, worries or needs were taken care of... well an host does a similar kind of work...

So yeah, it might seem more expensive at first... but in the end, to me, it can make the difference to an ok evening to a wonderful VEGAS experience evening... of course you will make your own fun and all... but it won't hurt to have a little help!

Thanks again for great insight Anthony!

[MangoPort]

There's no question that Anthony has provided a lot of valuable insight. I'm sure everyone appreciates it.

I still am curious about something, and since this is a tipping thread it seems like the right place. It's sort of a combination of a few ideas into one.

As stated somewhere else, location is mostly dependant on table minimums - so if I'm spending $5k I will probably be in a better place than someone spending $2k, but within a range there's some flexibility. This flexibility is based on tipping - usually implicit, sometimes explicit.

But in the occasional time I've just walked up and asked for table service, the host isn't tipped until after we're seated. It's been very important these times the night went well so I tipped, but in these cases what happens if we don't? The host hasn't done anything and his job at this point could be replaced with *anyone*. Same reason you rarely tip hosts at nice restaurants that walk you to their table.

These two points lead me to believe that the reason to go through a host rather than just the website / walking straight up is *also* because of the flexibility related to your table, which again is only reasonably limited.

So if I'm spending $5k for a table (what's that about 9 bottles?), then if I booked through a host a reasonable tip would be around $900, of which any host will do. (Am I correct assuming most quality hosts will provide the exact same experience - easy entry and an appropriate table location?)

Yet if I book through the site / walked up, and then when I get walked to my table I just tipped $100, I would get pretty much the exact same table?

If my assumptions are correct than the reason to tip isn't for service, it's because of expectation. The same reason you tip valets guys in Vegas $1-$5, but when stay at just as quality places in NYC you don't tip.

Sorry for the long post, but if someone would clarify most of my questions I promise I will be done questioning the whole tipping concept.

[Vater]

Thanks for all the great info Anthony. Five Vegas trips the past 3 years and I've yet to check out XS (my loss). Definitely going this October and I'll be hitting you up.


" Still, “taking care of people” is the foundation of Las Vegas," -JC

I believe Robert DeNiro said something similar in Casino. can't go wrong with the advice of these two.