HOSTS: When/how do you pay them?

[MsAmERIKA]

So I know I'm jumping in a little late to this discussion, but since I'm new to the JC forums, I'm wondering...for those who are working with independent, but reputable hosts (like Noah, for example...I don't even know this guy, but I keep reading his name and people saying how awesome he is), when do you begin making arrangements for your trip with him? As in, how far out in advance? My trip is 6 weeks away...is that too far to start reaching out to make plans? I'm not really the last minute kinda chick.

And also, how/when do you pay someone like Noah if he's not a direct host? Does he send you a contract like a direct host would? A paypal invoice? Or do you just pay him when you meet him in front of the club?

[EastCoast]

Reach out to Noah now. He can answer your questions. And he will tell you when is right to book your plans.

You will not pay a dime until you get to the club.

[Chuck]

Welcome to the forums MsAmERIKA.

If you work with someone like Noah you won't need to pay anything up front. Just shoot him a text and let him know where you would like to go, dates, and group size. You'll pay the clubs directly for bottle service if that's what you're setting up and tip him in person when he meets you in Vegas. It's pretty easy Oh, and 6 weeks is a good time to make contact and start making arrangements. It's certainly acceptable to discuss tip amounts up front as well if you want to know exactly what to expect as far as cost goes.

[inthecity]

Welcome to the forums MsAmERIKA.

If you work with someone like Noah you won't need to pay anything up front. Just shoot him a text and let him know where you would like to go, dates, and group size. You'll pay the clubs directly for bottle service if that's what you're setting up and tip him in person when he meets you in Vegas. It's pretty easy Oh, and 6 weeks is a good time to make contact and start making arrangements. It's certainly acceptable to discuss tip amounts up front as well if you want to know exactly what to expect as far as cost goes.

definitely the most valuable piece of information. From my experience, a host doesn't know how much you are going to tip them if at all and if they know what to expect, they work to get you the best possible setup for that $. I always say up front what their handshake (term for host tip) would be.

[MsAmERIKA]

Welcome to the forums MsAmERIKA.

If you work with someone like Noah you won't need to pay anything up front. Just shoot him a text and let him know where you would like to go, dates, and group size. You'll pay the clubs directly for bottle service if that's what you're setting up and tip him in person when he meets you in Vegas. It's pretty easy Oh, and 6 weeks is a good time to make contact and start making arrangements. It's certainly acceptable to discuss tip amounts up front as well if you want to know exactly what to expect as far as cost goes.

Thanks! If he helps us get into 3 different venues over the course of the entire weekend, should I give him the entire tip we've budgeted for him for the weekend at the first venue? Or split the tip up and give him a tip at each venue? We've budgeted $800 as his total tip for the weekend and right now our itinerary looks like:

7/10, Friday nightclub: Omnia
7/11, Saturday dayclub: EBC
7/11, Saturday nightclub: maybe Light? (this one's still up in the air because we as a group can't decide where to go, so we're open to suggestions!)

So is it more appropriate to give Noah the full $800 at Omnia when we first meet? I've never met him before and since this will be my first exchange with him, we were thinking of just splitting it up: $300 at Omnia, $300 at EBC, and $200 at wherever we end up on Saturday.

Also, is that a decent tip amount for 3 venues and to request a host to get a lower minimum or upgraded table location? I wish we could afford more, but we're not major players in the game.

[ryan850]

Thats definitely a suitable tip for setting you up all three nights. Discuss with Noah up front what your able to tip and what your expectations are and I'm sure he'll exceed them.

And since XS is my favorite club, I have to give the obligatory suggestion for Deadmaus at XS on sat. Always a fabulous party!

[tdhvGT]

As suggested - work it out with Noah upfront on service payment (is it really a "tip" anymore*?). However, in the absence of that, I would lean heavy on the front end with at-least 80% of the tip. That establishes you as credible and trustworthy and a potential repeat customer. AKA "one to take care of." Now, I haven't personally used Noah but he has a good rep and won't run out on you or screw you so there is little risk of a bad time or really the necessity of establishing a reputation. And with/without the tip he will provide excellent service. However it is easier to justify above and beyond service if you know what you are getting.

As for tip amount, what type of entry are you requesting - bottle service everywhere or just fast and easy entry? What is the guy/girl ratio? If an all girl group better locations and lower mins are very possible and much eaiser. If XS on Saturday night than all three joints are on the expensive side and "great deals" will be harder to find. If a good deal is struck than your amount is solid. My only concern would be that expectations could be misaligned on what kind of deal to expect for that size tip - there is a limit to how much of a deal a venue will give (XS/Light will be good, EBC is a crap shoot and I have no idea what to expect at Omnia). I have no doubt that Noah can pull down good deals and thats why you use him.

*Don't get me wrong - it is a valuable service and one I would use if I didn't have direct host contacts. Plus it is well worth it, however since it is multiple clubs and requires more organization I see it more as a service fee than a tip.

[artedm]

you got to start getting quotes first-
there might be some sticker shock/ venue changing based on bottle prices/ tax/tip etc.

[adn232]

From my experience working with Noah, he rarely talks about a "hand shake" and just tells me that he'll do his best with the table minimum I tell him to work with. Once seated inside of the club, I give him his tip. For hosted entry GA on the other hand, him and I discuss how much he wants in person usually through text earlier in the day, and then once we meet up in front of the club and he walks us in, I just hand him the agreed amount of money.

