Your Las Vegas Guide

31.08.2010 Articles Comments Off

Selecting the Best VIP Hosting Company in Las Vegas

A small amount of time spent selecting the correct VIP Hosting company to handle your night out is going to pay HUGE dividends in terms of your overall experience, enjoyment and value for money. So, if nothing else, do take the time to get educated by reading this short guide.

The VIP Host is the person that is with you on the night out and put simply, handles every aspect of the evening allowing you to relax and get on with the business of having a great time. Naturally he/she will arrange no-wait VIP entry to the clubs but will also ensure that your transportation is there when you need it to be, that your correct choice of drinks are on board and basically screen you from all the hassle involved in organizing a group event.

A VIP Hosting company such as Your Las Vegas Guide will not only provide you with the best possible VIP Host but work with you prior to the event in order to recommend the most suitable venues/nightclubs, suggest a program & timings to meet your requirements, provide invaluable inside information, pre-book the transportation, handle payment etc so that the night itself goes off smoothly and hassle-free.

In Las Vegas, “VIP Hosts” range from the most fully connected professionals where everything is possible to happy amateurs, moonlighting bar-tenders through border-line pimps peddling burned-out strippers tasked with milking you for every dollar they can. Harsh, but unfortunately true.

The most important thing when selecting a VIP Hosting company is to know who you are dealing with. In today’s day and age anyone can create a fancy website and promise the earth so these are the key things to know and questions to ask any company that you intend to entrust with your money and big night out:

1) Is your company bonded and licensed?
In other words what financial protection is provided if they do not deliver what was promised or, God forbid, disappear with your cash. Financial bonding is a legal requirement of any legitimate tour operator offering transportation and access to venues in Las Vegas.

In the event of a valid complaint against our company you may contact the Nevada Consumer Affairs Division and receive a refund from the substantial funds we have provided in our bond without the need for legal recourse. Please see http://www.fyiconsumer.org/ for more information.

2) How many nightclubs do you work with in Las Vegas?

You want to know if you are getting a truly independent and impartial recommendation on which clubs to go to.

Your Las Vegas Guide work with every nightclub in Las Vegas and we are more than happy to offer an impartial view on the best clubs to go to based on your individual requirements.

3) Are you able to obtain no wait, VIP entry at all Vegas nightclubs without us having to pay for bottle service?

The key thing here is to understand how “hooked up” the company actually is rather than be sold on just a few clubs that the company may happen to have contacts at.

Your Las Vegas Guide can obtain VIP Hosted access to every Las Vegas nightclub whether or not you require bottle service.

4) How long has your company been in business and how many guests do you host each month in Las Vegas?

Your Las Vegas Guide is part of the Group which has been established since 1994 and has offices in the USA and Europe. Your Las Vegas Guide currently hosts an average of 1000 clients per month in Las Vegas alone. Full details of the other companies within Group are available here

5) Do you GUARANTEE that we will get what you have promised?

Your Las Vegas Guide stand by our promises, excellent reputation and ability to get the job done. Bottom line is that if we don’t get you into the club, you don’t pay for that part of your package.

IN SUMMARY:

Accept nothing at face value, know who you are dealing with and don’t be afraid to ask for references from previous clients or check out the companies track record with the Better Business Bureau & Nevada Consumer Affairs Division.

31.08.2010 Articles Comments Off

Planning the Perfect Party

If it’s you that has been tasked with planning the party then naturally you want to get it right. It is after all, a BIG responsibility. Deliver the goods and the guests will regard you as a superhero. Get it wrong and, well, let’s not even go there.

The best single piece of advice we can give you is to use a professional party planning service/VIP Hosting company such as Club Viva. Yes we may be biased but think about it: A team of local professionals with in-depth knowledge of all the best places, key hook-ups, access to discounted rates and experience of hosting literally 1000s of parties is going to be worth their weight in gold when it comes to delivering the best possible Vegas experience.

Remember also that most Las Vegas nightclubs are not so welcoming to big walk-up parties (particularly all-male groups) so your VIP Hosting company is going to open doors that would otherwise remain firmly closed. And those doors by the way lead to the places where you really want to be…

Regardless of whether you choose to go with the professionals or go it alone, before you get sucked into the detail, begin with the basics:

1) Guest List / Group Size

Draw up the list of those to be invited. If it’s a bachelor/bachelorette party think carefully about whether it’s really a good idea to invite your father/mother in-law and don’t be afraid to leave “that guy”/”that girl” at home if they are likely to affect everyone’s enjoyment of the event. The key aim at this stage is to get a realistic idea of what the group size is going to be, planning for 20 which then turns out to be 6 (and vice versa) is going to cause all sorts of headaches you don’t need.

