New Member, asking about host etiquette

[DogHammer]

Have been reading the forums for a few weeks now and decided to join and get in on the action!
Have been reading some great trip reports and loving all the crazy antics you all get up to.

Have been to Vegas before about 5 years ago with the GF at the time, and now I am in the process of organising 6 UK guys for a trip for a friends 30th.

So far booked flights and hotels, 4 of them are staying at SLS, but myself and my wingman T, are at Harrah's. Dates are 28th of April to the 6th of May (Possibly on the Mayweather fight weekend if it goes ahead)

Im looking forward to it, and my group are known for being a bit overzealous and always get into a bit of chaos, so will definitely have a good trip report.

Main question I have is about hosts/hosting.
I understand the handshake, tipping and bottle service elements of hosting, but what about the contact? I understand that its a good idea for me to contact a host a few weeks before the trip to setup getting tables at clubs, but when I am there in the midst of it all and the guys decide they want to go to a certain club, for guest entry or a table for that night, can I just text a host? even if I have never spoken to them before?
Seems like alot of you guys on here come to vegas all the time and know the hosts a bit before working the handshake and entry angles.

Just after some first contact advice!

[artedm]

Welcome!
1st you have done a great job realizing whats going on in vegas during your trip.
2nd- when all the lineups are out have a look and compare what you might like.
Then look at presale tickets or contact hosts to get rough ideas.

[msavard]

What Artedm said.

But yes, do not be shy about texting/calling/emailing a host. Be brief but clear in what you're looking for (I'm coming in X date with X guys and X Girls. We are interested in a table at X, and are wondering what our options were). Last minute texts are fine too.

Understand these guys get hundreds of texts a day so be forgiving on response times. Most hosts I've dealt with (Kaz/BSweet/BobbyY/etc) have been extremely friendly/responsive/helpful.

[tdhvGT]

Yes - you can just reach out and text a host "day of" with no real issues. Last year on my guys trip (work buddies) I was nicknamed Mr. Vegas because of my host contacts. It was the first real time that I didn't do any major pre-work and resorted to day-of contact. In one case we were sitting on the lazy river at MGM across from Wet. I was bored and told my crew I wanted to go to Wet - I did a quick search of the forums on my phone, found a contact reached out and within an hr was inside Wet. Granted it was a Thursday so I knew there was going to be zero issue getting a few guys in last minute. The music was better and there was still some solid scenery (esp. compared to the lazy river HA). Best part was when I returned in August I used the same host and he got us into Wet on a Sat for Hardwell (1g/1g) and refused to take my handshake! On the following Friday, I used a Hak contact to get a group of girls into Calvin Harris for the night just a few hrs. out. I now pay attention to the venue, event and day of the week when deciding how much pre-planning to worry about.

Keep in mind this is a pretty fluid business. People make arrangements and for whatever reason drop out day of (too hard at the pool, on a huge gambling run, etc.) so there openings pop up last minute. Even when working with a host in advance there is a risk you will get bumped by a high roller when it comes to tables (it doesn't happen often - but trust me, you will lose your spot to the Prince of England). The legit hosts (contacts on this board) work hard to ensure you have a good time and get what you agreed to. So, if you drop a line last minute they will still work with you as best they can.

It helps to contact them mid-afternoon (hosts on this board can correct me) around 3-5pm. I imagine by this time they have slept off the night before, hit the gym and are getting set for the night ahead. They aren't slammed at the door with all their clients for the night (as they will be around 10p-12m) but are still working their contacts.

Just be polite and reference the forums or the person that referred you. Something like "Hey (Host), I got your contact from JackColton and was curious if you could get (ratio) into (Venue) tonight on the (request: guest list, table, hosted entry, etc.). I understand it is last minute but anything you can do to help will be appreciated."

Good luck and know if you work with the reputable hosts on this board (check the host appreciation thread) you will get great service!

[DeX]

Yes - you can just reach out and text a host "day of" with no real issues. Last year on my guys trip (work buddies) I was nicknamed Mr. Vegas because of my host contacts. It was the first real time that I didn't do any major pre-work and resorted to day-of contact. In one case we were sitting on the lazy river at MGM across from Wet. I was bored and told my crew I wanted to go to Wet - I did a quick search of the forums on my phone, found a contact reached out and within an hr was inside Wet. Granted it was a Thursday so I knew there was going to be zero issue getting a few guys in last minute. The music was better and there was still some solid scenery (esp. compared to the lazy river HA). Best part was when I returned in August I used the same host and he got us into Wet on a Sat for Hardwell (1g/1g) and refused to take my handshake! On the following Friday, I used a Hak contact to get a group of girls into Calvin Harris for the night just a few hrs. out. I now pay attention to the venue, event and day of the week when deciding how much pre-planning to worry about.