[MsAmERIKA]

Thats definitely a suitable tip for setting you up all three nights. Discuss with Noah up front what your able to tip and what your expectations are and I'm sure he'll exceed them.

And since XS is my favorite club, I have to give the obligatory suggestion for Deadmaus at XS on sat. Always a fabulous party!

Ok Ryan, you've got me convinced! Help me pitch this to the bride to be to give XS another chance. She hated it last time because we had an outside table that was closer to the gaming area, and even just trying to go inside to use the ladies' room took almost 45 minutes because it was so packed. Dancing was almost impossible. Plus we were placed next to the Dukes of Douchebags, and since it was so crowded, there was no escaping them, so it just left the impression that XS only drew that "type" of crowd. And I think we just weren't taken care of in general by our host/waitress/busser/security at the time. Just wasn't a fun experience in general.
Soooo....with that said, what's the best table location? Any other advice I can use to give her the hard sell? Deadmau5 is actually one of the few acts I do know, so that helps!

[fredbaker]

Ok Ryan, you've got me convinced! Help me pitch this to the bride to be to give XS another chance. She hated it last time because we had an outside table that was closer to the gaming area, and even just trying to go inside to use the ladies' room took almost 45 minutes because it was so packed. Dancing was almost impossible. Plus we were placed next to the Dukes of Douchebags, and since it was so crowded, there was no escaping them, so it just left the impression that XS only drew that "type" of crowd. And I think we just weren't taken care of in general by our host/waitress/busser/security at the time. Just wasn't a fun experience in general.
Soooo....with that said, what's the best table location? Any other advice I can use to give her the hard sell? Deadmau5 is actually one of the few acts I do know, so that helps!

I'm with Ryan on this. I'm flying down with my gf and meeting up with a few other JC'ers we've split with in the past and the highlight of the trip is Deadmau5 at XS. We're planning to get a table indoors. Already working with Bobby Y, who's probably the most recommended host on JC and there's no doubt he'll take care of our group. For our small group he's already said he'll get us the best table he can with direct view of the DJ. Can you sell it to the bride that way? Also, Deadmau5 barely plays any clubs. He does 2-3 at XS a year and that's it. Seeing someone like Calvin Harris is great but he's in Vegas just about every weekend. Same for the other big names. So it would be a unique experience. If you're looking to split then drop me a PM and we could join up and probably get a kick ass table for our budgets.

[irishvic]

Ok Ryan, you've got me convinced! Help me pitch this to the bride to be to give XS another chance. She hated it last time because we had an outside table that was closer to the gaming area, and even just trying to go inside to use the ladies' room took almost 45 minutes because it was so packed. Dancing was almost impossible. Plus we were placed next to the Dukes of Douchebags, and since it was so crowded, there was no escaping them, so it just left the impression that XS only drew that "type" of crowd. And I think we just weren't taken care of in general by our host/waitress/busser/security at the time. Just wasn't a fun experience in general.
Soooo....with that said, what's the best table location? Any other advice I can use to give her the hard sell? Deadmau5 is actually one of the few acts I do know, so that helps!

Get with Bobby Yeadon and explain your situation and what figures you need to make things work to get in a good spot for your budget. I was in Vegas this past March with my gf and four of her friends for Kaskade and they all had the same trepidation with regards to bad XS experiences. Bobby knocked it out of the park. He had the birthday girl(s) name's on the marquee as we walked in, the XS angels waiting at the table upon approach, probably the best staff working with us I have ever experienced in Vegas. Everything was 100% about the girls in our group and they were blown away by the attention to detail put towards making it a special night. I can't say enough about the job Bobby did for us. IMG_2360.jpg

[tdhvGT]

Hell, I'd go as far as telling Bobby why the bride-to-be is hesitant about XS by briefly saying how you were "placed in a bad spot outside too far from the dance floor" and would like to know how to get a group of 10 girls a good spot inside at XS. I wouldn't worry about line of sight to the DJ for an inside table as there isn't really a bad spot.

Bobby is 100% legit - he went so far as to take care of me while I was trying to get into a Miami night club. I also believe he is now more in management so if you can reach him, he can hook you up. Finally, I would mention that he came recommended from the JackColton Forums. It would appear that phrase doesn't carry as much weight as it once did but he is one of the few that would appreciate the connection.

[MsAmERIKA]

Get with Bobby Yeadon and explain your situation and what figures you need to make things work to get in a good spot for your budget. I was in Vegas this past March with my gf and four of her friends for Kaskade and they all had the same trepidation with regards to bad XS experiences. Bobby knocked it out of the park. He had the birthday girl(s) name's on the marquee as we walked in, the XS angels waiting at the table upon approach, probably the best staff working with us I have ever experienced in Vegas.Everything was 100% about the girls in our group and they were blown away by the attention to detail put towards making it a special night. I can't say enough about the job Bobby did for us. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2865[/ATTACH]

Now THAT'S service! Did you pay him to set up something special like that for them or know about it beforehand? Or did he just throw it in as an added surprise when you guys got there?

Also, what's best way to contact Bobby? Text/email? Don't have his contact info. And thanks everyone for the helpful input!

[ponch62]

708-714-0280

Text is definitely the best way to start conversation with him.