question for club guests from a host..

[ChadNoyesRPM]

Just wanted to take a quick poll and being a Host (one of 5 million) in the city of las vegas wanted to know a few questions. What exactly do you look for when planning your trip? Do you want to go to a club with a big name or would you rather go to a club a step down where you know you will get great service? Would you go to a club for a Dj or would you go to a club for a great party? Does it matter where the hosts are that you like? And last would you rather spend 1500-2000 on a table at a club knowing you will be in the back or outside or spend 1500-2000 at a tier 2 club and be put on the dance floor in the middle of the madness? Just wanted to know some questions had some debates in meetings today. ALL feedback is welcome

[Chuck]

1. Service
2. Atmosphere/Great party
3. Best table location for the $
4. DJ
5. Name of club

Bottom line for me...most Vegas clubs are going to be amazing compared to what's back home.
Being in the action of a great party with top notch service and a host I can count on is tops in my book.

[NoahRam]

similar dilemma is coming up for me as i look into venturing towards a separate venue. great post chad.

[ReasonableDoubt]

Added info for context - I'm originally from NY & live in DC. So I'm definitely used to the big city nightlife and experience very similar things any given weekend.

What exactly do you look for when planning your trip?
Well balanced, fun time. Good Service, Good Music, & Good People.

Do you want to go to a club with a big name or would you rather go to a club a step down where you know you will get great service?
A consistent, "go-to" place where you know what you're going to get every time usually wins out over a the newest of the new. Not saying that a new place can't be great; it takes time to work out the kinks and establish a good rapport.

Would you go to a club for a Dj or would you go to a club for a great party?
Great party. Personally not going to the club for a show/concert.

Does it matter where the hosts are that you like?
Eh, hosts are just part of the picture. Personally, it wouldn't be a make or break thing if "my favorite host" no longer worked at a place I loved going to.

Would you rather spend 1500-2000 on a table at a club knowing you will be in the back or outside or spend 1500-2000 at a tier 2 club and be put on the dance floor in the middle of the madness?
Option 2. Most people want the most bang for their buck and want to feel like they are getting something "premium" when buying table service; not as though they were an after thought.

[ocam]

Answers in bold mate. For a bit of background, being from Australia, LV is usually a highlight on a trip. Usually I'm travelling with a couple other lads. So the responses are the answers of the "group" which usually outvotes me on a few matters.

Just wanted to take a quick poll and being a Host (one of 5 million) in the city of las vegas wanted to know a few questions. What exactly do you look for when planning your trip? Do you want to go to a club with a big name or would you rather go to a club a step down where you know you will get great service? Personally, I go for service. Why hand over large chunks of cash to someone who doesn't appreciate it, or doesn't want to build a relationship. I like to make friends, and not just use people as a means to an end. But, when travelling with friends (usually who are going to LV just as a one-off), they want to be able to say that they went to "XS", "Marquee", "Tao" etc Would you go to a club for a Dj or would you go to a club for a great party? I'm a big EDM fan, and in Australia we don't really get international DJs playing in our clubs regularly. LV gives me a chance to see DJs that I like, in the flesh. Does it matter where the hosts are that you like? Yes. There's going to be a good crowd no matter where you go, so we'd rather support someone we liked over another place. However, if there's a big DJ that I want to see on the same night, then I'd probably want to check that out. Another thing to note is that on a night where there are 3 equally impressive DJs playing - and I was happy to see any of them - then I would choose the place where I liked the host the most and would get treated the most favourably.And last would you rather spend 1500-2000 on a table at a club knowing you will be in the back or outside or spend 1500-2000 at a tier 2 club and be put on the dance floor in the middle of the madness? "Depends" - on a really busy night, I'm happy to sit outside of a big club because there's good foot traffic and you get some air. But at other times, you really just want to be "top dog" for a night and be in the middle of the action.Just wanted to know some questions had some debates in meetings today. ALL feedback is welcome

Overall rankings from most important to least important:

1. DJ
2. Atmosphere/Great party
3. Service/Host
4. Name of club
5. Best table location for the $

[MikeK32]

I'd prefer a club where I'm going to get great service and have a great party - as opposed to a big name or big DJ.

