Being in Las Vegas, where no one in nightlife knows that I have owned All Club VIP for 4 years, has really has given me an unfair advantage of seeing how places truly treat the general public. Because of my involvement in Portland's nightlife, I will use my experiences in Las Vegas to make my point. Two places, that will remain nameless, have taken inhospitality to the next level to the point where I will not go back to and I’ll tell you why.
Straight up rudeness is what has veto’d me from the first club. I walked up to a host at the first club one night stating that I had Nick & 
Aaron from the Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures with me & if we could just cut through the line, paying cover was not a problem. The host reaction? “Man Verses Food is the only show I watch on that channel, they can wait in line”… I shouldn’t have to explain what an idiot this guy is, but I’ll give it a shot… First, they have a few dollars to spend, you know you’re not getting cheapskates. Secondly, they have a great following all around the world so one good time at a club could perceivably result exposure to all their 100s of thousands of fans through social media, & photos of them in your gallery & various publications… Third is the fact that, of all stations, they work with the Travel Channel. If I had a large entertainment property/hotel/casino, I’d probably want to cater to any representative from the one channel that focus’ on travel in hopes of building a relationship through their entire company to ensure many repeat visits. You have to figure, if this is how they treat celebrities, you can imagine how the general public gets treated. The missing belongings from the VIP area is also a true story from a friend also from this club.
At the second place rudeness (again) and disrespect for musical legends sealed my veto deal. For anyone who doesn’t know, I have a great respect for the true DJ’s who put their heart & soul into the music & have not fallen to the commercialization of their industry. Any pioneer in the industry has my full attention. The first night I walked into one particular club down here, I should have known what kind of place it was as I watched DJ Jazzy Jeff get asked to leave a gig he was doing for free in honor of the late DJ AM. Every time I came to that place was a horrible experience. Tables for our groups have magically disappeared, my entire group of ladies has been insulted by hosts, & again they were rude to Aaron & Nick.
Knowing people in the Portland market well, there are some there who understand how to treat people. They can probably make even a telemarketer calling their phone feel as though they are excited to hear from them & then turn it into selling them a table for 15 of their friends. The results show in the years that they’ve been successful in the industry. Hats off to Ryan Black, Ian Asbury, the staffs under Mr. Lenahan who drilled the concept into them to hold true to his book, James Silviano (moved to Vegas), Amir Panahpour, KP, & of course Keno Leightey who spoiled me rotten WAAYY before I had anything to do with the industry.
Through the years, I’ve seen the best & worst in nightlife, but the core of the venue’s success will always come down to the people behind it. I have seen the most elaborate layouts, amazing acts, celebrities, décor, gifts, dancers, props, uniforms, etc in a venue that would fail because of the way they’ve treated people. Sometimes, this would only be a few months after it opened. A great experience is not those features alone, it’s being treated like you’re special by another human being.Even the original Studio 54, the place that some people might claim to be where this inhospitable approach stemmed because of their selective door process, was marketed as treating everyone from plumbers to celebrities as equals… As a person in the industry, perhaps it’s time to treat paying customers with respect, because you never know who it really is walking through those doors… or who’s going to write a blog about you ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j02y2Nhf1KM
Since I’m not getting paid here in Vegas for nightlife, I can lead you to venues based on my opinion rather than my places that financially change my mind! Hospitable Places in Vegas:
The Palms: I came into this town knowing only a few people and no one at the Palms despite the fact my bosses own it. One night, I was on the casino floor by myself (OK, I wandered off from my group again) & this tall man named Attila with the N9NE group greeted me having no idea who I was, told me to grab my friends & bring them to Ghost Bar. It’s been one of my favorite places ever since. As is Moon. Rain’s cool I’m just not into House music. But I did make it there when Jazzy Jeff came back to NOT get kicked out.
Marquee: This was the place that made me write this blog. It’s brand new so a little chaotic to get into, but everyone from bartenders, to dancers, to VIP hostess’s & bouncers have smiles on their faces & treat you like … get this… REAL PEOPLE! It’s like they want to earn your money or something … GO FIGURE!
LAVO: The savior venue after Aaron & Nick’s complete disrespect at the 2 other clubs. Plus DJ Vice is there frequently.
Beso’s Eve: This is Eva Longoria’s club. Of course it’s nice that I know the marketing girl, but I have to say their group of DJs/Promoters with 51Fifty are overly welcoming / hyper …& somehow it made me feel at home… We’ve talked about putting together a special deal through AllClubVIP for this place & I’ll keep you posted on details.
More good places:
VooDoo
XS
Artisan
Most Town Center spots