Keep in mind this is a pretty fluid business. People make arrangements and for whatever reason drop out day of (too hard at the pool, on a huge gambling run, etc.) so there openings pop up last minute. Even when working with a host in advance there is a risk you will get bumped by a high roller when it comes to tables (it doesn't happen often - but trust me, you will lose your spot to the Prince of England). The legit hosts (contacts on this board) work hard to ensure you have a good time and get what you agreed to. So, if you drop a line last minute they will still work with you as best they can.

It helps to contact them mid-afternoon (hosts on this board can correct me) around 3-5pm. I imagine by this time they have slept off the night before, hit the gym and are getting set for the night ahead. They aren't slammed at the door with all their clients for the night (as they will be around 10p-12m) but are still working their contacts.

Just be polite and reference the forums or the person that referred you. Something like "Hey (Host), I got your contact from JackColton and was curious if you could get (ratio) into (Venue) tonight on the (request: guest list, table, hosted entry, etc.). I understand it is last minute but anything you can do to help will be appreciated."

Good luck and know if you work with the reputable hosts on this board (check the host appreciation thread) you will get great service!

+1

[RayDay]

Yes - you can just reach out and text a host "day of" with no real issues. Last year on my guys trip (work buddies) I was nicknamed Mr. Vegas because of my host contacts. It was the first real time that I didn't do any major pre-work and resorted to day-of contact. In one case we were sitting on the lazy river at MGM across from Wet. I was bored and told my crew I wanted to go to Wet - I did a quick search of the forums on my phone, found a contact reached out and within an hr was inside Wet. Granted it was a Thursday so I knew there was going to be zero issue getting a few guys in last minute. The music was better and there was still some solid scenery (esp. compared to the lazy river HA). Best part was when I returned in August I used the same host and he got us into Wet on a Sat for Hardwell (1g/1g) and refused to take my handshake! On the following Friday, I used a Hak contact to get a group of girls into Calvin Harris for the night just a few hrs. out. I now pay attention to the venue, event and day of the week when deciding how much pre-planning to worry about.

Keep in mind this is a pretty fluid business. People make arrangements and for whatever reason drop out day of (too hard at the pool, on a huge gambling run, etc.) so there openings pop up last minute. Even when working with a host in advance there is a risk you will get bumped by a high roller when it comes to tables (it doesn't happen often - but trust me, you will lose your spot to the Prince of England). The legit hosts (contacts on this board) work hard to ensure you have a good time and get what you agreed to. So, if you drop a line last minute they will still work with you as best they can.

It helps to contact them mid-afternoon (hosts on this board can correct me) around 3-5pm. I imagine by this time they have slept off the night before, hit the gym and are getting set for the night ahead. They aren't slammed at the door with all their clients for the night (as they will be around 10p-12m) but are still working their contacts.

Just be polite and reference the forums or the person that referred you. Something like "Hey (Host), I got your contact from JackColton and was curious if you could get (ratio) into (Venue) tonight on the (request: guest list, table, hosted entry, etc.). I understand it is last minute but anything you can do to help will be appreciated."

Good luck and know if you work with the reputable hosts on this board (check the host appreciation thread) you will get great service!

+1 Awesome feedback!

[DogHammer]

Great!

Thanks a lot. Ill look at booking the odd thing before I get to there, and take a load of host numbers with me on my phone to work out some deals when I'm there!

hopefully it wont prices wont be too crazy as its the mayweather fight weekend but we shall see.

[ryan850]

Great post by tdh. The hosts that are recommended on here are all great at costumer service. Touch base with the hosts in the afternoon or day before and be clear in the details. They all are really good at following up within an hour.

have fun guys

[drozzy]

you're the costumer potentially spending thousands of dollars at their nightclub, if you need help make sure you reach out!

[DeX]

guestlists you may wanna do it before 6pm cause hosts have a time they have to submit their lists at a certain time and then they cant add.

for tables unless its major hoildays or a big weekend you can always do it the day of even a few hours before but you run into the risk of them only having the higher priced tables available. For the most part though you'll be okay booking the day of it, happens all the time.