What the heck is VIP in Vegas?
Well first of all, you guys should take some time and go
through this article by Jack himself:
http://jackcolton.com/what_are_las_vegas_vip_hosts.htm and it will help define what VIP is.
For the pool parties, it’s generally a cabana, daybed or a lounge chair that is
dedicated to you. At night clubs it’s either a cabana, or a table for bottle
service. You get your own personal
space, personal waitress, security and a bus boy. Some people see this as
status and respect; others see it as a way to have more fun. I mean who wants
to really stand in a cock infested dance floor all night and buying drinks from
the bar anyway?
Costs that go into VIP?
It’s all in the negotiations. Most places do have a set
rate, but depending on the host, you can talk down the rate or get a special
that goes a long with it like a b1g1 on a bottle, or a discounted food &
beverage minimum.
Pool Parties:
Always use Food &
Beverage Minimums. If you make a reservation for a daybed, there is a maximum
amount of people that are allowed to walk in with you to use that daybed. For
instance Wet Republic allows 8 people per daybed and you have been quoted a
F&B minimum of $750. For you to use the daybed space the entire day, you
will need to order $750 worth of food and beverage from your waitress. There is
also a mandatory gratuity of 20% and NV sales tax of 8.1%. Just to be on the
safe side, I tack on 30% on to the amount you plan to spend. Also if you are looking for a better location
or have good standing with a host, make sure you set aside $100 per every $500
to tip your host.
Lets break this down with excel:
Food and Beverage
|
$750.00
|
Mandatory Gratuity ($750*.20)
|
$150.00
|
NV Sales Tax ($750 * .081)
|
$60.75
|
Total
|
$960.75
|
|
|
Since 8 people are allowed, divide by 8
|
$120.09
|
*Collect $130
per person to be on the safe side
|
|
The assumptions here are that you are very careful and you
ordered exactly $750 worth of food and beverage off the menu which is pretty
impossible to do. If you are organizing VIP, I will always collect 30% for tax/
gratuity + an additional 5% for overages to be on the safe side. Whatever money
that is left over, tip it to your host, bus boy and security. FYI- Your host is
the person that sets you up, so it is really important that you take care of
him first. You might want to collect an extra $10-20 from each one of your
group members to make sure the host is taken care of. Another consideration is that you are not
wasting money towards cover. With the hiked up cover charges of $50 at some
venues and the costs that go into purchasing individual drinks at $18-$25 per
drink, It really makes people think that this is a more economical option with
all the additional services that come out of going VIP.
Nightclubs:
It is actually very similar to pool parties, but instead of
dealing with food & beverage you are quoted a bottle minimum for a
location. Of course the cabanas and better seating will require more bottle
minimums to be purchased. I will use the
Surrender cabana as an example. We are quoted 2 bottle minimum on this cabana.
What does this mean? You will be presented a menu where you will choose the
bottles that go along with your service. On the average, bottle prices are
about $450 or more. Typical juice mixers are included with your purchase.
Bottled water and red bulls are always extra.
For this cabana we have a 10 person maximum, and we bought 2 bottles of
Belvedere at $475. The same concepts
above of mandatory gratuity, tax and tipping the host applies. This is how it breaks down:
2 bottles of Belvedere ($475*2)
|
$950.00
|
Mandatory Gratuity ($950*.20)
|
$190.00
|
NV Sales Tax ($950 * .081)
|
$76.95
|
Total
|
$1,216.95
|
|
|
Since 10 people are allowed, divide by 10
|
$121.70
|
*On the safe side, I would collect about $130 again
Other things to consider:
Sometimes the party is on and cracking, and you guys go over
the F&B or bottle minimum and decided to order more. Its always a good idea
to bring extra cash with you to the table so you are ready to keep the party
going. Never be the douche that brought only the exact amount. You know you
will end up spending more. Most
establishments also frown upon charging a bill to multiple credit cards. So the
organizer will usually charge the bill to their credit card. Make sure you pay
the requested amount upfront before you even enter the club. As an organizer, never ask for the initial owed money later. That is just asking to get
screwed. Just be ready to pay any
additional overages if the organizer asks for it.
Lastly,
common bottle service etiquette means that the people that pay are the ones
that should consume. If you bring a girl back to the table, have some courtesy
and order her drink on a separate tab or at the bar. Never mooch off your
shared bottles between your friends for randoms just to look cool. If
there are randoms in your area, at your discretion you might want to ask them
to throw you a $10 or $20 to use the real estate. Don’t be angry and
confrontational, and immediately call security. That just sets off bad vibes.
One more secret tip,
well not really, I think it should be common sense. Keep females off of your
bottle count. Females in Vegas can always get into clubs via guestlist or
be added to a reservation at the door and almost always they are never charged
a cover. Lets say you had a female that is going to chip in on the bottle, do
not check in with her for your VIP service. Get her through the VIP line, then
have her meet up with you at your table. Of course be nice and pour the lady a
drink, shes paying for it after all! This will allow you to get more people on
the reservation to decrease cost.
All in all, you should have fun. The point is not worry
about money when you are partying in the VIP. It’s your location for the night,
let loose and enjoy. If you budgeted accordingly in the beginning, there should
never be a reason to worry. Planning is the key!