I think I would give the slight nod to spending $2000 on a dance floor table at tier 2 club than $2000 on an outside/side room table at tier 1. I think Chuck and ReasonableDoubt said it well in that it's perceived value for money. Not sure how the following scenario fits in but I've done a 2nd floor cabana at XS for Nightswim and had a great time and would rank that club experience at the same level as some of my dance floor tier 2 experiences. When I'm in town for 2-3 nights I usually end up doing 1 of each scenario - I think that both tier 2 dance floor and tier 1 lesser location have something different to offer.

I think the host does matter - it ties directly into the service which can turn a good night into a great one. If I use a host that gives me great service, friendly, helpful, etc I'm more likely to return to that club because I probably had a great time. So that's a plus for both that club and host. If I use a host that I'm not satisfied with the service I'm probably less likely to return to that club because I probably didn't have as good of a time and therefore more likely to check out other places. If that host that I really do like were to move to a different venue I would say I'd be more willing to at least try out that club based on the fact that he's taken good care of me in the past and would expect that high level of service to continue at the new club.

[Jhaulotte]

1. Service
2. Atmosphere/Great party
3. Best table location for the $
4. DJ
5. Name of club

I agree with this list totally.
I would throw one more in there though
6)Bears or Packers fan(thats for you Chad)

[nighthawk06si]

great format reasonabledoubt, hope you don't mind if i copy it!
Hopefully my answer helps you out a bit on how the 21-28 year olds from Southern California think when they go to vegas.
Being on the forums for a while now, I know that great service will bring me back to whatever club whether it be the VIP Host, the doorman, the waitresses, bus boys or bartenders but most of SoCal thinks differently when they go to vegas.

What exactly do you look for when planning your trip?
Most of the time when I'm planning for groups coming to vegas, we look at which DJs are spinning that weekend at each club (most of the time the tier 1 clubs) and decide which club we will go to each night of the two nights we're there.

Do you want to go to a club with a big name or would you rather go to a club a step down where you know you will get great service?
Mindset is basically big name = great party, packed house, club's gonna be poppin', it'll be a good night.

Would you go to a club for a Dj or would you go to a club for a great party?
DJ.
Not saying a tier 2 club w/o a big name DJ wouldn't be a good party either but like the above question, that's the mindset coming into vegas.

Does it matter where the hosts are that you like?
It does have a say in where I would want to go or at least have one night be at their club and possibly work that into the planning of the trip for the weekend.

Would you rather spend 1500-2000 on a table at a club knowing you will be in the back or outside or spend 1500-2000 at a tier 2 club and be put on the dance floor in the middle of the madness?
This one could go either way and depends on the group I go with and the club's name... Most of the time the group would settle for a table outside/back-wall for 1500-2000 knowing it's going to be a good looking crowd over a club that would put us on dancefloor for that min but having risk the chances of the club being "dead."

Even though 95% of the time everyone is drunk and can care less who's on the decks, being in SoCal, Vegas is 350 miles away, easily a 4 hour trip for a weekend so trips there happen quite often w/o blowing out the savings account. People wanna have a good weekend and make sure they'll be able to say they saw this DJ or that celebrity during their weekend. So all in all since EDM is the mainstream scene right now, the big name DJ's have a lot of say on where people plan to go for their little getaway from SoCal that weekend. I know Vegas is a big city and it consists of people from all around the world but hopefully this helps you on insight on people that come back time after time that you will probably build relationships with.

Thanks Chad for always taking care of the JC family!

[ccc]

I'm from Oceanside near San Diego, and I've been coming to Vegas longer than I care to admit. My tastes in nightlife, and what I want out of the experience have definitely shifted.

What exactly do you look for when planning your trip?
Well balanced, fun time. Good Service, Good Music, & Good People.

Do you want to go to a club with a big name or would you rather go to a club a step down where you know you will get great service?
This one is a bit of a toss up. There are clubs that I would avoid if a big name was there because of poor service. However, if the service is equal I'd probably go for the big name DJ. Celebrity hosts who aren't performing are actually a deterant. I don't give two shakes if so and so is hosting or having a birthday.

Would you go to a club for a Dj or would you go to a club for a great party?
I'm greedy I want both. But, if it's a dj I can easily see at home then I'll head to one of the great parties in town (GBDC, XIV, Lavo Brunch) over a DJ I've seen 3 times in the last 3 months.

Does it matter where the hosts are that you like?
Not really because I know a really good host can get me set up anywhere I need. It does help to have the host you have the best relationship with on site if problems arise.