2) Budget

We can’t stress how important it is to agree a realistic budget per person that is going to work for everybody in the group. Set it too high and the drop-outs will be numerous when it actually comes round to them cutting the check, so consider what is most important to you: having all your best friends there or pricing some of them out.

3) Dates

It sounds obvious but choose a date that is going to work for the majority of the group and give everybody plenty of notice. As with all things you can’t please all of the people all of the time so you may have to lay down the law if you find yourself going round in circles trying to accommodate everybody’s schedules.

Get the above agreed up front and you’ll be less likely to have the hassle of a constantly changing group size or wildly differing expectations of what the party is going to entail. So, onto the next step:

4) Decide on the Program of Events

You will no doubt have your own ideas about what the big night out is going to include which may be any combination of the following:

Dinner

Starting with dinner is always a good idea if for no other reason than ensuring that everyone has their stomach lined before hitting the booze! Club Viva is happy to provide recommendations on restaurants to suit your budget and requirements.

Lounge/Bar

Consider kicking the night off in a lounge or decent bar to be in an environment where the volume is not ear-bleeding and the group can gel and chat comfortably. Club Viva can recommend some excellent venues that also offer spectacular views of Las Vegas.

Gentlemen’s Clubs / Entertainers in your Room

Las Vegas has a seemingly inexhaustible supply of adult entertainers but be careful as all are not created equal! We recommend going to a quality gentlemen’s club rather than bringing the entertainment to you as the cost is significantly less, the quality better and your choice way more varied. Similar options are available for the ladies too!

Shows

Of course Vegas is known for its amazing shows but our suggestion is to leave those for another time. The dynamics don’t work so well with group events.

Nightclubs

See our Vegas Nightclub Guide or call us TOLL FREE on 1 888 847 5868 / 702 454 9406 for impartial advice on the best clubs to suit your requirements. Consider also whether you want to have a table with bottle service (see Essential Guide #2) and when planning your schedule bear in mind that most Vegas clubs don’t get kicking until around 11pm.

After Hours Clubs

Most regular Las Vegas nightclubs wrap up at around 4-5am so if you are looking to extend the party further then a good after hours club is the way to go. These are also covered in our nightclub guide above.

Activities / Attractions

Las Vegas has a great selection of thrill rides and other activities such as shooting & indoor sky-diving but our advice is to keep these for the day-time. Hitting the shots followed by the roller-coaster is inviting a rapid reappearance of your dinner and an embarrassing trip back to the hotel to shower and change. Las Vegas at night is a sight to behold though, so a cruise of The Strip in your limo or even from above in a helicopter can definitely add a touch of magic. Club Viva will be happy to arrange this for you.

Gaming

You won’t want to put your whole night over to gambling and for sure splitting the group up amongst the slots is not the best way to get a good group vibe going. Having your group take over a blackjack, roulette or craps table though for half an hour or so can be great fun and definitely raise the energy level. Remember your drinks are free when you are playing too!

Transportation

If you are hopping around between venues then it’s an absolute must to have your transportation prearranged. On a weekend taxi-lines can be horrendous and having to split your group between vehicles is never ideal. Club Viva can recommend a full choice of transportation options ranging from limousines, party buses and regular coaches through monster limo-buses that can only be described as nightclubs on wheels! Having the right transportation available when you need it and be able to enjoy a drink onboard will keep the party going between venues and add greatly to your enjoyment of the evening.

Remember also that if you are in town for a few days then you don’t need to try and cram everything into one night – who’s to say the party can’t be a 72-hour affair?

5) Arranging Payment

Now that you have your group and your game-plan in place the final thing to do is to organize payment between the guests. Using a professional VIP Hosting company offers the convenience of making a single payment to a single supplier and Club Viva also provides an easy option that allows you to pay cash on the night.

The key thing here is that you don’t want to get stuck with paying for everything up-front then be left holding the baby should any of your guests drop out (it happens!). So our best advice is to collect individual payments from guests prior to making your reservation or at the very least get a commitment from each guest that they will honor their share of the cost if they are forced to cancel. And if you do intend to pay cash on the night then be sure to collect it from everybody at the very start of the trip. Vegas is full of temptations designed to part you with your money and you wouldn’t believe how many parties get affected because some of the group blew their cash gambling before the party even got started.

