Clubbing newbie, but not vegas newbie, lots-o-questions

[norcalMike]

Hello All!
This site has been an amazing resource for planning my next Vegas trip. I do have a few questions I haven't been able to find the answers for, if the answer is out there for any of these please forgive me.

A little background first...

I'm by no means a Vegas newbie. I've been about 8-10 time since my early twenties. Most times for business (various conferences etc), once for a (really crappy) wedding and once with a girlfriend. I was extremely closed minded about drinking, clubbing, music (pretty much everything) in my early twenties so all the previous trips I haven't really experienced Vegas the way it should be. I started really coming into my own and lightened up in my late 20's and now that I'm 33 I'm all about partying and dancing and having fun. I guess you can say I'm a late bloomer. So basically I know the hotels and gambling side of Vegas but not the clubbing side.

So 5 friends and I are planning a guys trip to Vegas in sometime between January and May for a weekend (two nights, Friday and Sat). 2 of the 5 of us are married/attached and all of us are in our early 30s. We all just want to have fun, party with girls, and get drunk.

By this long thread, you can tell I'm a planner. I don't like going into a trip with out a game plan, but I don't mind changing on the fly if need be. So here's my questions...

1. Time of year? We want to go sometime in the next 6 months, a few of the guys are pushing for later in spring because of the pools but a few of us (including me) want something asap because we're just excited to go. Other than the pools is there any reason to go Jan/Feb vs April/May? Will there be less girls at the clubs if we go in Jan? Maybe cheaper in the winter?

2. We are set on getting bottle service and a table both nights (luckily everyone sees the value in this), but we're undecided on where to go. I'm a big EDM fan so at least one night I want to go somewhere with that type of music and a few of the other guys rather stay away from that. So we're going to compromise and do EDM one night and hip-hop/top 40 the other. I'm pushing for either Marquee, XS or Hakkasan. Thoughts on these three? What about hip-hop?

3. Bottle Rats... how to avoid them? How to spot them? I haven't talked to the other guys about this at all and I'm probably just being paranoid about getting bottle service for the first time. But I rather (obviously) party with girls who aren't there for just the drinks. Any tips? Or should I not worry about it?

I think that is it for now... Thanks for reading my lame questions.

[artedm]

1st- I would just point out that Friday and Saturday are the big nights in vegas- flights are most expensive, hotels are most expensive, every club is open, usually no bottle specials at clubs, etc. Compared to others days of the week when everything is cheaper.

Some of the bigger crowd weekends will be superbowl weekend- 1st weekend in Feb. Final four weekend 1st weekend in April- with the pools open, 1st weekend in May- possible fight weekend and then the biggest Memorial day weekend.

Each of the clubs in vegas is unique generally but also if you research them you will see each of them has certain resident djs. Its worth looking at club lineups- who the dj is to get a sense of the music and compare.

I always recommend you try out a few clubs with presale tickets to get a feel for them see what you like.
For example you could take a few friends superbowl weekend and do presale tickets, see what you like and then plan the bigger trip for April/May

[DeX]

Hello All!
This site has been an amazing resource for planning my next Vegas trip. I do have a few questions I haven't been able to find the answers for, if the answer is out there for any of these please forgive me.

A little background first...

I'm by no means a Vegas newbie. I've been about 8-10 time since my early twenties. Most times for business (various conferences etc), once for a (really crappy) wedding and once with a girlfriend. I was extremely closed minded about drinking, clubbing, music (pretty much everything) in my early twenties so all the previous trips I haven't really experienced Vegas the way it should be. I started really coming into my own and lightened up in my late 20's and now that I'm 33 I'm all about partying and dancing and having fun. I guess you can say I'm a late bloomer. So basically I know the hotels and gambling side of Vegas but not the clubbing side.

So 5 friends and I are planning a guys trip to Vegas in sometime between January and May for a weekend (two nights, Friday and Sat). 2 of the 5 of us are married/attached and all of us are in our early 30s. We all just want to have fun, party with girls, and get drunk.

By this long thread, you can tell I'm a planner. I don't like going into a trip with out a game plan, but I don't mind changing on the fly if need be. So here's my questions...

1. Time of year? We want to go sometime in the next 6 months, a few of the guys are pushing for later in spring because of the pools but a few of us (including me) want something asap because we're just excited to go. Other than the pools is there any reason to go Jan/Feb vs April/May? Will there be less girls at the clubs if we go in Jan? Maybe cheaper in the winter?

2. We are set on getting bottle service and a table both nights (luckily everyone sees the value in this), but we're undecided on where to go. I'm a big EDM fan so at least one night I want to go somewhere with that type of music and a few of the other guys rather stay away from that. So we're going to compromise and do EDM one night and hip-hop/top 40 the other. I'm pushing for either Marquee, XS or Hakkasan. Thoughts on these three? What about hip-hop?