Would you rather spend 1500-2000 on a table at a club knowing you will be in the back or outside or spend 1500-2000 at a tier 2 club and be put on the dance floor in the middle of the madness?
It all depends on what I'm looking for that night, and who I'm with. The crew I go with now makes a party no matter where we are sat, so our choices are driven more by the venue we want to be at. If we can only get back wall where we want to be, we're probably not going to a Tier 2 just to have a dance floor table.

That being said service is key especially when tables are involved. I know one club last weekend that made a bad impression on the JC crew that was out, and it will probably cost them business in the future. The host, the server, the runner and security all have a part to play in making sure the party has a great time.

P.S I'd rather have a great DJ, even if they aren't well know, than a celebrity 'host' of any kind.

[busy]

I don't see why you can't go to the tier 1 on a good night and have a great experience with great service. If I text Larson or other Marquee even last minute on a holiday weekend and let him know what I need he has it on lock and the same goes for XS.

[Dynasty]

Just wanted to take a quick poll and being a Host (one of 5 million) in the city of las vegas wanted to know a few questions. What exactly do you look for when planning your trip? Do you want to go to a club with a big name or would you rather go to a club a step down where you know you will get great service? Would you go to a club for a Dj or would you go to a club for a great party? Does it matter where the hosts are that you like? And last would you rather spend 1500-2000 on a table at a club knowing you will be in the back or outside or spend 1500-2000 at a tier 2 club and be put on the dance floor in the middle of the madness? Just wanted to know some questions had some debates in meetings today. ALL feedback is welcome

1.Big Name, usually the ppl that go with us are BS virgins or have had never VIP so we want to make it a memorable time.
2.DJ, the music is the most memorable part when it comes to my experiences
3.Either Or....Usually do one night low key at Tier 2, then big the other night with a backside outside table.


good stuff.

[VegasVIP]

Great post Chad. Guest needs are a top priority!

[aria]

I think it depends on daylife versus nightlife. I would rather go to GBDC in the summer than 75% of the pools. Alas, it is winter only. But I don't choose pools for the dj, I choose them for their atmosphere. Wet could have Deadmau5 spinning and I'd prefer iTunes on shuffle at Tao Beach every time.

There isn't a superstar dj, but it doesn't affect the amazing party atmosphere. Nightlife, it isn't so much the DJ as the club itself. DJs can enhance the experience but you can pretty much go to any Tier 1 venue and see some famous dj nowadays anyway. Most of us have a preference of clubs prior to going on a trip.

I also think people who prefer a certain venue (like XS, for example) try to cultivate a relationship with a host that works there too. If you really enjoy XS, you're going to try shop around and get the best host and build a report with them.

A great host can bring you to different venues and show you the time of your life. I hear that a lot about 1OAK because of Joey. Same goes for Chad over at Palms. We love to support hosts who are apart of the JC family. It might not be the IT DJ, but you'll have an amazing night in the hands of a good host no matter where you are.

TL;DR - Don't work for an AMG club.

[Drew]

You'll have a mix of the 2. I personally prefer to go where I'd get great service, have a good relationship, and can get a good deal. I'm different though because I really don't care about the DJ.

A lot of people go in groups and it's tough to agree on a venue. Many people prefer a big name venue/dj... they want to go to Marquee and XS and it's a hard sell to get them to go to a lower tier place, especially if say they are only in town for 1 or 2 nights (maybe you can convince them 1 night if they are around longer). Now if you've got the money and that's where you have a great relationship and service, then no real conflict.

Just look at the deviations to the May invasion schedule as a prime example of lower tier less popular club vs big name club the past 2 years.
Saturday night LAX with Jack Colton - get great service with walk-in, open bar for a couple hours, great bottle deals in prime location, BUT most of the regulars went to Marquee that night. People just didn't like LAX enough so that despite all that you could get there, it couldn't compete with Kaskade or whoever was DJing. This happened both years.

[ChrisMerc]

Chad, thanks so much for this thread. This is exactly what I have been struggling with. So I am putting it to my fellow JCers, for a Friday night in early May with a goup of 10 or so guys we are looking at 2 options. Most of the group is late their 30s without a lot of clubbing experience or knowledge. The others are hard core EDM Lovers.

1. we could get dance floor table at Haze and be right in the middle of the action, be kings for a night.

2. We could get a much less desirable table for a lot more money at Tryst or XS.

If only clubbing one night, do we go to best possible club with a table outside or in back or go down a notch and be next to the dance floor? I worry that the crowd at Haze will be underwhelming and since we will probably only have one night, just would not want to be disappointed.

ChrisMerc