GENERAL TIPS FOR THE PERFECT PARTY

1) Do make the effort to actually plan your party and appoint a person to be in charge of the festivities; arriving in town then making it up on the fly is a sure-fire recipe for dismal chaos.

2) Plan well ahead of time to get the best deals and to avoid schedule clashes with your guests.

3) In our experience a program that involves hopping around 2 or 3 different venues makes for a far more memorable experience than spending all night in a single club.

4) If you have a limo pick-up at the start of the evening, arrange for all guests to get together in the hotel bar at least 20-minutes prior. That way you don’t lose your limo time if somebody is late getting ready.

5) Ensure that everyone is in dress code (see Essential Guide #3) and has their money and photo-id with them before leaving the hotel.

6) Don’t get too hammered before the night even kicks-off! Las Vegas nightlife doesn’t get moving until late and being back in bed while everyday else is having the time of their life is just not cool.

7) Don’t listen to misinformed opinions. Everybody likes to think they “know Vegas” and will have tales to relay from previous visits. This town changes quickly though and last week’s hot-spot is this weeks old news so base your decisions on solid, up-to-the-minute information from those that are genuinely in the know.

Have everybody contribute to a drinks kitty to make it easier to pay for drinks when in the clubs and if you are ordering bottle service collect the money from everybody at the time you order.

9) If you are planning to have both your wedding and bachelor/bachelorette party in Las Vegas, schedule at least a one-day “recovery period” before the wedding day. A mammoth hang-over is not going to add to your enjoyment of the biggest day of your life.

10) Don’t even think about having the bachelor and bachelorette party together or even meeting up at the same venue. More often that not it leads to unnecessary drama that you really don’t need. We’ve been there.

IN SUMMARY:

31.08.2010 Articles Comments Off

Dress Code at Las Vegas Nightclubs

One thing is sure though – nothing is guaranteed to screw up your night more than getting to the front of the line only to be sent back to the hotel to change. Bottom line is there’s no point taking a chance, so just follow these simple guidelines to avoid any unnecessary hassle.

GUYS

Best bet is simply “dress to impress”. That means no tennis shoes, sandals, shorts, ripped, scruffy or baggy jeans, sportswear, jerseys, tanks, baseball caps or inappropriate attire.

Jeans are perfectly acceptable at all Las Vegas clubs as long as they are smart; dress pants are not necessary.

For shoes we recommend leather dress shoes as some of the top clubs refuse Diesels and other shoes that are styled like sneakers. Definitely no work boots (including styles such as Timberlands).

We recommend a collared button down shirt; really nice fashionable T-shirts are sometimes accepted but not worth the risk.

Hats are best avoided unless you have a burning desire to wear one, never a baseball cap though.

As a general guideline we’d suggest that bachelor parties avoid the “Team” outfit for the evening. As well as attracting unnecessary attention from the club staff they also severely restrict your chances with the ladies!

GIRLS

The good news for girls is that dress code is nowhere near as strict as it is for men and you’ll no doubt be looking a million dollars for your big night out anyway. The same basic rules still apply though so avoid sneakers, sportswear and caps.

31.08.2010 Articles Comments Off

Bottle Service – What it is and When to Order it

What is bottle service?

Quite simply an arrangement whereby instead of lining up at a crowded bar fighting to order your drinks, the nightclub provides you with your own private table, booth, skybox or VIP Room and you purchase complete bottles of your choice of alcohol accompanied with mixers, condiments and ice which are served table-side by a personal waitress.

What does it cost?

As with everything else this varies widely from club to club and to a degree from night to night. Essentially though there are 3 factors to be considered to arrive at the overall price:

1) Bottle prices. Bottle prices start from around $350 per 750ml bottle at most Las Vegas nightclubs ($475 at top clubs such as Pure or LAX) for regular Vodka such as Sky or Absolut and rise from there for premium brands, vintage champagne and specialty drinks. Mixers are included but expect to pay extra for Red Bull. Don’t forget that sales tax and often an automatic service gratuity of around 18% will also be added to your total.

2) Guest/Bottle Ratio. Most of the top clubs will require you to purchase 1 bottle for every 3 guests in your group although some clubs still do 1 bottle for every 4 people. Many clubs will also have a 2 bottle minimum for the table regardless of the group size (sometimes more on holiday weekends and special events).