3. Bottle Rats... how to avoid them? How to spot them? I haven't talked to the other guys about this at all and I'm probably just being paranoid about getting bottle service for the first time. But I rather (obviously) party with girls who aren't there for just the drinks. Any tips? Or should I not worry about it?

I think that is it for now... Thanks for reading my lame questions.

1) winter has lower minimums and more chances for deals. crowds are still decent but wont be ridiculously packed like in summer months.

2) cant go wrong with any of the mega clubs for EDM just look at the line ups and go from there. As for hip hop i'd go to 1oak or hyde

3) Bottle rat situation depends on the level of bottle rat you encounter lol. For the most part if a girl grabs the bottle and starts pouring drinks for her and her friends. bottle rat. if she comes up to you and asks if she can come into your table. bottle rat. if they seem to be chugging their drinks left and right. bottle rat.

[DeX]

I always recommend you try out a few clubs with presale tickets to get a feel for them see what you like.
For example you could take a few friends superbowl weekend and do presale tickets, see what you like and then plan the bigger trip for April/May

The problem with this is the majority of the time people go and they dont have a good time being in the massive crowds being pushed and shoved or yelled at by security for standing somewhere they are not supposed to. Waiting for drinks at the bar and the amount they're gonna pay at the bar. Then they swear off a nightclub because of that.

[artedm]

Try out means checking a club out- I think your more likely to swear off a club if you drop 2k to get two bottles with a crap location

The problem with this is the majority of the time people go and they dont have a good time being in the massive crowds being pushed and shoved or yelled at by security for standing somewhere they are not supposed to. Waiting for drinks at the bar and the amount they're gonna pay at the bar. Then they swear off a nightclub because of that.

[DeX]

Try out means checking a club out- I think your more likely to swear off a club if you drop 2k to get two bottles with a crap location

how is checking out a club different from what i said...are they not going to be in the masses and getting drinks from the bar?

[donniejay]

If everybody is down for bottle service, you might as well go towards that route. What you spend on cover for 5 guys in addition to rounds of drinks inside, you might as well chip in more for a table and make it a better night.

Wintertime you can land more deals in the winter, and weekends are still hopping. If pools aren't a necessity then nothing wrong with going during the winter!

As far as bottle rats goes...

-if she pours her own drinks
-calls over her whole flock to your table (without asking for your permission)
-you see her by the bar with NO drinks
-she will drink with you but won't dance with you

SHE'S A BOTTLE RAT!

[Rhythmz]

DeX and artedm gave some good tips. Having a table every night is great, if you have the budget for it. If you have money to spare, get a table every night. It is important to do your research on what club will best suit you, before you drop a couple of thousand bucks on a table. If you ask any specific questions about the venues on the forums, I am sure everyone here will be happy to help you.

Here is my suggestion if some of your group likes hip hop, and others like EDM. Marquee and Hakkasan have separate rooms for hip hop. I would suggest getting a table in the Hip Hop room of Marquee/Hakk one night, and a table in the main room of Marquee/Hakk one night. This way you can experience an EDM DJ you want to see in two different venues, and your hip hop friends will stay happy.

However, if you are on a budget and want to check out some different venues, pre sales is an excellent way to go for a group of guys.

[norcalMike]

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions!! It's really great having a resource like this and a forum where people don't jump on you for asking stupid newbie questions.

Yeah, we're definitely planning on dropping a good amount of cash on this trip, that's the nice thing about going in a big group of guys in their 30s... we're all successful professionals so we have the cash. And I think that's a benefit to experiencing Vegas for the first time like this vs in my early 20s when I was a broke college kid. So we don't mind dropping a few grand on table service.

I think I'm going to push for a trip sooner than later. Maybe the Weekend between the Super Bowl and Valentines day. I was worried that it might be dead that time of year but it sounds like we won't have problems meeting girls as long as it's a weekend.

I like the idea of getting a table at the hip-hop room of a club that has both kinds of music and then vice versa on the next night. I'm going to suggest this to the rest of the guys.

[ashroid]

Bottle rat situation depends on the level of bottle rat you encounter lol. For the most part if a girl grabs the bottle and starts pouring drinks for her and her friends. bottle rat. if she comes up to you and asks if she can come into your table. bottle rat. if they seem to be chugging their drinks left and right. bottle rat.

Couldn't have said it better. I toss them out as soon as I see it.

[boags]

if you wake up next day and they're in the bed...not bottle rats.

[norcalMike]

if you wake up next day and they're in the bed...not bottle rats.

haha, love this one.

[DoU]

I can say that Vegas now is much more in tune with the way you've changed. It's much more party/club oriented than before. Much more revenue share comes now from clubs than before (compared to gambling, shows, etc). The scene is much younger, especially at higher end hotels and all they want to do is party. So you'll feel at home