3) Table Fee. This is where it can get a bit grey as sometimes this is a fee paid directly to the club but more often it represents the tip-out to the club’s VIP Host to “make it happen”. Depending on the club, the host, the group size, the table required, the night in question and your clout with the club this can vary from $100 to thousands of dollars to get into areas frequented by celebrities.

If you are thinking that can add up to a significant chunk of change then you are right. But if you consider that you are really paying for rental of your own exclusive piece of real estate for the night, access to an area of the club that is not jam-packed and an elevated level of status and service then it can often be worth the extra money. A professional VIP Hosting company will negotiate hard on your behalf to get the best rates on all of the above and since they do business with the clubs every week will get you the very best available deal. Your Las Vegas Guide not only offers this but will guarantee your reservation to ensure you do not get “bumped” when you arrive at the club, get you the best available table and ensure that there is no wait upon arrival.

When Should I Book Bottle Service?

Each individual will have their own idea of what they want to get out of their night and what they want to spend. Generally speaking, if money is no object or you are celebrating a special occasion AND plan to spend the bulk of your night in one club then go for it. However, bear in mind that the financial commitment you make when booking a table commits you to spend a lot of time in that club (walking away and leaving $1000 worth of alcohol on the table is never a good thing!) so if your game plan is to hop around a number of clubs to keep the scene fresh (something we definitely recommend) then getting a table may not be the best way to go. At the very least perhaps schedule a lounge and maybe another club first then finish your night with a table at the main club of the night. Remember though most clubs will require you to arrive at around 11pm in order to honor your table reservation although Your Las Vegas Guide can often arrange for this to be later without risking getting “bumped”.

Consider also how much your party is likely to drink over the course of the evening. You could have 3 tee-total pregnant nuns in your group and the club is still going to want them to order a bottle between them. Conversely, if you are going to smash back ten $12 cocktails a piece at the bar then bottle service may even work out at around the same money AND with all the extra benefits.

Your group size is the other consideration. If there are only 2 of you and the club has a 2 bottle minimum then things could get a) very expensive b) very boozy or most likely both very quickly. For smaller groups that require bottle service Your Las Vegas Guide can advise on quality clubs where we are able to secure tables with reduced bottle minimums that meet your available budget.

Do I Need to Order Bottle Service to get VIP Entry?

Absolutely not! And if any VIP Hosting company you speak to says otherwise then walk away. Quickly. They either do not have sufficient clout with the club in question or they are flat out trying to scam you. Your Las Vegas Guide can provide no-wait VIP entry ahead of all the lines to every nightclub in Las Vegas whether you reserve a table or not. Read our Guide to Selecting a VIP Hosting Company that is guaranteed to get the job done to be sure you are dealing with people who can “do the business” in this respect.

IN SUMMARY:

If you’ve got it, flaunt it but beware of paying over the odds and consider how your money is best spent in context of the overall game-plan for your night.

31.08.2010 Articles Comments Off

The Myth of VIP Nightclub Entry in Las Vegas

If you haven’t been clubbing in Vegas before you may well be thinking just how long can it take to get in a nightclub? Well let’s start by understanding two things:

1) Las Vegas nightclubs are now so good and so popular that long lines are virtually inevitable at any place worth going to.

2) The whole business of lines at Vegas nightclubs is also a game. Believe it or not, nightclubs want lines outside their clubs. Why? Because it gives the impression that their venue is hugely popular and human nature being what it is, the harder something is to obtain, the more people want it. So even if a club is not full, some will still play “line games” as the people clamoring to get in are a hugely effective ad for the club. And let us not forget that when demand exceeds supply, prices go up…

To be clear, not all clubs do this and we don’t knock those that do, this is a business after all. BUT to avoid being a pawn in the game we recommend you go VIP.

So, what exactly is VIP?

VIP means VIP right? Not in this town. In fact we would go as far to say that never has a term that implies such much meant so little if you find yourself in the wrong situation. Truth is there are various different levels of “VIP” when it comes to getting into Las Vegas nightclubs. Read on….

FREE VIP PASSES

At the very bottom of the barrel are the “free” VIP passes. Peddled on eBay and handed out by everybody ranging from genuine promoters to taxi drivers and shady winos trying to hit you for a few bucks, they are about as useful as a chocolate coffee mug when it comes to getting you past the lines of any club worth going to. While they may get you some kind of break when/if you finally get to the club’s cashier the key thing is to check the restrictions and the small print which can range from them not being valid on weekends or only at certain times (usually when the club is empty anyway) to the all encompassing “Management Reserves All Rights” which basically means they can choose to treat you with the contempt your cheapo coupon deserves. They may be worth trying on a wet Wednesday in November but if you are planning to use them for a big night out then we have one word of advice: Don’t.

LINE PASSES / GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS SOLD ONLINE

Nowadays, there are a lot of websites (some very big) that do a very good business selling a huge amount of these kind of tickets (you probably came across some of them before you discovered us). And therein lays the problem. Just how VIP are you when you have literally hundreds of other suckers that have all bought the same ticket and have all been told to arrive at the same time (usually around opening time) scrambling for the attention of the doormen who, frankly, have more profitable ways of spending their time? Consider also that these tickets give little regard to the door policies of the individual clubs. Unless you have proper VIP representation there is no way in hell a large group of dudes are getting into the top clubs here, yet the websites will happily sell you 20 male tickets – why do they do that? Unless you bought the tickets from a rogue website the club may still honor them though, so at least you won’t have to pay cover again if you ever do get past the door and to the cashier. But if you have the idea that you’ll show up at the club and get straight in without waiting you are going to be very disappointed. If in any doubt we suggest you take a look at the “VIP” line outside any of the top clubs, it’s the one that’s the same length as the general admission line. It would be funny if it wasn’t for the fact that those people paid good money only to be left waiting.

VIP HOSTED ENTRY

Of course we may have some bias here, but the fact is that having your own VIP Host that works for you puts you at a huge advantage when it comes to obtaining the level of service you expect. It’s entirely logical that having a local professional with excellent industry contacts who brings business to the nightclubs (and their respective hosts) week in, week out and who personally escorts you into the nightclub is going to get the job done more quickly and smoothly than someone that is regarded as a walk-up tourist. Do you need to use a VIP Host to get in? Absolutely not. You could attempt to go it alone and use the time-honored tradition of slipping a c-note or two to move things along and it can work but it is incredibly hit and miss for many reasons: Often there is such a crowd all trying to do the same thing or delivering their “don’t you know who I am”? speech that you simply can’t physically get to where you need to be. Even when you do there’s no guarantee that the person you speak to even has the authority to make it happen, most of the key decision makers are too busy taking care of their own clients and doing their job to be fighting back the crowd and listening to your story. And often the front-line staff are actually expressly forbidden from doing this. Bottom line though is that it’s just not cool. A quality VIP Host will have a procedure for bypassing all the lines (table customers included) pre-arranged with their contact at the club and will walk you past the whole sorry mess, into the club immediately and looking like a star. As with everything in life, all VIP Hosts are not created equal and prices can vary hugely for their services so read our Guide to Selecting a VIP Hosting Company that is guaranteed to get the job done.

TABLE RESERVATIONS / BOTTLE SERVICE

With the explosion of the Vegas nightlife industry came the phenomena of bottle service. When you reserve a table at a club and commit to buy bottle service it also offers the benefit of using a separate line that is generally only for table customers and those on the guest-list. Whilst this is definitely an elevated level of VIP service it does not necessarily mean that you will be granted immediate entry upon arrival and it’s not unusual to have to wait whilst other table clients ahead of you are processed. The most important distinction with bottle service though is that you get to have your own table/booth/skybox/VIP room within the club; for the uninitiated this is the ONLY way to sit down in virtually every Las Vegas nightclub! VIP Hosted Entry gets you in ahead of everybody else but if you want to sit down then buying bottles is the only way to go. Hey, we don’t make the rules!

If you have a senior contact at the club you can attempt to book a table directly but again using a professional VIP Host is worth their weight in gold here. Not only will they ensure there is no waiting but also that you get the best available table, do not get palmed off with a table for 2 when your group size is 12 (it happens), do not get hit with exorbitant “table fees” or get hustled into buying more bottles than you need to. Most importantly though they will ensure that your reservation does not get “bumped”, a depressingly all-to-common occurrence whereby you arrive at the club fired up and ready for the night of your life only to be told that the reservation has been lost (usually sold out to a higher bidder on the night or pulled by a local hosting company for their last-minute clients). Done right, bottle service can be a beautiful thing but depending on your game plan it’s not always the best way to go – for more information we recommend you read our Guide to Bottle Service and When to Order it.

IN SUMMARY:

Decide what level of service you want, what you are prepared to pay and shop around to find the best value. For maximum peace of mind use a professional VIP Hosting Company that guarantees their service and know exactly who you are dealing with by asking all the right questions.